How to clean the chimney from soot. How to clean the chimney from soot at home

Until recently, both in cities and in rural areas there was only one type of heating - stove. Followed them technical condition specially trained people - chimney sweeps. They checked the chimneys for cracks, monitored the draft in the furnace and cleaned the soot. Today, private houses are equipped with a variety of stoves, stoves, fireplaces. You have to serve them with your own hands - clean the chimney and monitor the technical condition.

The device of the chimney, what is its cleaning and how often should it be carried out

The first cleaning of the chimney should be carried out 1.5–2 years after the start of operation of the stove. During this time, a soot layer of more than 2 mm accumulates in the pipe, which is a guideline for cleaning. In the future, the chimney should be cleaned 1-2 times a season. This is best done in spring and autumn. In order to facilitate this process, it is necessary to apply preventive measures, which will be discussed below.

The chimney is covered with soot during the combustion process. It appears gradually from the products of combustion and is deposited layer by layer on the walls of the pipe, gradually narrowing the passage. And since soot is a very good thermal insulator, the stove channel heats up much weaker and a much larger amount of firewood is required for heating.

A thick layer of soot reduces traction, which means that the amount of condensate increases, which, in turn, contributes to the rapid formation of new layers. Unburned solid particles accumulate in the pipe, which can easily ignite when gas flows rise. This leads to the fastest burning of the pipe walls and increases the risk of fire. Especially in severe frosts, when a large amount of firewood is used to heat the house and the temperature in the furnace is very high, sparks and even small lights fly out of the chimney clogged with soot. And it's a fire hazard outbuildings and even neighboring houses.

In the event of a strong blockage, the likelihood of a reverse draft increases - the smoke will partially or completely go into the room and the likelihood of being poisoned by combustion products increases.

Cleaning the chimney consists, first of all, in freeing the surfaces of the pipe from soot, debris (after summer season there may be small branches, dry leaves, and even bird nests). At the same time, all elements of the furnace are checked and cleaned. Lastly, the firebox and ash pan are cleaned.

With timely cleaning of the chimney, you will significantly reduce the consumption of firewood, you will be sure of your own safety, and the chimney will not need emergency repairs.

Methods and devices for cleaning the chimney with your own hands

There are three main ways to clean the chimney: chemical, biological and mechanical. Biological and chemical methods are rather preventive, preventing the formation of too thick a layer of soot. All these methods can be carried out independently, without resorting to the help of specialists, following certain rules.

Biological (potato peeling, starch, firewood, etc.)

One of the simplest and most common methods, widely used by the people because of the ease of use and the availability of the necessary funds. To a greater extent, it is preventive - it prevents the appearance of a thick layer of soot. For this method, aspen wood, salt, potato peelings, shells are used. walnut, naphthalene, blue mixture.

Potato peelings need to be pre-prepared. It will take about half a bucket of well-dried cleanings. They need to be poured directly onto the heat so that they burn out immediately. During combustion, a large amount of starch is formed, which softens the soot. You can apply this method before proceeding with mechanical cleaning - it will be much easier to remove the soot layer.

Rock salt is more of a soot preventative. A small handful is poured on firewood until kindling. Vapors of sodium chloride destroy viscous deposits in the pipe.

Aspen firewood - the most effective remedy. Since aspen has high temperature burning, firewood must be used at the end of the firebox. The fumes generated during combustion peel off the soot from the walls of the chimney and, during intense heat, it burns out. Therefore, when using aspen, you need to ensure that sparks do not fly from the chimney. An alternative is birch firewood, previously peeled of bark. The effect will be about the same.

Walnut shells are an excellent chimney cleaner. It has a very high combustion temperature, so you can not use more than two liters in one go. An alternative to aspen wood.

Naphthalene is a good prophylactic. It is enough to throw one tablet into the fire, as the soot will begin to flake off and come out with the smoke. But the smell of naphthalene is very persistent and then it is very difficult to get rid of it.

Blue mixture - easy to make yourself if you have the right ingredients. Mixed 5 parts blue vitriol, 7 parts of saltpeter and 2 parts of coal (coke). About 20 grams of the mixture is poured into a preheated oven and the door is tightly closed. This mixture should not be used to clean open lesions.

Chemical method

Like biological, it does not solve the issue of complete cleaning of the chimney and is preventive. The stores sell a large number of a wide variety of compositions for cleaning the chimney: logs, briquettes, tablets, solutions. Principle of operation - the harmless gas released during combustion decomposes combustion products and their components, which could later turn into soot.

In almost all cases there is detailed instructions on application, dosage. Portion packs are very convenient. As a rule, together with the packaging, they are placed in an oven and burned either separately or together with firewood. If the chimney is heavily clogged, use either several packages at the same time, or several times in a row.

"Log - chimney sweep" - a small bar or briquette, consists of ammonium sulfate, coal wax, phosphorus oxide and several other components. Prevents the formation of carbon deposits and the removal of previously accumulated soot. With constant operation of the furnace for the season, you need to burn only 2 logs. If the stove is heated 1-2 times a week, then one bar is enough.

"Cominichek" - is used only if the soot layer is up to 2 mm. The package contains 5 bags of 15 grams. The active substance is copper chloride. Converts soot to oxide, allowing it to burn at a lower temperature without causing a fire. Since chlorine is included in the composition, it cannot be used for open stoves. When using, close the door tightly and, at the end of the firebox, ventilate the room with a “comic cut”.

PHC - anti-stain chemical composition. The powder is burned together with paper packaging, together with firewood or separately from them. Powder consumption per ton of firewood is 150–200 g.

Since there are a lot of funds and they are produced both in our country and abroad, you can always pick up best option after trying several types.

mechanical method

It is used in cases where the chimney is very heavily clogged. The soot layer, as mentioned earlier, is more than 2 mm. Before proceeding with this type of work, the furnace should be prepared. Preheat using potato peels, aspen wood or walnut shells to soften the soot and peel it off the chimney walls. This will greatly facilitate further work.

Required tools:

• Ruff for cleaning the chimney with a diameter 1.2–1.3 times larger than the diameter of a pipe made of plastic or metal;
• A flexible cable with a handle (similar to plumbing) or a strong rope;
• Hard brush with a long handle (or with the ability to build it up);
• A metal weight or core that can be attached to a brush. Must be centered so as not to damage the chimney, and with a diameter 2 times smaller than the diameter of the pipe;
• Metal scraper with handle.

The chimney can be cleaned both from above, from the side of the pipe, and from below - if it is a fireplace or an open stove. To perform pipe cleaning work from above, prepare a small ladder that can be mounted on the roof. To prevent falling from the roof, use a safety rope. All tools that may be required, lift to the roof immediately, so as not to go down again.

• Shoes should be non-slip, protect your hands with gloves.
• Use a respirator to prevent combustion products from entering the respiratory tract.
• Start work only in dry calm weather.
• Before starting work, do not take drugs that reduce the reaction, and alcohol.

The oven must be completely cool before starting work. The combustion chamber is completely free from unburned logs and ash. Close the furnace, cleaning and ash doors beforehand so that soot cannot enter the room through them. Curtain open fireboxes with a dense, damp cloth, which you will not be sorry to throw away later. The dampers must be opened completely, otherwise soot will fall on them and may lead to a new blockage.

Remove the cap from the chimney pipe to provide access. Carefully inspect the pipe and proceed to cleaning. Begin work with the core attached to the cable. This will help to immediately eliminate large blockages and will show the distance that the chimney can be cleared. If the layer of soot is very large, it is better to immediately use a long-handled scraper to clean the walls and work with it, and then clean the walls using a brush with a core attached to it. Make sure that the core is in the center of the chimney and cannot damage the pipe.

If the stove is with an open firebox, after cleaning from above, proceed to clean the chimney from below. Use a ruff or brush with a long, flexible handle that can be extended.

The combustion chamber is cleaned last. Collect soot with a special vacuum cleaner or sweep with a special brush.

If it so happens that you do not have the opportunity to purchase a special brush, you can make it yourself from a plastic bottle.

Video: how to make a plastic bottle brush

In some regions, it is common to clean the chimney with a chainsaw or a leaf blower (a leaf blower). Of course, in this way it is quite simple to clean the chimney using special nozzle snail with air duct. Of course, from the point of view of ecology, this method cannot be called correct.

Video: how to clean a chimney with a chainsaw

Technological elements for cleaning the chimney

In many ways, chimney maintenance can be simplified if cleaning methods are provided at the design stage. As a rule, now chimneys are made of sandwich pipes or metal. It is not always installed strictly vertically, and sometimes serves several stoves in the house at the same time. In this case, cleaning from soot will become more complicated due to the corners. And if a horizontal pipe section comes from the furnace, it is better to use a tee for connection. One of its sides opens with a threaded lid. Through the hole, you can both remove moisture and clean the riser. In some cases, a special removable glass may be provided.

In ovens made of bricks, hatches for cleaning are necessarily provided. In some stoves, there may be several hatches.

Prevention of clogging of the chimney pipe

What needs to be done so that the chimney does not clog so quickly? Proper use of the oven. The rules are simple, but if you follow them, it will simplify care and help you use firewood more economically.

• Coniferous wood should not be used for the firebox - they contain a lot of resin, which will remain on the walls of the chimney. Give preference to hardwoods. At the end of the firebox, add aspen logs or any other folk remedies.
• Heat the stove only with dry wood - wet ones give a lot of soot.
• There must be a cap on the pipe. It will not only protect the pipe from debris, but also from precipitation.
• To reduce the accumulation of condensate, the pipe must be insulated.
• Do not turn the stove into a place for burning garbage. Plastic, polyethylene, rubber melt and remain in the oven and on its walls. It is better to throw garbage in a container or burn it on the street.
• Do not use flammable liquids for ignition.
• In severe frost, sometimes a fire occurs due to the fact that the stove is hot. Try not to overheat it.
• Timely carry out preventive work, carefully monitor the condition of deposits on the walls.

With proper cleaning and constant adherence to the rules of the firebox, the stove and chimney will last a long time and will not require special care, and sometimes unforeseen repairs.

Stove heating is still very early to write off - it is still actively used by a huge number of people around the world, in cities and in rural areas, in poor regions and in quite wealthy and prosperous countries. Moreover, to some extent, we can say that home autonomous heating facilities are experiencing a “rebirth”, since both stoves and fireplaces are rapidly becoming fashionable, and few suburban construction a modern mansion does without them.

To get at your disposal the desired or a fireplace is not all. Such structures are always objects of increased danger, and therefore it is extremely important to be able to operate them correctly. With the procedure for firing stoves in everyday use, with the types of firewood needed for them - the owners get acquainted with this rather quickly. But what is surprising is that a negligible number of owners know how to clean the chimney with their own hands, and even fewer did it in practice.

This situation is by no means normal. The safety of operation of stoves and fireplaces in residential premises for a good half depends on the serviceability and correct operation of the chimney system. Forgetting this, negligent owners endanger life and health and own, and their relatives, risk the safety of housing and acquired property.

A bit of theory and history

What causes chimney clogs

Why do growths form on the walls of the pipe that require regular cleaning?

The first factor is due to the most banal reasons - the burning of wood itself. This is a rather complex physical and chemical process consisting of several stages. Depending on the type of stoves (fireplaces, boilers), on the location and configuration of the internal channels for removing combustion products, on the design, on the type of firewood used and their quality (or other fuel), both the number and completeness of the combustion stages (flame phase or smoldering phase), which can change one or the other several times.

- So, in the smoldering mode, they mostly burn out t solid components - coals. In this case, gaseous products can be too low in concentration - this happens at the beginning of the furnace, until the optimum temperatures are reached, and the process of release of combustible pyrolysis gases has not yet been launched “to the fullest”. These combustion gases quickly condense, so combustion at this stage is accompanied by the release of thick white smoke.

- In the mode of active flame combustion, it is pyrolysis gases that become the main source of heat. As the temperature rises, the color of the flame changes (to close to bright white), and the smoke becomes almost invisible. But gradually their concentration decreases, and with one laying of firewood, the stormy flame is soon again replaced by the smoldering stage, for the reason that the gases have already left, and there are less and less combustible substances.

Whatever it was, in any case, a lot of combustion products go into the chimney. Mainly with incomplete combustion, they become soot (small carbon particles), complex organic compounds, resins, carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide). Almost all of these products are combustible, and under certain conditions can even form explosive mixtures.

In the stage of complete combustion, the content of organic matter in the smoke decreases sharply, and water vapor, carbon dioxide and sulfur dioxide become the main products at the inlet.

• From the point of view of clogging of chimney pipes, the greatest problems are smoke, which is maximally saturated with incompletely burned carbon residues (ash), heavy tars. Therefore, it is very important to know how to choose the optimal ones correctly - far from any wood is suitable for these purposes, both in terms of its specific heat transfer and biochemical composition, that is, in terms of the concentration of heavy resinous substances. Increased resinousness is always distinguished by firewood from coniferous species and wood. By the way, not only this feature makes them undesirable for domestic use - just look at the table to see how much they lose both in terms of density and heat transfer to firewood from deciduous trees.

wood species	Density limit wood (kg/dm³)	Average density accepted for calculations (kg/dm³)	Working volumetric calorific value of wood (kcal/dm³)
Oak	0,690-1,03	0.81	3240
Ash	0,520-0,950	0.75	3000
Rowan (tree)	0,690-0,890	0.73	2920
Apple tree	0,660-0,840	0.72	2880
Beech	0,620-0,820	0.68	2720
Acacia	0,580-0,850	0.67	2680
Elm	0,560-0,820	0.66	2640
Larch	0,470-0,560	0.66	2640
Maple	0,470-0,560	0.65	2600
Birch	0,510-0,770	0.65	2600
Pear	0,610-0,730	0.65	2600
Chestnut	0,600-0,720	0.65	2600
Cedar	0,560-0,580	0.57	2280
Pine	0,310-0,760	0.52	2080
Linden	0,440-0,800	0.51	2040
Alder	0,470-0,580	0.5	2000
Aspen	0,460-0,550	0.47	1880
Willow	0,490-0,590	0.46	1840
Spruce	0,370-0,750	0.45	1800
Willow	0,420-0,500	0.45	1800
Hazelnut	0,420-0,450	0.43	1720
Fir	0,350-0,600	0.41	1640
Poplar	0,390-0,590	0.4	1600

Resinous substances enter with smoke on the inner surfaces of the pipe, becoming an excellent “adhesive substrate” for sticking soot layers.

• But that's not all. A considerable danger is fraught with the regular use of freshly cut, damp or improperly stored firewood. The increased moisture content of wood is the cause of abundant condensate on the walls of the pipe, on which they also “fit” very well. rising up tiny soot particles.

Raw firewood, and even coniferous species - you can’t think of anything worse for a stove!

• Everything would be nothing, but in our time, many homeowners also consider the stove as a “universal waste disposal unit”. This means that a large amount of household waste is sent to the furnace. It turns out that a huge amount of polymers, food waste, and other substances pass through the oven, which, when burned, give whole “bouquets” of a wide variety of fats, resins, esters, non-combustible solid particles, which very quickly lead to overgrowth of the pipe lumen.

• A factor stimulating frequent clogging of the chimney may be poor-quality work performed by the stove-maker. Narrowing of the pipe channel, too many turns or wrong angle, grout residues on the inner wall surface - etc. - all this provokes the growth of soot waste in such places. In addition, poor thermal insulation of the chimney or ill-conceived, inconsistent ordinal wall thickness of the pipe can lead to excessively abundant condensation - and this is another step towards an emergency.
• It is impossible to exclude the possibility that in the summer, when the stove is not in use, some birds decided to make nests in a pipe unprotected from above by a cap. In addition, random debris, such as fallen leaves, can get into the pipe. With such trifles, it would seem, sometimes it is quite difficult to grow punchable plugs.
• Soot accumulating on the walls may, under the influence of any external causes whole piece peel off and fall down. If the fragment is large enough, it often happens that it gets skewed in the cavity of the pipe, and then a full-fledged blockage quickly grows on the basis of this “jumper”.

What is the danger of clogging chimney pipes

There are many reasons, but no matter which of them the clogging is caused, it is fraught with many very serious threats:

• Constricted the gaps in the chimney sharply reduce draft, and therefore the reverse movement of smoke is very likely - indoors, from the combustion chamber. In addition to the fact that smoke is unpleasant in itself, the threat of getting poisoned increases sharply. carbon monoxide.
• Low draft leads to an increase in the volume of condensate on the inner surfaces of the pipe, that is, further clogging of the chimney can go even faster, like an avalanche.

• A thick layer of soot is strong enough thermal insulator, which prevents the furnace channels from heating up to the desired temperature. Such a situation - always, without exception, leads to a drop in the efficiency of the heating device, to an excessive consumption of the fuel used.
• Soot is unburned solid residue, but this does not mean that they are non-combustible. On the contrary, a thick layer of soot deposits, under certain conditions, can easily catch fire, for example, from sparks rising with a stream of gases. This leads not only to the burning of the walls of the pipe - the vulnerability of the whole house increases sharply. This situation is one of the main causes of fires in buildings equipped with stoves.

An eerie picture - a sheaf of red-hot sparks from a chimney

• A chimney overgrown with soot becomes a real fire threat for neighboring buildings - “fiery tails” very often fly out of such an uncleaned pipe - sheaves of red-hot soot solid particles.

Such situations are described without any exaggeration. All these troubles can occur in a complex, almost simultaneously, and the consequences are sometimes the most tragic. That is why you should never forget about regular inspections and cleanings.

How often do you need to clean

Cleaning a pipe that is heavily “overgrown” with soot deposits is extremely difficult task. The best thing is not to bring it to this, but to regularly inspect and preventive cleaning of the chimney.

Name preventive measure and type of equipment	Frequency of work
Preventive inspections of the condition of the chimney and flue ducts of furnaces
Checking any equipment	Immediately after installation, before commissioning, or after any repair work has been carried out
Checking any equipment operating on a seasonal basis	Right before the start of the heating season
Checking chimney systems gas ovens and boilers	At least twice a year during the first two years of operation, then at least once a year.
Examination brick chimneys- regardless of the type of furnace or boiler
Checking asbestos-cement, heat-resistant concrete or ceramic chimneys	At least once a year
Chimneys of heating and heating-cooking stoves	At least three times a year - before the start of the heating season, during it, and at the end
Cleaning of chimney channels in pipes - as shortcomings are identified during inspections, and in addition, during the period of active operation:
In heating and heating-cooking furnaces	At least once every three months
In continuous furnaces	At least once every two months
In constantly used kitchen ovens	At least once a month
In regions where severe winters with low temperatures are typical, the tops of chimneys are checked at least twice a month to prevent ice crust from freezing and blocking.

The fact that it is necessary to do this is probably already clear to everyone. But who will do it?

Where to find a chimney sweep?

But this is a problem in our time, and no small one. Chimney sweeps - professionals, in the understanding that has been invested in this concept for several centuries, there are not so many left.

By the way, the need for the emergence of such specialization in the Middle Ages is directly related to the massive city fires that from time to time shook many densely populated European cities and literally destroyed them to the ground. There was an awareness of the direct relationship between the risk of fires and the condition of chimneys, an understanding of the importance of qualified maintenance of furnaces and pipes. And already in the XVII ÷ XVIII centuries, first in the German principalities, and then in other countries of Northern Europe, guilds (shops) of specialists - chimney sweeps - appeared. And in Denmark, for example, it was even carried out by royal decree, which once again proves the importance attached to their work.

By the way, this is one of those professions with which the greatest number of all kinds of superstitions, signs and prejudices, urban legends and amazing implausible stories are associated.

On the one hand, the chimney sweeps, always smeared from head to toe with soot, seemed to be like outcasts who were even forbidden to move along the sidewalks for the “clean public”. But on the other hand, all representatives of this profession have always been distinguished by a rather elegant look - a fitted short jacket with invariably shiny buttons and a wide leather belt, and a mandatory headdress - a top hat. Rumor has it that, perhaps, the tradition of wearing a top hat came not only from the desire to look "impressive" - ​​it was just that a lot of fixtures and accessories necessary for work were placed in this voluminous high headdress. In addition, it could serve as good cushioning when, for example, a brick falls on the head.

The activities of chimney sweeps sometimes evoked some mystical feelings - they were often credited with being close to "evil spirits", they frightened naughty children, they often appeared in folklore works - legends, songs, ballads, etc. A characteristic feature - very often the plot was based on the fact that under the mask of a chimney sweep smeared with soot, some kind of exile or a once lost child of "blue blood" is hiding.

With all the wariness towards the representatives of this profession, they were treated, rather, very respectfully. And in many countries, it is still believed that touching a chimney sweep, while soiling your finger with soot, is a sure sign of imminent good luck.

In many cities of Central and Northern Europe, monuments to chimney sweeps have been erected. These specialists are in high demand there even now. There are even special schools, which, by the way, take several years to study and include, in addition to narrow technological areas, many special related disciplines, including mathematics, physics, the basics of architecture, ecology, and even economics.

True, the “armament” of a modern chimney sweep is much richer than before. And most importantly, devices have appeared that allow telemetric inspection of pipe channels in order to quickly find the main areas of contamination and remotely control the process of their cleaning.

And where to find a good specialist in our area?

• Well, first, you can search in regional periodicals in the sections of announcements for the provision of services. By the way, competent specialists– chimney sweeps are highly valued and their names and contacts must be known locally.
• Secondly, in many cities, regional centers and etc.. specialized firms have been created and are operating - enterprises engaged in servicing furnace and boiler equipment. For sure, one of the types of services provided is the revision, repair and cleaning of chimneys.
• And thirdly, if all this is not available in local conditions, or if there is simply no desire to attract someone from the outside, you will have to learn the basic cleaning techniques on your own.

Mechanical manual cleaning of chimneys

For a long time, the main method of servicing chimneys was their mechanical cleaning, and, therefore, brushes, brushes, heavy cores on cables, scrapers, brooms and other devices became the main tools of chimney sweeps. Tellingly, all these tools and technological methods of working with them have not undergone any special fundamental changes to this day.

Roof side cleaning

cleaning tool

So, to clean the chimney channel from above, from the side of the roof, it is usually used rope(cable), on which are fixed (tied or fastened carabiners) hard brushes for cleaning the walls from soot and a massive weighting agent - traditionally, a cast-iron core with an eye was used for this.

Classic chimney sweep tool - rope with a core and a brush

The heavy load (core) performs a dual function. Under the influence of its gravity brush-ruff (one or even several) moves in the chimney channel from top to bottom. But at severe blockages the chimney sweep first punches the channel with the core, using it as a percussion instrument. Only after the patency of the canal is achieved, brushes can be used.

The round shape of the core is very convenient in the sense that the risk of jamming in any tight, soot-covered sections of the chimney is minimal. However, this is not a dogma at all, and craftsmen in the manufacture homemade tool use other available weights. The main thing is that the suspended object is well centered, so that it does not get skewed anywhere.

Brushes are fastened above the core, in one or two tiers.

Modern brushes can be made of plastic or have a long metal bristle. (Metal brushes are strictly forbidden to be used on chimneys mounted on stainless steel pipes). They differ in shape: most of them are round, but you can find special brushes for a rectangular chimney.

Above and below the brushes are equipped with rings for assembling them into a common structure - for attaching a cable or other circuit elements - additional brushes and a core.

There are models and long brushes designed for quick and high-quality cleaning of straight cylindrical chimneys. Plastic or metal pile in such products can be arranged in a spiral.

If desired, in specialized stores you can find ready-made “chimney sweep kits”. They are completed for a certain diameter of the chimney and include all the elements necessary for cleaning from above - a rope (cable), a weight, a set of brushes and carabiners.

If such a device is assembled independently, then the brush can be purchased at the store. But, apparently, there are situations when it is not possible to buy it for some reason at the moment. If the chimney needs urgent cleaning, but there is no brush, you can make it yourself, taking old plastic bottles.

Miniature	Description of the work process
	An ordinary plastic bottle is taken, cut in two so that the upper part is about 150 mm in height. Incisions are made on the walls in increments of approximately 15 mm. The length of the cuts depends on the diameter of the chimney to be cleaned. You need to orient yourself so that with bent petals the diameter of the resulting brush is 30 - 40 mm larger than the size of the chimney.
	A hole is drilled in the cork (in the center) through which the rope will pass.
	After the petals are cut and bent, the cork is drilled and screwed into place, it turns out something like this homemade brush. It is necessary to make two such brushes - they will be located symmetrically, towards each other.
	Any massive object can be used as a load (in this case, an old bronze doorhandle). The weight of the load must allow the brush to pass down through the chimney channel.
	A strong cord is securely tied to the load, and then threaded through the hole in the plugs of both brushes.
	In order for the lower and upper brushes with the "pile" directed towards each other to be located at a distance from each other (from 150 to 200 mm), a glass of the appropriate height must be inserted inside this prefabricated ruff. To do this, a cylinder is cut out from the rest of the bottle, cut lengthwise, and installed between the brushes. It is given a diameter about half that of the brushes, after which it is fixed with an ordinary stationery stapler. Then it remains to tie a fixing knot over the cork of the upper brush - and the tool is almost ready for work!

This approach, by the way, is quite justified in country houses where the furnace is not fired so often, and buying a professional tool or calling a specialist is simply unprofitable. And a homemade brush can one-time cope with the task no worse than a factory one. Yes, and it is not necessary to store it - you can always cut a new one in a few minutes.

Video: another option for making a homemade "ruff"

How to clean

• Before starting cleaning, be sure to close all inspection hatches on the chimney. It is necessary to provide for some measures that will not allow the cleaned soot to fall out of the stove or fireplace on the floor and on interior items in the rooms. For example, a hearth or a combustion chamber is additionally hung with a wet cloth.
• Cleaning from the side of the roof must be carried out with the obligatory observance of special precautions, especially if the roof has a steep slope. Fall insurance is provided. On the feet must be closed shoes with non-slip soles. Be sure to wear safety goggles to protect your eyes from soot or other particles. Hands are protected with gloves. It is advisable, probably, to cover the skin of the face and hair, since the soot is rather difficult to wash off. Do not carry out such work in rain or strong winds. Naturally, it is strictly forbidden to start such operations in a not quite sober state, tired, under the influence of certain drugs.

• Cleaning begins with the removal of the umbrella (or other pipe head). They inspect the entire visible part of the channel, if necessary, with a scraper, broom, and other improvised tools, clean it from debris and deposits.
• Next, a test pass is made by the core. If large layers come across, then the load should help to cope with them - chop them off so that they crumble down.
• After the load has shown the patency of the channel to the desired depth, brushes are installed above the core, and the process of cleaning the walls from soot begins. The principle is simple, the work is rather tedious and dirty. The bottom of the brush moves under the weight of the load, and up - when pulled with a rope. Slowly, in small sections, the walls are being cleaned from the top and to the fullest possible depth.
• From time to time, the inspection chambers on the chimney are checked - they are cleaned of soot that has fallen from above. Their complete cleaning will be carried out at the end of the work.

Instead of a cable with a load, more and more often in our time, long flexible shafts with a brush wound on them or prefabricated rods are used. These tools are more versatile, as they allow cleaning chimneys from below, from the side of the stove (fireplace). Let's take a look at them below.

Cleaning the chimney from the stove

A tool with a load is only effective until the first major turn - even at a 45 ° angle, the passage will be problematic, and with a rectangular one, it is guaranteed to stall.

For cleaning, if the constitution of the furnace is thought out, there should be special vents and hatches, which allow cleaning tools to be brought into the pipe cavity without resorting to disassembling it. But only gravity here is no longer an assistant, but quite the opposite. And in order to push the brush inside the chimney, it must be mounted on a rigid and at the same time flexible support.

For small areas, up to 3 - 5 meters, you can purchase a special set in the store - one or more brushes and a flexible fiberglass rod with a handle at the end.

Such a device is quite multifunctional. They are used, changing only brushes of different diameters, for cleaning ventilation systems, small sections of chimneys, sewers.

A more professional approach is a special tool in which the flexible shaft is already wound on a drum with a much larger diameter. The sizes of the cleaned areas are certainly much larger. The flexible shaft is usually marked, which allows you to accurately track the depth of the brush entering the pipe.

Finally, it can be prefabricated rods that are screwed one to the other as the brush moves deeper into the chimney.

On sale you can find similar sets, equipped with the necessary number of rods made of fiberglass, and brushes of the required diameter - plastic and metal.

The rods are usually 1 m long each and are equipped with threaded adapters for mutual assembly with one another or for the installation of a brush. As a rule, there are 10 such parts in a set.

The table below shows an example of cleaning an outside chimney using this kit:

Miniature	Description of the work process
	A properly assembled external chimney at its lowest point must have a plug with a condensate collector, a tap for draining it, for revision. This is the most convenient place for cleaning.
	The plug is completely removed to open the passage to the cavity of the chimney. The removed part can be immediately cleaned of dirt, fallen soot, and other foreign objects.
	Since the stainless steel pipe will be cleaned, we remove the metal brush included in the kit to the side - it cannot be used in this case.
	A cleaning brush is screwed onto one of the rods included in the kit.
	The same operation - against the background of an open entrance to the chimney.
	The brush is inserted into the pipe cavity, cleaning begins. Performing translational frictional movements up and down, the brush is gradually moved upwards along the chimney channel. It is impossible to make rotational (around the axis) movements, so as not to accidentally unscrew the assembled tool.
	As necessary, in the course of work, the total length of the central rod is increased - new rods are screwed on.
	And on this miniature - a demonstration of the highest flexibility of fiberglass rods. Thus, curved sections of the chimney also lend themselves to a similar cleaning method (of course, up to a certain limit, but it will most likely be possible to cope with an angle of 45 - 60 degrees).

Similarly, any sections of the chimney are cleaned where it is possible to introduce a brush. This can be done when cleaning from the roof, from inspection hatches or directly from the firebox (a typical example is an ordinary fireplace). The removal of the brush from the pipe is carried out in the reverse order, with the sequential dismantling of the sections.

The soot removed from the surface of the walls is collected and removed - sometimes they are connected to this stage. After a certain pause, 30-40 minutes, necessary for the cleaned soot to completely settle, all inspection hatches and valves are checked. After cleaning, it may be necessary to carry out minor repairs to the chimney - for example, repair cracks or other defects outer surface. Be sure to reinstall the pipe head.

By the way, it is easy to make a set of such rods yourself, using polypropylene pipes for this. Their flexibility, of course, is not as high as that of carbon fiber, but it may well be enough for certain straight chimneys.

If there is, then the manufacture of such a set of rods will take just a few minutes. It is necessary to cut the pipe (Ø 20 mm) into equal lengths (for example, 1 meter), and weld on the edges of each ordinary ½ inch threaded fittings. It is clear that “dad” is welded from one end, and “mother” from the other.

Chemical cleaning of chimneys

Mechanical cleaning of chimneys is a very radical method that gives good results. But only this event is quite heavy and very dirty. Is it possible to simplify such cleaning? It turns out that it is possible if you regularly carry out preventive work using special means chemical action.

The principle of their physical and chemical action may be different, but aimed at common goals - the removal of already formed soot deposits from the inner wall of the pipe and the creation of conditions for the longest possible prevention of new soot buildup. Let's take a closer look at a few of these tools:

"Smoke"

Under this brand, the products of the Russian company Ecolays are produced. The range is represented by three different products:

Special box "Smoke"

The principle of operation of such a cleaner in the form cardboard box- extremely simple. It is simply installed in the combustion chamber (in a fireplace or stove) and set on fire. The entire cleaning process takes about an hour and a half. The chemicals included in the preparation in the box actively clean the soot layers, transform the resinous components, make them brittle and self-salting. As a result, the growths either crumble down, or go out, carried away by smoke.

Cleaner "Smoke" in the form of a box

By the way, the active effect of such cleaning is not at all limited only by the time of burning the package - it lasts for two weeks, and the pronounced effect will be noticeable for at least three months.

Log "Smoke"

If the remedy described above is purely preventive, then the cleaner in the form of a log will add an aesthetic component to the process.

More aesthetically pleasing - use the "Smoke" log

This cleaner is designed in the form of a regular log, which can be used to heat or stove. By the way, the metal salts included in its chemical composition give a very interesting visual effect - a beautiful turquoise flame.

Otherwise, the principle of operation remains the same.

Cleaner for pellet stoves and boilers "Smoke"

Manufacturers have also provided a cleaner in the form of granules, which helps to cope with the problems of contamination of the internal channels and chimneys of pellet boilers and stoves. This type of fuel has its own specific features, therefore, a special approach is needed for the prevention of such equipment.

This cleaner is given characteristic appearance conventional - so it is more convenient to mix with the main fuel. But, by the way, you can use it in conventional wood stoves.

Typically, cleaning is carried out at intervals of once every two months. With a flight boiler, it is necessary to mix 10 kilograms of cleaner with a ton of natural pellets. If an ordinary stove is cleaned, then it will be enough to add a kilogram of granules daily, for 5 days, to the firewood during one of the furnaces.

Video: cleaning chimneys with products of the Smoke brand

Production of the companyHANSA

Technologists of the West German company HANSA, when developing preventive measures for heating appliances, focused on the fight against creosote - resinous substances that, in interaction with water vapor, create the very sticky base on which soot actively settles.

The substances included in the preparations act in two ways. The former are aimed at active catalysis, so that the carbon particles burn as completely as possible, leaving practically no soot. Other substances under the influence of high temperature react with creosote. In this case, the resinous structure loses moisture, and hence its viscosity. The remaining layer becomes brittle, brittle, it begins to crumble and almost completely burns out in the flame of the hearth.

There are several for sale types of similar cleaners that in Russia they are better known under the brand name "Chimney sweep".

• The upper miniature depicts the "Chimney Sweep" tool, made in the form of a loose mixture. The kit includes a measuring cup, with which the dosage is made. The product is used both for cleaning and for prevention purposes, adding, for example, 1 - 2 measuring cups for each 4 - 5 fireboxes of a stove or fireplace. This approach allows you to be sure that soot will not accumulate in the chimney.
• Below - the same remedy, but already dosed in sachets. The use does not differ from the technique described above.
• On the middle miniature there is a log "Chimney sweep" in the package. In this form, it lies in a heated combustion chamber, ignites and is left until complete burnout. To keep the chimneys constantly clean, such prevention is recommended to be carried out about once a month.

Chimney sweep cleaners are suitable for all types of stoves and chimneys. Most importantly, they do an excellent job of cleaning the most difficult pipes in this regard - brick, which often have an uneven porous surface of the walls.

« Kominichek"

This is also a very well-known and widely popular among Russians means for cleaning Czech-made chimneys.

Packed sachets of Kominichek

It is a crystalline mixture packaged in bags of 14 grams. Usually one such bag is designed for a kilogram of dry firewood. Chemical reagents turn the soot deposits that have settled on the walls of pipes into a substance that burns even at a not very high temperature. This can be attributed to the advantages of this drug. Disadvantages - its “power” will not be enough if the chimney is heavily run and the soot layer on the walls already exceeds 2 mm. And one more limitation - processing with the help of "Kominchek", due to the peculiarities of its chemical composition and, as a consequence, smell, can only be carried out with the combustion chamber door tightly closed. Thus, such a cleaner cannot be used in fireplaces with an open hearth.

There are many other means - there are plenty to choose from

There are many other cleaners, soot and tar converters, etc., both domestic and foreign. You can take a sample of some of them and choose the best option for yourself - and in terms of efficiency, and ease of use, and cost.

Video: one of the means of chemical cleaning - " Cheerful chimney sweep»

Folk remedies for cleaning chimneys

There are many ways in which our ancestors, with varying degrees of success, struggled with the phenomena of overgrowing of chimneys with soot. Surely, some of these folk methods were taken into account when creating modern chemical cleaners.

Let's remember a few folk "recipes":

• Ordinary boiling water can be a huge help in breaking through a very strong old soot blockage. Several liters of very hot water are poured from above into the pipe just before the stove is fired up.

Boiling water softens a little. t hard growths, and the rising hot gaseous products of combustion will destroy them, leading to the fact that soot will fly out in pieces along with smoke.

• One of the most simple ways is to pour a small amount of ordinary table salt into the firewood. Vapors of sodium chloride, it turns out, have a destructive effect on viscous soot deposits.

True, this method is applicable only as a preventive measure. It will not help to cope with old, even small soot growths.

• Unexpectedly, but naphthalene also helps in this matter. A standard tablet of this substance, thrown into a melted hearth, becomes an excellent prophylactic and cleansing agent. The soot begins to flake off and come out with the smoke.

The method is proven, but, alas, not without flaws. And the main one is that naphthalene has a very persistent smell, which is very difficult to get rid of, and which is far from pleasant for everyone.

• Do not throw away potato peels - this is a very effective remedy for the accumulation of soot in the chimney. From time to time it is useful to pour peelings or even just finely chopped raw potatoes into a fully heated oven.

Old folk way - burning in the oven potato peelings

Rising evaporation with a high starch content softens the structure of soot growths. Some of them will fall off. And the rest will be much easier to clean up mechanically.

• For a long time, a mixture of coal, saltpeter and "blue stone" - copper sulphate - has been actively used to clean chimneys. The composition is made in proportions:

- copper sulfate - 5 parts;

- powdered coal (better - coke) - 2 parts;

- saltpeter - 7 parts.

A lot of such a mixture is not needed at all - about 20 grams per hundred kilograms of firewood is enough. The composition is poured into an oven preheated to the optimum mode, then the furnace door is very tightly closed. It is forbidden to carry out such cleaning in open-type foci.

• Finally, one of the most famous cleaning methods is the use of special firewood for this purpose. So, it was noticed that the fumes released during the combustion of aspen or alder contribute to the exfoliation of soot deposits from the walls of the chimney, and a very large but short-term heat allows the residue to come out with smoke or burn out in the furnace.

Alder firewood - usually stand out against the general background with bright colors on the cut

It is interesting that neither alder nor aspen firewood can in any way be classified as a high-quality type of fuel for space heating, or the heat transfer from them is low. But having a supply of such wood is still very useful. Occasionally, for the purpose of prevention, you can complete the furnace of the furnace by finally sending a few kilograms of alder or aspen into it. True, at the same time, it is necessary to ensure that the sparks that often fly out of the chimney during such a procedure do not cause a fire in neighboring buildings.

So, there are a lot of means for prevention and regular cleaning of the chimney. Keeping the stove in good and safe condition is the direct responsibility of every homeowner. And it is up to him to decide whether to call a chimney sweep or do everything on his own. The main thing is not to forget to do this, to raise such events to the rank of priorities. And, of course, strictly follow the recommendations for the proper operation of furnaces - then cleaning issues will not have to be addressed so often.

In rural areas and cottage villages, stoves and fireplaces are gaining popularity again. And sooner or later there comes a time when the stove and chimney need cleaning. Cleaning of chimneys and stoves from soot is carried out at least 1 time in 2 months.

Why clean your chimney and stove?

Soot deposits form in the furnace and on the walls of the chimney. Gradually, the draft becomes too weak and it is no longer possible to operate the stove normally. Ugar gets into the room, which is very dangerous.

Soot and dust are the main causes of fire. Often a fire starts in a chimney. The products of combustion through the cracks fall on wooden structures overlap. Here's how it all goes.

Soot inside the chimney

The chimney can become clogged from the top. Especially if the pipe is not closed by a deflector. In summer, birds or wasps can easily make nests there.

The increased content of soot in the chimney can be the result of errors in the construction of the furnace. Somewhere the pipe narrows, somewhere there is an extra turn. The slightest mistake increases the formation of soot in such places.

To remove all combustion products and other debris from the chimney, regular cleaning should be carried out. This will avoid narrowing the chimney duct and avoid a fire.

The frequency of cleaning the chimney and stove

What is the frequency of cleaning? This information can be found in the table:

Type of work and equipment	When to do it
Prevention of chimney channels and chimney (visual inspection):
Any equipment	After installation, before start-up or after repair
Seasonal Equipment	Start of the heating season
Gas ovens and boilers	At least 2 times a year, after 2 years - at least 1 time per year
brick chimney	At least once a quarter
Other types of chimneys	At least once every 12 months
Chimneys of heating and heating-cooking stoves	Beginning, end and middle of the heating season
Chimney cleaning - elimination of identified deficiencies during inspections and additionally:
B for heating and cooking (periodically)	At least once a quarter
In continuous furnaces	At least 1 time in 2 months
In ovens for continuous cooking	Every month
Cleaning the heads from frost - at least 1 time in 2 months

How to clean the chimney from soot when it is already clogged? Below are step by step instructions.

Mechanical and manual cleaning

For mechanical cleaning chimneys today use the same tools as 200 years ago. The technology itself hasn't changed much either. Cleaning is carried out from the side of the roof and from the side of the oven.

Tools and materials

To perform cleaning from the side of the roof, use:

It is important that the load has the correct center of gravity. Otherwise, it may get stuck. It is ideal to use a round metal core as a load. It is they who break through the blockage. And only then the brushes come into play.

If there is no suitable brush at hand, you can make it yourself from an old plastic bottle. Step by step instructions below.

How to make a ruff with your own hands?

There is another option for making a brush with your own hands:

Brush in the form of a brush with your own hands

Roof side cleaning

The whole process consists of 6 steps:

Cleaning the chimney from the stove

The previous method will allow you to clean the channel only up to the first turn. Further, another tool will help to clean the stove from soot without disassembling it. You can't use gravity.

The furnace must be provided with special hatches for cleaning. To do this, use another tool. A section with a length of 3 - 5 m will help to clean a special brush with a rigid but flexible fiberglass cable. Such a set is sold in hardware stores.

There is also a more specific tool:

Chimney cleaning tool

Such a device allows you to clean a longer area. The easiest way to clean the outer chimney. But only if it is properly assembled.

Step-by-step instruction:

Chemical cleaning

Regular preventive maintenance using special chemicals will help simplify the process of mechanical cleaning. The principle of operation of these funds is different. But the essence is the same: to clean existing deposits and prevent the formation of new ones.

The principle of cleaning the chimney with chemicals

These chemicals are discussed in more detail below.

"Smoke"

The most common means of this group is called "Smoke". Producer - firm "Ekolas", Russia. Under this trademark, 3 products are produced:

It is very simple to apply these funds: just place them in the firebox and set fire to it. Burning, they clean the chimney. As a result, part of the soot and other deposits will crumble, and the other part will fly out into the chimney along with smoke. Moreover, the chemical will act for another 14 days. And the effect of its use lasts for 3 months.

HANSA products

The German firm HANSA has focused its efforts on the fight against creosote. This is the very sticky base on which soot sits.

The drug has a double effect. On the one hand, it contributes to a more complete combustion of fuel. Due to this, soot is practically not formed. On the other hand, it reacts with creosote at high temperatures. As a result, he loses moisture and all growths crumble.

In our country, these chemicals are better known under the brand name "Chimney sweep". Such a tool can be bought in the form of a loose mixture or already packaged in bags.

Use it like this:

• They are used for prevention: 1 - 2 dipsticks (included in the kit) are added to the fuel during the start of the furnace every 4 - 5 furnaces.
• Used for cleaning: burn the required amount in the furnace.

There is also a chimney sweep log. It is placed in a heated firebox and set on fire. It should burn out completely. This cleaning is recommended every 30 days.

These chemicals even cope with a brick pipe. Usually it is its cleaning that presents the biggest problem due to the porous structure of the brick itself.

Cleaner Kominichek

Country of origin Czech Republic. The tool is also popular in Russia. It is a crystalline mixture in sachets of 14 g.

Cleaner Kominichek

• The tool turns soot into a substance that burns even at low temperatures.
• This tool will not cope with a strong plaque. The soot layer should not exceed 2 mm.
• Processing should be carried out only with a tightly closed combustion chamber. The agent is toxic.
• This tool is not suitable for cleaning the fireplace.

Other means

There are many such funds. Experts recommend trying a few and choosing the best for yourself. In addition to those already described, the following are in demand:

Folk remedies for cleaning chimneys

Clean the chimney of soot folk remedies is also possible. And their effectiveness has been proven by many generations of our ancestors.

Boiling water

The easiest way to clean the pipe from soot is ordinary boiling water. He will cope even with a very strong raid. To do this, before kindling the stove, it is enough to pour several liters of boiling water into the pipe from above. The rest of the soot will fly out into the chimney along with the smoke.

Salt

Another old-fashioned way is to add a couple of handfuls of ordinary table salt to the firewood. But this remedy is only suitable for prevention. He can not cope with strong growths.

Naphthalene

Ordinary naphthalene will also help. It is enough to throw 1 - 2 tablets into the fire. The soot will fall off and burn. Or it will go up the chimney along with the smoke.

But this method has one significant drawback. Naphthalene has a very specific smell. It won't be easy to get rid of him. And not everyone likes it.

Potato peelings

Another effective remedy for preventing the formation of soot growths is ordinary potatoes. Usually only cleaning of this root crop is used. But you can finely chop the potatoes themselves.

Cleanings are placed in a well-heated firebox and burned in it. The starch evaporates and effectively dissolves soot buildup. It also prevents the formation of new ones.

A mixture of coal, copper sulfate and sulfur

The recipe is as follows:

• copper sulfate - 5 parts;
• coal - 2 parts;
• saltpeter - 7 parts.

Such a composition is used in small quantities, burning with fuel. For a ton of firewood, only 200 g of the product is enough. For a fireplace, this method of cleaning is not suitable. Vapors are toxic and must not enter the room. Therefore, the firebox door must be tightly closed.

Using special firewood

Another way to deal with soot is special firewood. To do this, use alder or aspen. Wood burns quickly and emits special fumes during combustion. They contribute to the exfoliation of soot from the walls and combustion.

Despite the fact that such firewood cannot be used for heating due to low heat transfer, it is still necessary to have a supply of them. From time to time, the furnace firebox is completed by burning a few of these logs.

Sparks may fly out of the pipe. They can get on neighboring buildings and cause a fire. Therefore, the pipe is protected from above with a deflector, and the combustion process of such firewood is controlled.

How to avoid or minimize clogged pipes in the future?

To reduce problems to a minimum, it is enough to follow a number of simple recommendations:

• In the process of burning softwood, too much resin is formed. Therefore, it is not recommended to use it for heating.
• The humidity of firewood should not exceed 12%. To do this, they are pre-dried indoors for several days. The use of raw fuel contributes to increased soot formation. And reduces the heating efficiency by 30 - 40%.
• It is advisable to use firewood at least two years old for burning the stove.
• The stove or fireplace must not be used to burn garbage.
• Periodically, it is worth completing the firebox by burning an armful of firewood from aspen or alder. This is a good prevention against the formation of soot.

It is important to follow the schedule of preventive examinations, which is given above. These measures will help to avoid contamination of the chimney and creating an emergency.

Prices for chimney sweeps and where to find them?

The profession of a chimney sweep is again in demand due to the fact that cases of fires in private houses have recently become more frequent. And they are connected precisely with the pollution of the chimney, as well as with its improper design.

It just seems like everything is easy. In fact, this profession has been trained for several years. Where to find such masters? This is where the internet comes to the rescue. Similar announcements are found on bulletin boards. You need to search in the services section for your region.

Another way is to contact a furnace equipment service company. Some of them provide similar services.

Prices differ depending on the specific region and the popularity of the specialist. On average, a full range of services will cost 1000 rubles per 1 m 2 of a cleaned pipe. Vacuum cleaning of furnaces will help to do without soot and dust.

Summing up

The main reason for poor draft is soot in the chimney. If an accident occurs and the chimney is clogged, then you can seek help from a professional. But it happens that in this area no one provides such services. Or they are too expensive.

Then you can clean the chimney yourself. And for this it does not need to be disassembled. It is enough to stock up on tools and master simple skills. For your own safety, you should comply with all regulatory requirements.

Cleaning the chimney of the furnace is a rather dangerous task. Safety must come first.

If the pipe is already clogged, then it is best to clean the chimney mechanically. He is the most reliable. And will fix the problem as quickly as possible. It also minimizes the consequences.

But as prevention it is better to use chemical cleaning. Then the emergency can be avoided. Apply chemical reagents or folk remedies - here everyone chooses for himself. The main thing is to do it regularly.

←Previous article Next article → July 25, 2016
Specialization: Capital construction works(laying the foundation, erecting walls, constructing the roof, etc.). Internal construction works (laying of internal communications, rough and fine finishing). Hobbies: mobile communication, high technologies, computer equipment, programming.

As it turned out, in the yard of the relatives there was a bathhouse, which they had not used for a long time, since the chimney was clogged in the stove. Fortunately, I knew how to deal with this problem on my own, so I quickly got down to business and restored the oven to working order. As a reward, I took a steam bath in the steam room and collected very valuable information.

The result of all was the instruction for cleaning the chimneys, which I bring to your attention.

Why do you need clean smoke ducts

Many in childhood saw how their grandfathers and great-grandfathers cleaned the pipes from soot, but not everyone knows why this not very pleasant operation is necessary. Therefore, I will work a little as a lecturer, so that you have something to tell your children on long winter evenings, rocking in a rocking chair by the fireplace.

So when burning solid fuel, in addition to thermal energy and hot gases, soot is formed in the furnace. With the flow of rising thermal air, it rises up the chimney and gradually settles on the walls of the chimney.

As the heater operates, the soot layer becomes thicker. And in the end, all this can lead to very unpleasant consequences:

• the channel for the removal of gases formed during combustion is greatly narrowed, due to which the draft in the pipe decreases;
• soot adhering to the walls of the chimney damages the surface of the pipe and reduces the life of the appliance;
• the efficiency of the stove (thermal energy production) decreases, that is, to maintain the desired temperature in the room, you will have to use more firewood, coal, fuel briquettes or whatever you have;
• increases the likelihood of ignition of soot deposits inside the stove chimney.

Cleaning the smoke channel will help get rid of all the troubles. It is only important to determine exactly when you need to start this not the most pleasant procedure. That is what I will talk about next.

When you can no longer put off this unpleasant task

In principle, based on my own experience, I can tell you that if a fireplace or a wood-burning stove is built by an experienced craftsman and all the requirements are met, you will need to worry about how to clean the soot from the pipe no more than once every few years.

Especially if you use quality fuel. For example, if, in addition to firewood, you throw various garbage, plastic bottles, plastic bags and other plastic items into the firebox, you do not need to rely on a clean chimney.

I can also advise you not to use damp firewood for heating, especially pine or spruce wood.
Most of all, birch poles are suitable for the firebox, which have lain in your woodpile for at least 2 years from the moment of harvesting.

So, I’ll tell you about what signs indicate the need for urgent cleaning of the chimney:

1. Smoke color change. From a clean pipe comes clean, light and transparent smoke. If soot has accumulated there, it will change its color to a darker one. And the smoke itself will become denser.

1. Changing the shade of an open flame in the furnace. If the draft in the pipe is normal and the chimney is clean, the firewood burns with a bright orange flame. An orange-colored fire will indicate the need to clean the chimney.

Be that as it may, I advise you to perform preventive cleaning of the pipe once every 6 months: before the start of the cold season and after it ends. This allows not only to remove soot in time, but also to get rid of clogging of the smoke exhaust channel with cobwebs, bird nests, fallen leaves, and so on.

Focusing on the above signs, you will determine exactly what you need to get started. And here's how to do it - we'll figure it out below.

Pipe cleaning methods

There are many ways to clean soot from a pipe. You can use both folk remedies and advice, as well as the achievements of the modern chemical industry. Yes, no one has canceled the mechanical method, that is, you can also work as a chimney sweep.

In my practice, I had to apply all the available methods, so I can safely tell you about each of them in more detail.

Method 1 - Using Grandma's Remedies

There is no need to philosophize here. Our grandparents have long known what to burn in a stove to get rid of soot. I will not say that these methods are very effective, but they have the right to exist.

Here are a few tools you can use:

1. Rock salt. Ordinary table salt should be sprinkled on burning wood or coal.

This method is quite common, but not particularly effective. My grandmother often poured salt into the stove, but she did this not so much to get rid of soot deposits in the smoke exhaust duct, but to prevent its accumulation. Therefore, I will not stop for a long time, I will tell you about another method.

1. Potato skins or potato tubers. The amount is determined by the size of the firebox in the furnace, but as a rule, about a bucket of such waste was enough for me. They need to be poured into an already burning fire.

The essence of the method is that when organics are burned, starch is released from potatoes, which tends to soften soot deposits on the chimney. After this, the waste deposits fall into the lower part of the pipe, from where they are removed through a specially made hole (it was provided even when laying the furnace).

1. Aspen firewood. There is not much to say about the technology itself. It is necessary to chop firewood from aspen logs, and then kindle a fire in the furnace.

Here's the thing. Aspen firewood burns at a very high temperature, so hot gases enter the chimney, which burn soot deposits. This method is quite dangerous, so I advise you to take some precautions:

• make sure that the material of the chimney can withstand high temperatures;
• check that the soot deposits in the channel are not large enough to ignite.

But in principle, no one bothers you to buy special chemicals for cleaning furnaces from soot. Their price is low, and the effectiveness is proven by practical experience. At least mine. Therefore, the story about them will go on.

Method 2 - Calling on Science

Modern industry produce quite a few products specifically designed to remove soot from the chimney. They can be supplied as:

• powders;
• liquids;
• fuel briquettes.

They are added to the furnace during fuel combustion. The chemical elements contained in the preparations do not harm human health, but have a destructive effect on soot deposits, causing it to collapse into the lower part of the chimney.

It is necessary to use additives as deposits accumulate or from time to time, as a prophylactic.

I described the most popular means for cleaning soot from chimneys in the table, which I suggest you familiarize yourself with.

Name	Description
Anti-carbon chemical composition	A special free-flowing powder that must be poured directly onto the firewood while it is burning. This is a very effective tool that allows you to quickly get rid of soot in the chimney. It can also be used for prevention. In this case, the powder consumption is 200 g per ton of fuel.
Kominichek	Means for removal of soot of the Czech production. Also available as a powder that contains a catalyst that allows the soot to burn off at a safely low temperature. However, the powder is only suitable for removing a not too thick layer of soot.
log chimney sweep	The most popular method of cleaning soot from chimneys in our country. It can be used to clean the pipes of furnaces and boilers that operate not only on solid fuels, but also on fuels. Effectively removes soot buildup and can be used as a preventative. In my case, to keep the chimney of the fireplace clean in the country, one log is enough, which I burn every month.

Considering that most likely you will also use the “Chimney Sweep Log”, I will tell you how to clean the soot in the pipe with it:

1. First of all, you need to make sure that the smoke outlet is not completely clogged with soot, debris or foreign objects.
2. You can burn the fuel briquette itself both with the main fuel, and completely independently.
3. To achieve maximum efficiency, I burn firewood in the fireplace, after which I put the briquette on hot charcoal (like a barbecue, but not on skewers).
4. Before use, you need to remove the packaging of the log, but not the wrapper itself, in which the substance is wrapped.
5. Usually the log flares up on its own, but if for some reason this does not happen, set fire to the wrapper on both sides yourself.

Samo Chemical substance, corroding soot, continues to act for about 14 days. During all this time, it is possible for soot lumps to collapse from the pipe into the furnace or to the bottom of the smoke channel. It must be permanently removed from there.

In conclusion of this particular section, I want to mention one feature that not everyone knows about. "Log-chimney sweep" when burned, forms gases with a temperature of over 1000 degrees Celsius, which can melt a steel chimney. Therefore, the substance can be used in furnaces with stone and ceramic pipes.

Method 3 - we climb the pipe ourselves

I think you all know the folk wisdom that you can do a good job only with your own hands. This is what I was guided by when I started cleaning the pipes in the bathhouse in the village. In this case, you get rid of not only soot accumulations, but also debris in the channel.

At the end of the work, you will see for yourself how efficient and smokeless the oven will work. And I won’t tell you how I took a steam bath in the bathhouse, otherwise you will become jealous.

I will only tell you about the scheme of work when cleaning the chimney from internal accumulations of soot. The sequence of actions is as follows:

1. First, we close the doors or lay bricks in the holes in the chimneys, which are specially designed to clean the stoves from soot accumulation. If this is not done, then you will be tormented to wash interior spaces baths (or whatever you have there) from black unpleasant plaque.

If you are cleaning the fireplace with an open hearth, I advise you to curtain it with a damp cloth, in order, again, to avoid a park and economic day cleaning the living room.

1. Then we pretend to be Carlson and go up to the roof. Since you don’t have a motor, I advise you to come up with something as insurance so as not to break down in the midst of the process. Believe me, no one wants to take you to traumatology.

By the way, if it's raining, climbing to the roof is also best avoided. Either lightning strikes you or you slip on the roof. Both are unlikely to please you and your loved ones.

1. First of all, you need to inspect the pipe from above. If the accumulation of soot does not exceed 2 mm, there is no need to complicate your life. Go to the store, buy a pipe cleaner and light it in the oven. This will be more than enough.

You also need to see if a foreign object is blocking the pipe. Often it can be a bird's nest or fallen leaves. In this case, the plug must either be pulled up or pushed down to remove it through the door.

1. If there is a lot of soot, as in my case, we clean it with a special scraper. Then it can be replaced with a special brush, which is sold in a specialized store.

To achieve maximum efficiency, I recommend that you measure the diameter of the pipe in advance and purchase a tool whose diameter is slightly larger than the dimensions of the smoke outlet. You will get a kind of brush, similar to the one with which my mother washed milk bottles as a child.

1. One more moment. In the course of my work, it turned out that some kind of plug formed inside the pipe, which interfered with cleaning. In this case, you need to use a special weight on a chain that will break through the blockage and bring it down.

I do not advise in this case to use a sports kettlebell with a handle. She has a shifted center of gravity, so she can get stuck inside the pipe channel and you cannot pull her out of there. You will have to partially disassemble the smoke channel.

1. If you are not cleaning the stove, but, you can partially free the smoke channel from soot by working from the bottom up. For this, special brushes with a long and durable handle are sold. It grows in length, so you can get very deep inside the pipe.

1. At the end of the cleaning, it is necessary to remove the collapsed soot from the furnace and from the pipe through the doors specially provided for this. Do not forget to clean the blower, there is also a lot of soot pouring in that needs to be removed.

On this, the cleaning of the chimney could be considered finished. if not for one important stage - quality control of work. You can safely entrust it to your soulmate, unless, of course, she is not afraid to climb onto the roof.

Quality control of work

Upon completion of the work, it is necessary to check the quality of the work performed and, most importantly, the condition of the chimney itself. This can be done visually, but it is better to rent a special endoscope camera, with which you can see the pipe along its entire length.

If gaps or defects in the surface of the chimney are found within direct reach, they must be eliminated. You can do this in the following way:

• dilute clean clay with water and coat cracks and crevices with it;
• after this layer has dried, you need to make a clay-sand mortar and carefully wipe all other defects with it;
• the last stage is whitewashing the treated areas with lime or painting with a water-based emulsion.

If in some places you could not clean the chimney, you will have to resort to partial disassembly of the stove, since soot residues in the smoke exhaust duct can cause serious trouble.

Conclusion

As you can see, there is nothing difficult in cleaning the pipe from soot. The main thing is to decide on the implementation of this dirty and unpleasant work. But in my case, the reward was waiting for me in the form of a pleasant pastime in the bathhouse. And I suggest you watch the video in this article, where there is a lot of information about the design and operation of furnaces.

And one moment. I would be very grateful if you shared your own secrets and tips on how best to clean the pipe from soot in the comments to this material. Maybe next time I won't have to spend so much time getting the stove back up and running.

Everyone knows that the removal of fuel combustion products in stoves and fireplaces is carried out through the chimney. It is also designed to create natural draft in the system, ensuring the efficiency of the combustion process. Those who have a stove are well aware that when the chimney passability decreases, serious problems arise in its operation, up to the occurrence of reverse draft.

In this case, instead of being brought out, smoke and soot enter the interior of the living space. In such a situation, an urgent cleaning of the chimney is required, otherwise carbon monoxide poisoning is possible. Regular maintenance of the smoke extraction system will help to avoid such situations. You can clean the chimney from soot in different ways, which we will get acquainted with.

You can clean the pipe neatly and even elegantly

Why does the chimney grow soot

Fuel combustion is a process of its high-temperature oxidation in the presence of oxygen. If the temperature is not high enough or there is not enough oxygen to support an efficient combustion process, soot is formed as a product of insufficient carbon oxidation. Visually, in the combustion products, it is detected when black smoke exits the chimney. The main causes of soot are:

• Use of raw wood as fuel. The combustion temperature in the furnace is reduced due to the consumption of thermal energy for drying firewood, as a result, soot is actively formed.
• Plywood, chipboard and other similar materials contain adhesives. When it is burned, the chimney becomes clogged very quickly, as when burning plastic bags and plastic.
• A large amount of soot is formed when the natural draft of the chimney is reduced. This can occur due to the cover of the damper or the insufficient height of the pipe itself, as well as a decrease in its permeability.

It looks like soot on the inner surfaces of the pipe

The type of wood used as fuel also affects the rate of soot overgrowth in the chimney. This process will occur most quickly when burning coniferous wood, slower - deciduous, but they cost much more. Regardless of the variety, it is imperative to ensure that only dry firewood gets into the firebox.

However, even if you choose the right fuel, occasionally you still have to clean the soot in the stove with your own hands.

Why you need to clean the chimney

The soot raised by the ascending flow of warm air is deposited on the inner walls of the pipe. A thickening layer of soot over time leads to rather serious malfunctions. heating system. These include:

• reduction of natural draft due to the narrowing of the channel for the removal of smoke;
• accelerated wear of the inner surfaces of the pipe walls;
• decrease in the efficiency of the furnace;
• increasing the risk of fire inside the smoke exhaust ducts.

Such a "salute" of burning soot can lead to a fire

To prevent the occurrence of such unpleasant consequences, the pipe must be subjected to periodic cleaning. This procedure should be carried out at least once a year. This procedure is not pleasant, but it is simply necessary to clean the chimney and remove soot from it.

Methods for cleaning chimneys and stoves from soot

To learn how to clean the oven correctly and remove soot from it, it makes sense to study all known ways to do this job. Since ancient times, the services of chimney sweeps have been necessary for a large number of people; professionals in their field have been respected in society. Since then and to the present, many ways have been invented to clean soot from chimneys. These primarily include time-tested mechanical methods using special tools that have been used by professional chimney sweeps for decades.

Good results are obtained by burning soot by the thermal method, but when using it, there is a danger of cracking the pipe. You can clean the chimney without the use of special tools, using chemicals of folk invention or industrial development.

The work of a chimney sweep is not without romance

We get rid of soot with our own hands

The mechanical cleaning method is used in case of severe contamination of the chimney, when the soot layer exceeds two millimeters in thickness. In order to get rid of soot with your own hands, you will need the following tools:

• A chimney brush made of plastic or metal. Its diameter should exceed the internal section of the pipe by one and a half times.
• The flexible sanitary cable equipped with the convenient handle. It can be replaced with a strong rope.
• Long-handled brush with stiff bristles. It should be possible to increase the length of the handle if necessary.
• A metal core or weight attached to a ruff. These parts must be centered and have a diameter two times smaller than the internal section of the chimney.

Work on cleaning the chimney can be performed both from above and from the bottom of the fireplace or open firebox. When performing all manipulations on the roof (to prevent falling), it is necessary to use a safety cable and a strong ladder. The respiratory organs are protected by a respirator, gloves are put on the hands, and shoes with non-slip soles are put on the feet. Do not use when working at height alcoholic drinks and drugs that reduce reaction time and concentration.

Basic Pipe Cleaning Tools

Before performing all procedures, it is necessary to allow time for the chimney to cool completely. The doors of the heating device located in the living room are tightly closed to prevent soot from entering the house. Work begins with lowering a metal load, mounted on a flexible cable, into the chimney. This allows you to determine the distance to the blockage in order to eliminate it.

At the same time, it is necessary to try to keep the load along the central axis of the pipe section so as not to damage its walls.

A thick layer of soot from the inner surface of the chimney is pre-cleaned with a scraper on a long handle. The final cleaning is done with a brush with a metal core attached to it. If the furnace design provides for an open combustion chamber, the chimney cleaning is completed from below with a brush with hard bristles or a ruff on an extendable telescopic handle. Lastly, with the help of a vacuum cleaner, the firebox is cleaned of soot.

Chemical cleaners are a good helper

Chemical cleaners are good helpers in removing soot from the chimney. They cope well with even the most difficult pollution. Specially selected reagents effectively remove a thick layer. When burning on smoldering coals a composition consisting of a mixture in equal parts of coke, saltpeter and copper sulfate, soot deposits fall off.

Chemicals are easy to use

The industry produces the so-called anti-scale chemical composition, which has a very strong effect. In no case should the dosage of the drug indicated on its packaging be violated, otherwise cracking of the chimney may occur. Before use, be sure to read the instructions for use and follow all the recommendations indicated there.

In the Czech Republic, a composition called Kominichek is produced, active substance which is copper chloride, therefore, when using it, it is necessary to ensure good ventilation in the living room, and even better to leave it. The frequency of processing is about three months with the active operation of the stove or fireplace.

Domestic manufacturers produce natural aspen or birch logs impregnated with copper chloride. It has a simple name: a log is a chimney sweep, when it is burned in the furnace furnace, substances are released that destroy tar deposits on the internal surfaces of the exhaust system. Considering the rather high cost of chemical cleaners, it is cheaper and easier to take preventive measures to reduce the formation of deposits and to carry out regular mechanical cleaning.

Folk remedies for cleaning are not worse than chemistry

Folk cleaning agents work no worse than patented chemicals. The simplest and accessible way is the cleaning of dirt in the chimney with potato peels. To do this, about half a bucket of dried potato peels is burned in the furnace. The starch contained in them softens tar deposits, and they are easily removed mechanically. Firewood sprinkled with rock salt emits sodium chloride vapors during combustion, which destroy soot deposits on the walls of the chimney.

Samples of folk remedies for pipe cleaning

The combustion of aspen firewood at the final stage of heating the stove is highly efficient. They have a high combustion temperature, and exfoliated deposits burn out from intense heat, while making sure that sparks do not fly out of the pipe. Birch logs cleared of bark have approximately the same effect when loaded into the combustion chamber.

An alternative to aspen firewood is walnut shells. They also have a very high combustion temperature, so no more than two liters of this material should be loaded into the furnace at a time. Walnut shells perfectly clean the chimney from tar deposits. A good prophylactic is ordinary naphthalene. A tablet thrown into the fire contributes to the exfoliation of soot and its release along with smoke, but the smell of naphthalene is extremely persistent and it is very difficult to get rid of it afterwards.

When mixing seven parts of saltpeter, five parts of copper sulfate and two parts of coal, the so-called blue mixture is obtained. Approximately twenty grams of this mixture is poured into a well-heated oven and the door of the combustion chamber is closed. In furnaces with an open firebox, this composition is not recommended.

As you can see, cleaning the pipe yourself is not at all shameful.

Some owners, without further ado, clean the chimney with an ordinary watering hose, preferably hard. It is pushed as far as possible into the chimney and perform several reciprocating movements. As a result, most of the dirt falls down: into a substituted bucket or other similar container.

An unusual but effective method is to burn aluminum cans. They should be placed in a well-heated furnace with a large amount of hard coals. One can should burn out in about five minutes, and not just lie there changing color scheme. The vapors of burning aluminum produce a good cleansing effect.

Extreme method using a chainsaw

Using a chainsaw is an extreme method of cleaning a chimney. A nozzle is put on the unit, which works on the principle of removing sawdust from woodworking machines in the form of a snail. It turns out a kind of exhaust gun, driven by a chainsaw motor. The flow of ejected soot is oriented in the direction of the wind. A similar effect can be obtained using a vacuum cleaner with a reverse hood, but for its operation it is necessary to lead an electric power cable to the roof.

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The following video is carefully selected and will certainly help the perception of the foregoing.