Fireplaces and wood-burning stoves are rarely used in modern homes for heating due to the fact that high-tech methods of maintaining heat are much faster, more convenient and do not require such physical costs. But, despite this, fireplaces do not lose their popularity, creating a unique spiritual atmosphere in country houses or city apartments.
One of the important procedures to ensure the safe use of a wood-burning stove or fireplace is regular cleaning of the chimney. This is required regardless of the design of the chimney, through a wall or with an exit through the roof. Why clean the chimney and how often should it be done? How effectively can this procedure be carried out using the Chimney Sweep Log Cleaner?
Why do you need to clean the chimney
To understand why it is necessary to clean the chimneys of stoves and fireplaces from soot, first of all, you need to know what happens in the chimney when using any type of solid fuelmaterial, including wood. When a fire burns in a fireplace or stove, so-called combustion products, soot and soot are actively emitted. All this, together with the smoke, goes upstairs, right into the fireplace chimneys and settles on the walls of the chimney with a soft greasy layer. The more time has passed since the last cleaning, the less space is left in the chimney to extract smoke and combustion products.
Of course, proper operation, as well as adherence to simple principles for selecting firewood for a stove or fireplace, can significantly slow down this process:
- No need to burn anything in the stove (fireplace) except firewood. It is better to try to dispose of any household, even paper garbage in other ways.
- Choose firewood exclusively from those tree species that contain a minimum of resin. This is, for example, dry wood of alder, aspen, oak, birch. A little worse in terms of quality is firewood from fruit trees, which are so loved for the amazing aroma that is released during combustion. Experts consider coniferous trees to be outsiders in this list, emitting a large amount of soot due to the high content of natural resins. It is also not recommended to often use not the most expensive, but quickly burning poplar and willow.
- Don't forget to clean the blower regularly.
Compliance with all of the above, along with prevention, will allow you to avoid serious clogging of the chimney for years. But, despite this, it will still not be possible to avoid cleaning the stove (chimney) pipe. In addition to settling soot, blockage can form from the outside if debris or debris gets into the pipe.foreign object. Therefore, chimney repair and cleaning professionals often recommend checking the chimney in autumn and spring.
How to understand that you need a chimney cleaning? The first sign that the procedure cannot be postponed will be a visible deterioration in traction. The exit of the main amount of smoke and smell not through the pipe, but into the room, sparks flying from the fireplace - a signal that the chimney is dirty. Draft, slow and insufficient, not only creates smoke, but can also lead to intoxication with carbon monoxide components. In addition, sparks from the fireplace can cause fire or injury.
What else is a dirty chimney so dangerous? The ignition of accumulated soot can easily lead to cracking and destruction of the walls of the chimney. The conclusion that can be reached on the basis of all of the above: cleaning the chimney is an important procedure, the thoroughness and regularity of which determine the good operation of stoves and fireplaces, as well as the safety of the house.
Cleaning Methods
Depending on the means by which the chimneys of stoves and fireplaces are cleaned from soot, all methods for removing dirty sediment from the chimney can be divided into three groups:
The oldest known method is mechanical, it is also a traditional cleaning of chimneys. The procedure is carried out with the help of special “chimney sweep tools”: various brushes and a “core”, a cable with a heavy load to break through the blockage. Despite the outward primitiveness, such cleaning of chimneys of stoves and fireplaces from soot gives the besteffect and allows you to cope with the most neglected types of blockage of the chimney
Thermal cleaning is also a rather old method, proven over the years. It consists in "burning out" soot by heating with well-dried pine wood. Technically, making a fire and waiting for the result is the easiest and most inexpensive way. But also the most dangerous: with a large accumulation of soot, a fire in the chimney is practically a small explosion. A pipe, especially made of brickwork, which has small cracks, can simply fall apart. Therefore, experts advise using this method only as a preventive measure, provided that a large amount of soot and soot has not had time to settle in the chimney
Chemical (non-mechanical) cleaning. Considering the use of such a tool as the Chimney Sweep log for cleaning the chimney (chimney), reviews of which are found on most construction forums, it is worth considering chemical methods in more detail. The use of the chemical properties of substances to dissolve or dry soot in the chimney began many decades ago, with the so-called folk remedies. For example, the most famous life hack invented by our great-grandfathers is burning potato peels. Also, the chimney was often cleaned by pouring ordinary s alt on hot firewood. To date, along with folk remedies, a huge number of modern products of chemical laboratories have appeared in stores, designed to clean chimney chimneys in a non-mechanical way. Similar fundsare produced in the form of pressed bars (or logs), as well as in the form of dry powdery masses. Distinguishes modern "chemistry" from folk methods by the need to strictly follow the instructions and observe the dosage, as well as a smaller amount of the substance used at a time
The “Chimney Sweep” log, often recommended on construction sites on the Internet, belongs to the means of chemical cleaning. What is this product and how should it be used to effectively get rid of soot deposits in the chimney?
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Chimney sweep log: what is it
What is the patented non-mechanical flue pipe cleaner? Its corporate name is "Log Chimney Sweep" (reviews about this tool are given below). Outwardly, it is a pressed bar, 25x8x6 cm in size, wrapped in a protective paper wrapper. Sold in original packaging containing product information and treatment instructions.
Recommended for cleaning chimneys and chimneys of any type, even complex designs, such as a curved chimney through the wall. During combustion, the substances that make up the logs emit volatile chemicals that enter the chimney along with smoke and hot air and act on the soot layer accumulated there. As a result, the contaminants in the chimney dry out and fall off the chimney walls.
Chimney sweep log is designed for fireplaces or stoves on coal or wood raw materials. It is strictly forbidden to use this product in ovens equipped withspecial devices, as well as those powered by gas or electricity.
Important! The question often arises as to whether such a tool as the Chimney Sweep log can completely replace mechanical cleaning. Reviews of professionals about this tool warn: such cleaning can only be preventive in nature. The use of logs for a long time eliminates the need to contact a specialist who cleans the chimney. However, it will not be possible to completely abandon mechanical cleaning.
Composition of the "Chimney sweep" tool
Chimney sweep log is declared by the manufacturers as a product that is safe for humans and pets. As part of artificial polenets:
- Charcoal wax (little amount of coal dust).
- Sawdust of natural wood.
- Natural substances: urea and amorphous silica.
- Ammonium sulfate is a substance that, in fact, is a compound of sulfuric acid and is actively used for industrial needs. Including, in order to disinfect water in urban water supply systems.
- Sodium sulfate (anhydrous), another commonly used sulfuric acid compound (sodium s alt). In addition to industrial purposes, this substance is officially a food additive, and was previously used in pharmacology.
- Substances in the composition that can cause concern - phosphorus oxide and zinc chloride: in concentrated form, both are contraindicated for contact with the mucous membranes of the eyes and human skin. Soit is not necessary to pull the log out of the protective paper shell. Better yet, protect yourself with regular rubber gloves.
Preparing for the procedure
To ensure safety, before cleaning the chimney with Chimney Sweep logs, preparatory steps should be taken.
First of all, you need to inspect the chimney to check if the pipe is clogged with foreign debris. If a blockage is found in the chimney, the use of logs should be abandoned in favor of a mechanical cleaning method.
Do I need to put firewood together with Chimney Sweep logs
The use of "Chimney Sweep" is quite acceptable without "support" in the form of coals or wood firewood. However, hot coals left from the previous fireplace insert (stove) or dry wood laid before cleaning the chimney with the Chimney Sweep log will greatly enhance the effect of using this tool. When cleaning the chimney with a Chimney Sweep log in combination with firewood (coals), a bar of the product is laid out on top.
Forbidden! Burn more than one log in combination with hot coals.
Instructions for use
How to properly and safely use the Chimney Sweep log? The instruction is located on the branded packaging of the product:
- Remove the log from the original packaging without unwrapping the protective wrapper, and put it in the firebox. Set fire to the paper wrapper on both sides.
- In a closing stove, cover the door leaves, in the fireplace, use a protectivewire rack.
- Wait until the bar is completely burned (about 90 minutes).
- The remains (ash) of the bar should be left in the fireplace for the entire period of validity, about 1-2 weeks. During this time, you can use the stove (fireplace) in the usual mode.
- After the procedure, it is recommended to ventilate the room.
Last cleaning step
Giving detailed recommendations on how to use the Chimney Sweep log, the instructions for use contain a detailed description of the mandatory cleaning step - removing waste from the elements of the fireplace or wood stove.
It will be necessary to thoroughly clean the stove (fireplace) two weeks after applying the Chimney Sweep Log. During this time, all active substances will have time to have the maximum possible effect on deposits in the chimney. Soot, softened by their action, falls down.
At this stage, it is important to remove the fallen soot from the elbow of the chimney pipe, the firebox of the smoke damper and other accessible elements of the fireplace (stove), the chimney will again need to be inspected. Fireplaces with curved flue ducts are especially needed to be cleaned, otherwise the remaining soot can clog the chimney.
To remove cleaning waste, tools available to everyone are well suited: a vacuum cleaner and a regular fireplace brush.
How much product is needed for one cleaning
Another question a first-time user of Chimney Sweep might have: how many logs should be burned at a time for more efficient cleaning? Manufacturers recommend forfor regular cleaning, burn one log, and for wide chimneys two, but one after another, and not simultaneously. Laying two logs in one burn is allowed for the first cleaning or removal of a large layer of settled contaminants. But this should be done carefully, observing all fire safety measures.
How often should I clean with Chimney Sweep logs
It is recommended to carry out the cleaning procedure by the manufacturer of the "Chimney sweep" agent regularly, at least twice a year. The frequency of cleaning depends to a large extent on how often the stove or fireplace is used. For example, if the fireplace is lit once a day, it is enough to carry out preventive cleaning twice a season, using one bar each time. If the fireplace (stove) is heated no more than once a week, one log for the heating season is enough.
Chimney cleaner reviews
Of course, no matter what is said on the official website from the manufacturer, it would be wise to listen to the opinion of homeowners who have tested this chemical agent in practice. What do the reviews on the repair and construction forums say about the effectiveness of the Chimney Sweep Log?
- From the experience of homeowners who clean the stove chimney with this product, it makes sense to inspect the pipe for damage or cracks before the procedure. The burn-out temperature of soot when using chemical logs is so high that it can be a danger of destruction for a malfunctioningchimney.
- After burning, the room has an unpleasant chemical smell for several days.
- If the pipe (chimney) is heavily polluted with soot, a log will not help. Experts recommend mechanical cleaning at least 1-2 times a year. In a chimney in which soot has accumulated for several years, a log can have the exact opposite effect: the dirt will collapse and clog the chimney.
- There is an opinion that the Chimney Sweep log does not differ in efficiency from potato peelings. The only difference is that where one bar is enough, you will have to burn at least half a bucket of potato waste.
- Sometimes specialists who professionally clean chimneys warn of the danger of acquiring a fake of this fairly well-known product. From the use of "counterfeit" at best, there simply will not be the desired effect, at worst, the substances from which the "fake log" is made can have a harmful effect on the he alth of the homeowner. You should be guided by the presence of a certificate from the store that sells the “Chimney sweep” log tool.
