Do-it-yourself chimney cleaning in a private house

Heating of multi-storey, private houses and heating of baths is quite often carried out by solid fuel boilers. These devices, during operation, produce a large volume of combustion gases, which are deposited on all surfaces with which they come into contact. Regular cleaning of the chimney from soot is a must for the efficient and safe operation of the stove. You don't need a professional chimney sweep for this. There are many approaches to this process. Almost everything can be done by hand. To achieve a quality result with minimal effort and risk to life, you should familiarize yourself with the available methods and means for cleaning the chimney.

What causes chimney blockages

Almost all stokers of boiler houses of multi-storey buildings and owners of their own mansions have to deal with a decrease in the section of the pipe due to the plaque formed on its inner wall. In this case, the chimney is immediately cleaned, since otherwise the fuel combustion may stop, and carbon monoxide will begin to flow into the room.

Chimney clogging can occur for the following reasons:

• Using raw firewood. After getting on the coals, they do not ignite immediately, but only after drying. During this period, the temperature in the firebox drops and resin evaporates from the logs. This substance does not burn, rising up it cools down, settling on the walls of the channel. Subsequently, solid particles of smoke adhere to the sticky resin, forming a dense substance.
• Poor cravings. Often this phenomenon is the result of design errors - a short, overly narrow or wide pipe, narrowing of the channel in the form of a bottle, the presence of a large number of elbows. Sometimes there is no thrust when there is calm, cloudy weather, accompanied by high atmospheric pressure. In such situations, combustion turns into smoldering with the formation of thick smoke that settles on the pipe.
  
• Incineration of household clothes, waste plastic panels, chipboard and plywood. These materials emit a lot of soot, which is why the chimney must be cleaned immediately after disposal.
• Fuel type. The least soot is emitted by firewood from deciduous trees, but their cost is quite high, which does not justify the purchase costs. Coal, spruce and pine are cheaper, but they contain resins that, when heated, turn into creosote, which is difficult to remove. To clean the chimney in the bath, you have to spend a lot of time and effort.
• The material from which the chimney is made. Most of all soot settles in brick channels due to their rough surface. Ferrous iron quickly rusts from acid, which forms when condensate and soot come into contact. The best options are ceramics, glass and stainless steel.

Compliance with all recommendations for the operation of the boiler does not guarantee that the chimney will always be clean. Sooner or later, you will have to get rid of soot.

Risk of clogging of pipes and the need to clean them

The danger of chimney clogging should not be underestimated. This situation can lead to tragic events.

Consequences of operating the furnace with a soot-clogged pipe:

• Combustion. The creosote accumulating in the channel is combustible and forms a high temperature flame. This is fraught with fire, first on the roof, and then throughout the house. Sparks can hit nearby buildings and flammable objects outside. The scale of the destruction could be catastrophic.
• Explosion. The soot explodes when heated strongly. At the same time, there is a great risk that the pipe will scatter into fragments, which will injure people, animals, damage the roof and yard objects.
• Reducing the intensity of fuel combustion. The result is a low water temperature in the heating system. This is not only discomfort, but also the formation of dampness, mold, the development of a number of diseases in residents.
• Allergic reactions in humans and pets. Small particles of soot and dust fall into the firebox, and from there into the apartment, delivering a lot of trouble to its inhabitants, including the formation of a deposit of dirt on all things.
• Risk of carbon monoxide poisoning. With a large volume of fuel, the gas mixture does not have time to pass through the narrow passage, part of it comes out.
• Equipment breakdown. If the heat generated during fuel combustion is not removed from the furnace, the boiler will overheat and fail. This is very undesirable in winter.

To clean the chimney pipe in a private house, there is no need to wait for the deadlines set or recommended by the manufacturers. It is better to do this more often, without bringing the situation to a critical state.

Frequency of events

It is recommended to clean the boiler once a year in the spring after the end of the boiler operation, if it is heated in accordance with the instructions.

The following factors affect the timing of cleaning the chimney:

• Date of the last procedure, how it was carried out and what was the degree of contamination.
• Channel configuration. The number of knees and contours.
• Pipe material. The smoothness of the interior walls.
• The fuel used is coal and raw wood.
• Was the oven used for recycling paper, plastic and synthetic fabrics?

The following signs indicate the need to clean the chimney:

• Weakening traction. Smoke seeping into the room.
• Changing the color of the flame in the firebox from bright orange to red.
• Emitting thick black smoke.
• The appearance of a large amount of dust on the floor, things, interior items.
• The characteristic smell of creosote.

You can check the condition of the pipe visually with a flashlight. To do this, you have to climb onto the roof. If the chimney has bends, a load is lowered inward. By how freely it moves, the level of pollution is calculated.

In sauna stoves, the pipes must be cleaned once a year. In boilers of continuous combustion, the process must be carried out every 2-3 months.

Existing methods of cleaning the chimney and description of the processes

A means for cleaning chimneys from soot is selected based on an assessment of the thickness and density of the soot layer, the height and shape of the pipe, the availability of available and professional tools, and your own physical capabilities. You should choose a method that, with minimal risk, will bring the highest quality result. It should be remembered that negligence is fraught with damage to the heating system and injury.

Mechanical method

The most effective method is to remove soot by applying physical effort. This is done with hard-bristled brushes. If the channel is heavily clogged, it is necessary to have several brushes for its gradual expansion. The method of work is simple - the ruff moves up and down, the pile cleans off the soot, which is poured down. Removal of soot can be carried out both from above and below, if the chimney design allows.

There are such types of ruffs:

• On a rope with a heavy load under the tool. Here, gravity does some of the work.After the next rise, the device is released and flies through the pipe, capturing carbon deposits.
• On an assembly bar. The device is suitable for removing deposits from straight canals. The sections are wound as they deepen, similar to a drilling rig.
• On a flexible shaft. This is the most versatile device that can be used to clean chimneys of any configuration. The cable is flexible enough to go through knees and contours, and stiff enough not to crumple under load. Thanks to these properties, there is no need to disassemble pipelines of complex shapes.

A prerequisite for work is compliance with the following safety measures:

• the presence of a safety belt;
• non-slip shoes with protectors;
• protective glasses and gloves;
• gauze bandage;
• dry calm weather;
• adequate physiological state.

Before starting cleaning, close all inspection hatches, cover the fireplace insert with a wet cloth.

Folk ways

There are many effective ways in which you can clean chimneys in a stove using folk remedies. The techniques have been tested for centuries and work perfectly in modern conditions.

Options for cleaning chimneys with folk remedies:

• Boiling water. The soot is porous and absorbs moisture well. Hot liquid is slowly poured into the pipe just before kindling. Upon further heating, the absorbed water boils, which leads to the destruction and exfoliation of the plaque.
• Rock salt. When saturated with sodium chloride vapor, the resins harden, crack and fall off from the channel walls. Salt should be poured onto wood or embers. To achieve the desired result, it is recommended to perform the procedure on a weekly basis.
• A mixture of saltpeter and copper sulfate. The components are mixed in equal volumes with powdered coal. The agent is added to the working firebox. After exposure to vapors, the deposits become brittle and fall down under their own weight.
• Potatoes. Chopped tubers and peels are used. They are loaded on top of the burning fuel, and the starch fumes that are released soften the hard build-up. Subsequently, they can be easily removed with a brush.
• Naphthalene. This is an excellent tool, under the influence of which the soot is stratified and carried out by ascending currents. The downside is a persistent pungent smell that remains in the firebox.
• Aspen firewood. This type of wood generates a lot of heat when burned. Use aspen to burn off deposits up to 4 mm thick. If there is more soot, it can explode from strong heat.

If folk methods do not work, you should switch to industrial production tools designed for such cases.

Chemicals

Household chemicals for cleaning chimneys are efficient, safe and easy to use. Some of the preparations have catalytic properties that cause a change in the composition of the soot and its complete combustion. Other agents act on resins, making them hard and brittle. Products can be purchased at specialized retail outlets and online stores.

Manufacturers offer consumers the following products:

• Granules. The most popular is the Kominichek cleaner produced in the Czech Republic. The pellets are placed directly in the packaging on the burning fuel. Under the influence of the released substances in the soot, a catalytic reaction occurs and it completely burns out.
• Polena "Chimney sweep". They contain components that soften solid deposits. Upon further heating, they evaporate and evaporate with the smoke. All that remains is to drain the condensate from the sump.
• Powders. Stacked directly into the firebox on firewood or coal. During the combustion process, the fuel emits smoke, which changes the chemical composition of the deposits. After that, they either burn out at a low temperature or become brittle.

After applying chemicals, burn a couple of aspen wood in the firebox and ventilate the room well. This will remove fumes, odors and soot residues.

Cleaning quality control

At the end of the pipe cleaning, you need to make sure the quality of the achieved result. Otherwise, undesirable phenomena and repeated work are possible after the heating system has cooled down.

You can check the condition of the chimney in the following ways:

• Visually. The method is suitable only for straight canals without bends and turns. You will need a powerful flashlight that creates a bright beam.
• A round and heavy object, 2-3 cm smaller in diameter than a pipe. This can be a kettlebell, a medicine ball, a ball filled with water, and other items. The quality of cleaning is determined from how freely the object slides along the channel.
• Test furnace. An old newspaper will suffice to determine the pulling force. If the item being burnt burns quickly and the process is accompanied by a characteristic roar, the goal of cleaning is achieved.

You can attach a sheet of paper to the opening of the firebox. If it snuggles tight against it and then pulls inward, the job is well done.

Useful Tips

Even sandwich pipes are not insured against the formation of soot deposits. A blockage situation is much easier to prevent than to fix.

You need to follow these recommendations:

• do not use gasoline to remove soot - it can cause an explosion and fire;
• use aspen firewood only in small quantities - their heat can burn through steel;
• periodically carry out preventive measures using mechanical, chemical and folk remedies;
• check the condition of the chimneys every 3 months.

Following these simple rules will save property owners from the difficulties associated with cleaning chimneys.