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| Wayne cleaning the outside chimney pipe. |
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| Cleaning the horizontal pipe section. |
Several times during the burning season, Wayne goes up on the porch roof to clean out the external stovepipe. At least once a year, we remove and clean the indoor pipe and scoop ash off the smoke shelf where it can restrict airflow.
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| We remove the chimney pipe for cleaning. |
There are two beneficial reasons for removing creosote buildup. The first is safety. Creosote can cause chimney fires. Secondly, the fire burns more efficiently, which in turn reduces creosote buildup. Here's what came out of the pipe this time.
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| The "sock puppet" lets us get out dangerous creosote. |
I designed a tool to use to help scrape out the horizontal pipes. I call it a Woodstove Sock Puppet. Since we always clean our pipe when there's no fire, it isn't dangerous to you a cloth device. The extra surface area helps Wayne scoop out as much buildup as possible.
Now our woodstove is burning bright, and we're Kozi warm off the grid,
even on the coldest of nights. -- Margy
One of our neighbors had a chimney fire in their masonry fireplace chimney. It roared like a lion and they were lucky not to have lost their home.
ReplyDeleteWe keep a thermometer on our chimney to monitor the temperature. But of course prevention is the best. - Margy
DeleteNothing better than having a warm glowing fire to comfort the soul. And in my opinion, the fragrance of a wood burning stove/fireplace is one of the GOOD things in life.
ReplyDeleteGlad you two are wise enough to do this often during the season. So many people don't realize the danger lurking in the chimneys.
If we wait too long, it's a cold job without a fire in the morning. - Margy
DeleteCleaning the stove pipes is so important. We used to do it regularly when we had a wood burning stove, but now we have an energy efficient gas one ... not necessarily as cozy as a wood fire but it certainly is less work for us aging folks :)
ReplyDeleteAt the cabin gas isn't really a choice, but it does take a lot of work to cut and split the wood to get it ready. - Margy
DeleteThanks for visiting me! This is the first time we have a woodstove (first time living in the mountains) - will let hubby read this, to make sure we do all the neccessary things:)
ReplyDeleteThere are lots of web resources for maintaining woodstoves. That's where we learned. - Margy
DeleteThe perfect thing for a cold day...a warm fire burning, a nice bowl of homemade chicken soup and a hot chocolate and good book in the evening! :)
ReplyDeleteI agree completely, unless it's a glass of wine in the evening. - Margy
DeleteThat does look warm. You say you're off the grid - do you have a good supply of electricity? I couldn't live without my stereo...
ReplyDeleteWe have enough battery storage from our solar and wind generator for a few lights, recharging devices and our radios. Not sure how much power a stereo draws, but if you have enough battery storage you can do just about anything. - Margy
DeleteNothing like a nice wood fire on cold nights!
ReplyDeleteI think there is nothing quite as nice as a wood burning stove for winter warmth, I had one for years when I lived well south of here but cleaning the chimney was the worst job of all!
ReplyDeleteThanks for your comment on my blog. Our magpies warble and chatter a lot so there is a saying about chattering like a magpie - ie being very noisy!
I enjoyed my blog visit. - Margy
DeleteI love wood heat - but we are very spoiled and have central heat now - so much easier and cleaner, and we don't "have" to burn wood. The heat is nice - but there is certainly a lot of maintenance and prep needed - as your post explains.
ReplyDeleteWe enjoy our gas fireplace in town, but at the cabin there's only wood as a choice. - Margy
DeleteMy hubby loves using our fireplace during the winter, and every fall he always sweeps the chimney. There's nothing like a cozy wood fire on a chilly night.
ReplyDeleteI'm feeling cosy dreaming about sitting by your fire. Mmmmm. Ni-i-ice.
ReplyDeleteOur wood stove is great, it actually get too hot sometimes. I am glad you are keeping the stove and pipe clean, best to be safe.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your day!
Ours gets too hot at time, so we open a window to moderate the heat. Once the stove fires up it takes a long time to cool down. - Margy
DeleteThanks everyone for visiting My World post this week. I appreciate all of your visits and comments. - Margy
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this article with us, people who are careless about cleaning their chimney should read this article and know how important it is to remove creosote from chimney. Keep sharing such informative piece of information.
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