How to clean the oven with folk remedies. Clean the chimney of stoves and fireplaces with folk remedies: cleaning methods and technology. Manual mechanical cleaning

Regardless of which type of fuel is preferred, chimney cleaning is very important. Since over time, all the combustion products that are discharged through these channels form soot and plaque, and, in other words, soot inside your chimney. Such pollution can and should be cleaned with your own hands, and continue to enjoy the pleasant evening crackle at your hearth. . How to do this, and which method is more acceptable to you, you will learn by reading the options below.

Why you need to clean chimneys, stoves and fireplaces from soot

When using stove heating of your home, you must not forget about the safety of your health, and the safety of the property of the house as a whole. Since fireplaces and stoves are an open source of fire, it is necessary to ensure their safe use in everyday life, so it is necessary to clean the chimney in a timely manner.

During the combustion of any fuel, whether it is firewood or a special briquette, carbon monoxide, which is very dangerous for the human body. The chimney channel with good traction provides us not with smoke, but with a comfortable state and coziness.

In a clogged chimney, however, from the products of combustion, plaque forms on the walls of the pipe and over time, the soot layer becomes thicker, thereby making it difficult for the passage of smoke. Because of this, traction worsens, which, as a result, will lead to a drop in efficiency, overspending of heating material, and smoke penetration into rooms. It is with such difficulties that you will have to fight, while neglecting to clean the chimney.

There is also a risk of ignition of the chimney from the inside, due to the same soot. This can lead to destruction (cracking) of the pipe walls. However, the biggest danger is a flying spark, which can become a source of fire.

What happens if you do not clean the chimney from soot:

• Reduced draft, poor smoke permeability;
• Wear of the chimney from the inside (cracking);
• Loss of efficiency, consumption of firewood (briquettes);
• The probability of ignition of the chimney inside;

The safe operation of your fireplaces and stoves directly depends on chimneys, which are an important part of such a source of warmth and comfort in your home. Keeping them clean will keep you safe.

How do you know if your oven needs to be cleaned?

First of all, the intensity and time of operation, as well as the choice of fuel for them, affects the state of clogging of stoves and fireplaces. When using raw logs as the main logs, blockages will show up more often in the chimneys.

Spruce and pine are used for firebox. However, this type of wood is more resinous and should not be used too often. Most best option- a firebox with dry firewood that has lain for at least 1.5 years. The first "symptoms" of blockage in the chimney pipe will be obvious, and it will not be difficult to notice them.

Signs of a clogged chimney:

1. First of all, you need to pay attention to the smoke. White or clear smoke comes out of a clean chimney. If it needs to be cleaned the smoke will be gray or even black. However, this can be affected by the resins that the wood contains.
2. Cleaning of fireplaces and stoves is necessary if the fire has changed color from light orange to orange.
3. The stove needs to be cleaned if not all the smoke comes out through the chimney. Part of the smoke in this case may return back to the house.
4. The time during which one briquette or log burned down was halved.

If you notice one of these signs, then it's time for you to clean the chimney. However, even if they are not, it is advisable to free the chimney from soot twice a year.

Methods for cleaning the stove

If you see that the chimney is clogged, then you need to start cleaning it. Of course, a chimney sweep can help you with this, but it's cheaper to do it yourself.

If your chimney requires cleaning too often, then you need to find out why it is clogged. Usually the problem is not right choice fuel or in the absence of a protective cap.

Sooner or later, every owner of a private house faces the question: "How to clean the chimney without dismantling it?". There are several ways and we propose to talk about them.

Chimney cleaning methods:

1. To clean the chimney by mechanical means, you will need a special device. The meaning of such cleaning is to remove soot by scraping it off.
2. Chemical chimney cleaner. Chemistry is now presented in a wide variety, so you can easily find the right remedy.
3. Cleaning folk remedies- This is one way to remove soot from the chimney. At this time, there are a huge number of options for cleaning the pipe.

Each method is good in its own way. You can handle cleaning with chemicals on your own, but we’ll talk more about removing soot with folk remedies and mechanically.

How to clean the chimney with folk methods

Folk ways to clean the chimney are considered the safest. They gently clean the soot and do not lead to serious consequences. To clean chimneys in folk ways, you do not have to disassemble the stove. All the actions described by us are easy and safe.

If you heat the stove with wood, then instead of an ax, you can use a chainsaw. If you cut wood correctly, you will save a lot of time.

The cleaning pocket is designed so that it is most convenient for a person to remove soot from the chimney pipe. If you built the stove and fireplace correctly, then cleaning should not be a problem.

How to clean comics with folk remedies:

1. The first way is to heat the stove with aspen wood. The meaning of this method lies in the fact that such fuel heats the chimney to very high temperatures, which helps to clean it. Therefore, burning a chimney with firewood is a great option.
2. Another great option is to heat the stove with wood and salt. A layer of salt is laid out on the fuel, after which a fire is kindled. Such a composition decomposes soot into components and cleans the chimney. The remaining powder will help clean the vacuum cleaner.
3. A fun way to clean your chimney is to burn it with potato skins. To do this, it must be dried and put in a melted oven. After that, the soot is easily brushed off with a whisk. In addition to cleaning the chimney, this way you can get rid of food debris.
4. You can also clean your chimney with walnut shells. To do this, add a couple of handfuls of peel to the melted oven. From such a high temperature, soot will move away by itself. This way you can also get rid of unnecessary garbage.

Such folk methods are effective only when the soot layer has not yet reached a critical size. Heavily clogged "chimney wells" can only be cleaned with chemistry and a brush. However, before such events, you need to post an announcement for your household so that they do not melt the stove.

How to clean the chimney mechanically

Most effective way chimney cleaning - mechanical. With the help of rough exposure, you can achieve much greater results than with the use of salt or potato peelings.

Some "inventors" for cleaning the chimney suggest burning aluminum cans. However, the effectiveness of this method has not been proven. Since the reviews about it are not unambiguous.

There are several ways to clean the chimney mechanically. We suggest that you first familiarize yourself in detail with the most common of them - cleaning the chimney with a brush.

Instructions for cleaning the chimney with a brush:

1. First of all, you need to take care of choosing the right brush. A tool with a long and flexible handle, as well as a nylon handle, is suitable for you. Such a brush is not only stiff enough to clean the chimney of soot, but also able to penetrate even the most inaccessible corner.
2. Try not to scratch the pipe from the inside. Such damage contributes to a faster and more abundant accumulation of soot.
3. Before cleaning, you need to take care to protect your eyes and respiratory tract from soot. To do this, wear goggles and a protective mask.
4. Furniture, windows and walls in the house also need to be protected. To do this, everything needs to be covered with film or newspapers.
5. Make sure the chimney has completely cooled down. Remove residual fuel, including coal and soot. Remove damper from chimney.
6. Insert a brush into the chimney from the roof side and thoroughly clean the chimney. Do not skip a single section and do everything gradually. Repeat the same for the fireplace.
7. After cleaning the chimney, return the damper to its place. Rinse the brush thoroughly in warm water.
8. Without removing the protective film from furniture, walls and windows, wipe off the soot that has entered the room. After that, remove the protection and carry out a wet cleaning.

This method is considered the most effective and safe. However, there are several other options for mechanical cleaning.

You can take a garden hose to water the plants. To the end that will descend into the chimney, attach a round short brush. Next, the hose must be lowered and removed from the chimney until the soot collects inside it.

The mechanical method of cleaning the chimney is considered the most effective. In addition to the brush and hose, you can use a brush or cane. by the most unusual option the weight on the chain is considered. However, this option is very dangerous and can cause the collapse of the chimney.

How to clean the wells in the stove (video)

Chimney cleaning is messy, but necessary work. If you want to save money from family budget, then you can completely do without the help of a chimney sweep. In addition, soot cleaning different methods is a very interesting job. If you have already used one of the methods described above, or have some version of your own, then you can write your opinion below!

Safe and comfortable use of stoves and fireplaces is impossible without good draft, which, in turn, depends on the condition of the chimney. How to clean the chimney from soot and prevent it from clogging, you will learn from this article.

At first glance, it seems that after burning firewood, the smoke disappears without a trace, but this is not at all the case. In addition to the gaseous products of combustion, the smoke contains solid particles, it is they who settle on the walls of the smoke channel, forming a gray or black coating. Water vapor, which is also contained in the smoke, holds the soot together, and the plaque becomes dense and hard. Narrow places, turns of the smoke channel, as well as rough walls of brick pipes are especially prone to clogging.

Soot deposits in the pipe

In addition, mechanical blockages are possible: garbage accidentally falling into the pipe, tree leaves, bird nests or bricks that have fallen out of the masonry. Even a small blockage can worsen traction, and soot deposited on a foreign object quickly clogs the chimney, making further operation of the furnace impossible. There are several ways to clean the chimney from soot and blockages, which are described below.

Chimney cleaning methods: which one to choose?

Methods for cleaning chimneys and chimneys are quite diverse, from folk methods, proven for centuries, to modern ones based on scientific developments. Let's take a closer look at all of them.

Folk remedies

Our ancestors were well aware of the features different types wood. Coniferous firewood contains a large amount of resins emitted along with smoke. Poorly dried, damp wood smolders, gives off little heat, and at the same time emits water vapor, which settles on the walls of the pipe, fastening loose soot into a monolith. Best of all, dry hardwood firewood is suitable for burning stoves: birch, alder, aspen. They burn with increased heat transfer, practically do not give soot and soot and do not clog the pipe.

To clean the chimney in the old days, aspen firewood was used, burning with the formation of a high hot flame. When the walls of the chimney are heated, the soot loosens and burns out, and its remnants are carried out through the chimney along with the smoke. Many modern pipe cleaning methods are based on the same principle, which are described below. For the prevention and periodic cleaning of the chimney, you can use this old method by throwing several dry aspen logs into the heated firebox. At the same time, it is necessary to observe fire safety and prevent overheating of pipes.

Another interesting folk method for cleaning a chimney is to burn dried potato peels. When they are burned with smoke, substances are released that loosen the soot and make it easy to remove it through the cleaning holes.

Video - a folk method for cleaning the chimney

Folk methods are interesting, but sometimes ineffective, especially when a blockage has already formed. In this case, it is more reasonable to resort to chemical cleaning of pipes.

Chemical cleaning of the chimney

Furnace stores offer a large selection of various products that allow you to clean the chimney from soot without extra hassle. These products come in the form of powders, tablets, liquids or briquettes that mimic logs or pellets. Their use is quite simple: you need to place the package in a stove or fireplace and burn it, together with firewood or separately. detailed instructions usually indicated on the package, as is the dosage.

Powder cleaners are usually packaged in single-dose sachets, depending on the degree of contamination of the pipe and chimney, one or more bags may be needed. They are thrown into the fire after kindling the furnace, without opening. The appearance of a blue or green color flame indicates that the product is working and emits chemically active substances that break down soot and plaque.

Means for chemical chimney cleaning

Cleaning pellets or logs are more convenient to use, they are simply placed in a fireplace or stove right in the package and set on fire, after which they continue to burn the stove for one to two hours. During this time, the resins and creosote that hold the soot in the chimney decompose, and small particles are carried out with the smoke, and large blockages fall down. Therefore, after cleaning and cooling the furnace, it is recommended to inspect the smoke channel through the doors specially designed for this.

Cleaning the chimney to prevent blockages is carried out several times a year. If the oven is used no more than once a week, it is enough to use these products a couple of times a year. With the daily burning of the stove or the use of low-quality firewood, prevention is carried out more often, once every two months, without waiting for the chimney to become overgrown with soot.

Mechanical cleaning of the chimney

In case of serious blockages caused by a strong narrowing of the lumen or debris entering the pipe, chemicals may be powerless. The operation of the stove becomes impossible and very dangerous - deposits on the walls of the chimney ignite when overheated, and together with the smoke, sparks or even flames burst out of the chimney. In dry weather, this can cause a fire. If there is no draft at all in your stove, and the smoke goes inside the room, it must be cleaned mechanically, using a special tool.

Devices designed to clean the chimney from soot and soot are very diverse: these are brushes, scrapers, ruffs of various shapes and sizes, as well as cores on a strong cable that break through dense blockages. They can be purchased at specialized stores or made by hand.

Video - how to make a ruff for cleaning the chimney with your own hands

Chimney cleaning is usually carried out from top to bottom: they break through blockages in the chimney, clean it with scrapers, ruffs and brushes, after which they clean the smoke channels through the cleaning doors, and lastly clean the dampers and the firebox itself, as well as the ash pan. Chimney pipes of a simple configuration can be cleaned from below, with the help of ruffs on a long handle. How to clean the chimney mechanically is described below.

Chimney cleaning technology

1. Before taking on the role of a chimney sweep, take care of your own safety. It is necessary to install a convenient ladder on the roof and take care of insurance that will not allow you to fall. When cleaning the chimney, use a respirator.

Work Safety Measures

2. The dampers are open, otherwise soot will accumulate on them, which can lead to even more clogging. But the doors - furnace, ash and cleaning - must be tightly closed so as not to stain furniture and floors with soot. It is better to hang open fireplace inserts with a damp cloth, which is not a pity to throw away - most likely it will not work to wash it off.

3. Cleaning starts from the top, with chimney. Before cleaning, remove the head from the pipe, remove soot with a scraper or a stiff brush at an accessible distance. The tool can be extended with an extendable handle.

Cleaning starts with a pipe

4. Inaccessible parts of the chimney are cleaned using a flexible brush - a cable with a nozzle at one end and a handle for rotation at the other. The diameter of the nozzle should exceed the diameter of the pipe by 1.2-1.3 times. The cable is inserted into the chimney and begin to gently advance by turning the handle.

Flexible brush for cleaning pipes from soot

5. If the ruff gets stuck, it means that a serious blockage has formed in the chimney, and it can only be broken through with the help of a core. The core on the cable is sharply lowered into the chimney, trying not to touch the walls so as not to chip the brick. Having eliminated the blockage, continue cleaning with a ruff.

Pipe cleaning core

6. After cleaning the pipes, they begin to remove soot through the cleaning doors. In a complex furnace, as a rule, there are several of them, and they are located in the places where the smoke channel turns. First, the soot that has fallen from above is raked out, then the smoke channel itself is cleaned with scrapers and a ruff. At the same time, they move from top to bottom, to the firebox. In fireplaces with a direct chimney, there may not be any cleaning doors at all, and all the soot immediately falls into the furnace.

Cleaning of smoke channels from soot

7. The furnace and ash pan are cleaned last. Final cleaning can be done with a vacuum cleaner. If your vacuum cleaner is equipped with a fabric dust bag, it is better to buy a disposable paper bag for this purpose, since it is impossible to clean it of soot.

Removing soot from the furnace with a vacuum cleaner

8. Melt the stove and check the draft. If cleaning has eliminated the blockage, then after the furnace has cooled down, the head is put back on. If the draft has not improved, the smoke channel in the hard to reach place, and you can’t do without the help of a qualified stove-maker.

9. In the future, when using the stove, do not neglect the prevention of blockages using the folk or modern methods described above.

To prevent the chimney from overgrowing with soot, you must follow a few simple rules:

• It is better to use dry firewood as fuel from deciduous trees, and at the end of the furnace, periodically place aspen or preventive measures in the furnace.
• Do not burn garbage in the oven, especially plastic, polyethylene, wrapping paper.
• To reduce moisture condensation, the chimney must be insulated, especially if it is made of metal. Usually, ready-made double sandwich pipes with a layer of non-combustible insulation are used.
• It is imperative to put a cap on the pipe to protect it from accidental ingress of debris or precipitation.

With proper use of the stove, the question "how to clean the chimney from soot" will arise very rarely, and you will be able to fully enjoy the bright flame and heat.

The patency of smoke channels is of decisive importance for the normal operation of heating systems. This is especially important for solid fuel thermal units. Chimneys tend to become clogged with combustion products, which reduces fuel efficiency and increases the likelihood of situations that threaten not only the integrity of property, but also the lives of people living in the house.

How and how to clean the chimney from soot

Heating in a private house is vital important system, on which not only comfortable living depends, but often the property and life of residents. A special role is played by the system for removing fuel combustion products from the room - the chimney. Its inner surface is gradually contaminated with condensate and soot, while the cross-section of the chimney channel decreases, the draft decreases, and the complete removal of smoke from the room is disturbed.

Over time, the chimney becomes clogged with soot, and its ability to remove combustion products decreases.

Why does the chimney get dirty

Clogging of the smoke channel occurs during the combustion of fuel, when vaporous and solid products are released from it, carried out by the flow of furnace gases. But under certain conditions, they do not completely fly out into the pipe. This happens under the following circumstances:

1. Burning raw wood. Fuel with a moisture content above 24% contains an increased amount of intracellular moisture, which actively evaporates as it burns. These vapors rise along with the furnace gases into the chimney. In a cold or insufficiently heated channel, they mix with cooled air, as a result of which condensate settles on its walls. And this is not just some water, because the vapor contains oxidation products, so the precipitate is an acid. They do not just flow down the walls of the pipe, a significant part of them lingers on the walls, depositing solid combustion products from the smoke, while carbon deposits form on the walls, reducing the cross section of the smoke channel.

   When raw firewood is burned, excess moisture is released from them, which eventually settles on the walls of the chimney and becomes a source of carbon deposits.

2. Use of prohibited fuel. Of course, there are no direct contraindications, but woodworking waste consisting of wood with fillers in the form of binders cannot be used to fire the furnace. Such materials include waste plywood, chipboard and fiberboard. Such fuel emits a large amount of tar in the smoke, which intensively settle on the walls of the chimney. Resinous wood - pine or spruce - has a similar effect.
3. Cold chimney. Moisture condensation on the walls occurs at a certain temperature in the channel. This state of gases is called the "dew point". If such conditions are created inside the smoke channel, condensate settles on its walls in an active mode, provoking the accumulation of soot. To get rid of this phenomenon, it is necessary to reliably insulate the pipe, reducing its heat transfer to the surrounding space. After that, the chimney warms up, and the dew point rises higher, leaving the space inside the pipe.
4. The presence of horizontal sections of the pipe. The greatest amount of soot is formed on the bends of the chimney, therefore, without special need, it is better not to use this method of laying. If no other solution is possible, shims should be installed on the pivoting elbows, which can be opened and free the knee from soot buildup.

   If you need to make a horizontal section on the chimney, the transition to it must be done using a branch with a special cleaning hole (revision)

5. Rough walls of the smoke channel. When constructing a chimney, it is necessary to mop the channel to improve the quality of its surface. Soot is deposited primarily on the irregularities of the chimney.
6. Furnace furnace with household waste. Such fuel is even more detrimental to the chimney than the use of plywood and other scraps. It always contains remnants of plastic or polyethylene packaging that releases mass when burned. chemical substances. In this case, the chimney is guaranteed to grow soot faster than the end of the heating season.

Signs of a clogged chimney

When the flue gas duct becomes clogged, it will be immediately visible. The main signs of a clogged channel will be the following phenomena:

What to do if the chimney is clogged

Before the start of the heating season, it is imperative to inspect the chimney from the inside for blockages. In the warm season, birds with a nest can settle in it or debris blown into the chimney by the wind can appear. To avoid this, the chimney must be equipped with a mesh cap at the installation stage to prevent such situations.

In such a case, the house should always have a backup heating unit in the form of a heater or an electric heater built into the heating system.

Having provided yourself with warmth with its help in the cold season, you can thoroughly consider the situation and think about options for getting out of it.

The presence of draft in the furnace must be checked every time the furnace is ignited - the flame must deviate towards the chimney

How to clean a chimney

The meaning of this operation is to timely clean the walls from soot deposits and debris that has got inside (during the off-season period). When cleaning, you need to check all sections of the chimney and the stove itself. The last step is to clean the ash pan and the firebox. Timely cleaning of the chimney reduces fuel consumption and makes the operation of the furnace safe.

In practice, three main cleaning methods are used, two of which are preventive:

1. Chemical and biological methods. They are used as a preventive measure using compounds that soften soot and lead to its partial removal from the smoke channel.
2. Mechanical. Produced by direct action on the soot layer various tools in order to remove it.

If you use such tools correctly and in a timely manner, you can avoid involving a third-party specialist in cleaning the chimney.

Biological methods of cleaning the chimney

All biological methods are based on adding some substances to a burning furnace. Common products include the following:

• potato peelings. This is an old folk remedy for the prevention of soot deposits, the simplest and always available. The peel must be prepared in advance, accumulating at least half a bucket. It must be dried and brought into the furnace at the end of the burning of the bookmark. When burned, potatoes release starch, which softens the soot layer well. It happens that it simply falls down in layers or pieces, part of it is carried out along with the furnace gases. This operation is also recommended before mechanical cleaning;
• rock salt. The method is used when igniting the furnace. The compound formed when the salt is heated softens the soot layer well. A tablespoon of salt should be poured over the fuel tab;
• aspen wood. Firewood from a tree of this breed has a high calorific value, so they are laid at the end of the firebox. Hot furnace gases simply burn soot directly on the walls of the chimney. The danger of the method lies in the fact that large deposits of soot during combustion at a high intrinsic temperature can destroy the chimney and cause a serious fire. Therefore, this method should be used regularly, laying aspen firewood in small portions. For the same purpose, you can use birch firewood peeled from the bark;
• walnut shell. The use of this tool is also associated with a high temperature of their combustion. Therefore, they can serve as an alternative to aspen firewood. But the shell can be used in an amount of no more than two liters at a time. Otherwise, overheating of the chimney is possible with predictable consequences.

Photo gallery: folk remedies for cleaning the chimney

Walnut shells must not be burned in large quantities- it can overheat the chimney Burning dried cleaning destroys the soot layer due to the release of starch Rock salt, when heated, releases substances that soften soot on the walls of the chimney Aspen wood burns soot on the walls of the chimney due to a very high combustion temperature

Soot removal chemicals

There are several such products, and they can be divided into two groups: household products and special chemicals. The first group includes:

1. Naphthalene. This is an effective and quite reliable tool. Under its influence, soot exfoliates and is taken out into the furnace. It is placed in the oven on the burning firewood. A significant drawback is the acrid unpleasant odor remaining in the room. Therefore, it is not used in open hearths and fireplaces.
2. Blue blend. It's easy to make your own if you have a few common ingredients on hand. Need to mix:
   • five parts of copper sulfate;
   • seven parts of saltpeter;
   • two parts of medium fraction coke.

Special chemicals are used to clean chimneys also for preventive purposes. Given the existing demand, the industry produces a variety of formulations designed specifically to combat soot. The release form can be briquettes, like logs, powders or solutions. Their action is based on the decomposition of smoke even in the furnace into components that do not form soot.

The convenience is that the methods of their use are described in detail in the instructions for use, and they are divided into portions. You can burn these products together with the packaging, which is also very convenient. The following products are popular:

There are quite a few remedies for soot on the market, so by testing you can choose the best option for yourself.

Photo gallery: chemicals for cleaning the chimney

Cheerful chimney sweep tablets will help get rid of soot in the chimney no worse than a professional chimney sweep The blue mixture must be prepared independently from three not the most common components This remedy recommended for use only in closed cells combustion Naphthalene leaves behind an unpleasant odor that will disappear within a few days

Video: chimney cleaning with special chemicals

Mechanical cleaning methods

Mechanical methods are radical and are recommended for use at least twice a year. They are produced from the top of the pipe with various brushes or nozzles for power tools, and the final cleaning is performed from below from the hearth, fireplace or furnace furnace.

Chimney sweeps use special ruffs on a long cable

As preparatory measures, before cleaning a thick (from two millimeters) layer of soot, potato peelings or other listed means are burned.

In this case, the following materials and tools may be needed:

To clean the pipe from above, you need to use a roof ladder, well fixed on the roof . Under any conditions, you need a reliable safety rope.

Work at height can only be carried out in dry, calm weather. Before climbing to the roof, you should not take drugs that reduce the reaction, and even more so alcoholic beverages.

Before starting work, the oven must be cooled down. Clean the furnace space from unburned fuel residues and ash. Firebox door, blower, and lids hob close tightly and hang with a wet cloth to prevent soot from entering the room. The gate must be opened completely to avoid re-clogging of the channel with crumbling soot.

The chimney pipe must be freed from the head, after which:

Video: cleaning the chimney from the side of the room

Ruff with your own hands

If for some reason there was no brush at hand, it can be made "on the go" from plastic bottle. To do this, you need to cut several tiers of strips up to 12-15 millimeters wide on the body so that they bend vertically. To make the device heavier, sand can be poured to the bottom.

A good chimney brush can be made from a plastic bottle

Stainless steel pipe cleaning

A feature of the product is the high quality of the inner surface of the chimney. This prevents a significant amount of soot from settling on the walls. Naturally, this is true for a properly made chimney, subject to the rules for firing a furnace. If a stable soot has formed, it is urgent to clean it. To do this, use the following methods:

In order not to conduct additional "experiments", you need to heat the stove only with suitable fuel - well-dried hardwood firewood. At the end of each firebox, you need to add one aspen log for prevention.

Video: stainless steel pipe cleaning

Soot removal from stainless steel sandwich pipes

Cleaning the inner sandwich pipe, if used correctly, is very rarely needed. Nevertheless, if such a need arises, you can use an elongated brush made of thin pile. The flexible compound hose is rotated by an electric drill, cleaning is done through a tee from below. Fine bristles of the ruff do not damage the surface of the pipe, effectively cleaning the surface.

Such a chimney is easy to dismantle and clean each pipe individually.

Special cases of cleaning the chimney

Some chimney cleaning situations require separate consideration.

How to clean a chimney pipe in a private house

Briefly, the entire process of cleaning the chimney has already been described above. To what has been said, it is only necessary to add that with a strong clogging of the smoke channel, the first operation is to break through the soot with a core without accessories. Only then are brushes of different sizes and designs consistently used.

When performing work, care should be taken to create a safe working environment.

When working at height, be sure to buckle up with a safety cable.

Video: how to clean a chimney in a private house

Bath chimney cleaning

The chimney in the bath is usually simpler. And most often it is made of stainless pipes, which requires special attention to its cleaning. In order not to nullify its main advantage - the high quality of the inner surface - it should be cleaned only with soft plastic or made of natural materials brushes. The easiest way to manage is with straight pipelines, and if there are elbows - we recall that there should be no more than two of them - you may have to dismantle the chimney if it does not have special windows for cleaning during installation.

Otherwise, preventive measures and cleaning are carried out in the same way.

Cleaning the chimney pipe from tar

Considering the composition of flue gases, you need to pay attention to two main components - this is water vapor from the fuel and a vapor of difficult-to-ignite creosote. Mixing and settling on the walls of the smoke channel, they form a resin that is difficult to remove due to its viscosity and good adhesion to various types of surfaces.

the only effective way the fight against tar deposits is the prevention of its formation. For this, various means are used that are produced specifically for this case.

HANSA effectively protects the walls of the chimney from the formation of tar

For example, the known composition of HANSA is a fine crystalline substance. Part of it turns wood into resin and water vapor, and the second, reacting with the substance of the resin, contributes to its decomposition and combustion at the temperature in the furnace. Remains of resin on the walls turn into a brittle crystalline composition, crumbling into the furnace.

This composition is placed inside the burning furnace. The frequency of use at the beginning of the operation of the thermal unit is daily, then you can switch to use once a week.

Curved chimney cleaning

The bends of the smoke channel are always a forced measure caused by the structural features of the building. However, they need to be cleaned periodically. For this purpose, elements are provided in the design of the pipeline, using which this operation can be performed easily and simply. These are special hatches, when opened, it becomes possible to access the straight section of the bend. The length of the inclined sections is not recommended to be made larger than a meter. The number of bends on one pipe should not exceed two.

If there is no window for cleaning on the outlet elbow, then the chimney will have to be disassembled

How to clean a gas stove chimney

The reason for cleaning the chimney of the gas column is its banal clogging with a deterioration in draft. In a city apartment, this is all the more dangerous because the threat arises for many people at the same time. One of the signs of traction deterioration is the “popping” of the column igniter.

The process of cleaning the exhaust pipe from a gas unit is practically no different from such an operation with conventional chimneys. The same ruff is used. Recently, vacuum cleaners of a special design are often used, which reliably clean the surface of the pipe and collect pollution products. In difficult cases, when the layers cannot be removed with a brush or vacuum cleaner, special chemicals are used to soften and remove them. Considering that the use of prophylactic agents on the column pipe is impossible, urgent measures should be taken if signs of clogging are found.

It must be admitted that the success of using solid fuel furnace equipment to the greatest extent depends on the correct operation of the units and the careful selection of fuel for it. In addition, it is necessary to regularly use preventive measures and know how to get rid of problems with clogged chimneys. Then stoves and fireplaces will delight you with fertile warmth in the house for a long time. I wish you success!

Any fireplace requires maintenance, regardless of its size and design. One of the main ways to care is to clean the chimney from soot. The question of how to clean the chimney with folk remedies worries many owners of fireplaces and stoves, and most turn to specialized services. However, you can perform such an event as cleaning the chimney in the bath yourself in various ways.

What to heat to avoid the appearance of soot? And how to determine that it is necessary to clean the chimney?

The degree, speed of clogging and the need to perform such an action as cleaning the chimney with your own hands depend primarily on the fuel being burned. The better the fuel and the higher the quality of the fireplace or stove construction technology, the less often cleaning is required. It is better to refrain from burning synthetic materials, plastic and polyethylene elements (garbage, bags) in the hearth. Firewood for fuel, regardless of the breed, must be dry. It is better to refrain from using softwoods as fuel. They usually contain a large amount of resinous substances, which settle on the walls of the chimney with each furnace fire. You can stop your attention on hardwoods - this is the most suitable fuel. Colored paper and cardboard boxes should also be avoided - they also leave a lot of soot behind. The same applies to low-quality coal.

Chimney sweep cleans the chimney from soot and soot

High-quality fireplaces, if maintained properly, can bypass cleaning procedures for the first few years. However, even if the fireplace is relatively new, but the following symptoms have been noticed, it is better not to delay the cleaning.

Symptoms of a clogged chimney:

• traction deterioration;
• the fireplace (or stove) has become worse to heat the room. As a result, an increase in the required amount of fuel;
• the occurrence of smoke in the room;
• smoke color change. A normally functioning heating device should have white or light gray smoke. The darker the smoke, the worse, and the sooner you need to start clearing the chimney from soot;
• flame color change. With a normally functioning stove, the flame has a light orange color, and with a large amount of accumulated soot, it becomes dark red;
• the appearance of sparks flying out of the pipe.

The best time of the year for the event is considered to be the beginning of autumn and the end of spring, but any cloudy, non-hot day will do. It is necessary to clean the chimney about twice a year, even if there is no obvious reason for this.

Chimney cleaning methods

How can you clean the chimney - a question that causes a stupor for most stove owners. There are three main cleaning methods:

1. Cleaning by folk methods. How to clean the chimney from soot with folk remedies? It is quite simple, but it would be more correct to call this method not cleaning, but preventing chimney blockage. Some folk methods will be available to everyone, and some of them are risky, so they should be treated with caution;
2. Mechanical cleaning is a sure way to get rid of solid layers of soot, which you can do yourself. Requires special equipment, time and effort;
3. Chimney cleaning with chemicals. Similar to folk methods, chemical will be an excellent option for preventing soot accumulation. However, some preparations will be able to cope with small (a few millimeters) layers and save the owner of the furnace from the hassle associated with mechanical cleaning.

Cleaning the chimney with a brush and handle extensions

What happens if you don't clean your chimney?

Consequences of neglecting cleaning:

• the likelihood of a fire. No matter how incredible it may sound, but in some cases it is the neglect of the timely cleaning of the chimney that causes a fire. In large quantities, soot on the walls of the chimney can ignite under the influence of high temperatures. Even if a fire can be avoided, smoking soot will cause the chimney to crack, and over time it will begin to collapse;
• poor draft and smoke penetration into the room. An obvious consequence of a poorly cleaned chimney. The settling soot, which becomes more and more with each use of the fireplace or stove, gradually fills the chimney and the place intended for the passage of smoke narrows.

Ways to clean the chimney: folk methods

If it is obvious that it is time to clean the chimney, then you can try folk methods It's inexpensive and accessible to everyone. So, about how to clean the chimney in simple ways:

• rock salt. Unexpected, but popular nonetheless. Rock salt is generously sprinkled on fuel during combustion. Salt should be sprinkled regularly, with each firebox. During combustion, a chemical reaction will form, due to which the soot that has settled on the walls of the chimney will be destroyed. This method is not suitable for long-uncleaned chimneys, but it is good and in an inexpensive way pollution prevention;
• naphthalene. Quite an effective option, but in a certain sense risky. Before you start cleaning the chimney with naphthalene, check that the pipe is intact, does not have obvious cracks on the outside and inside. If there are any defects, then they must be patched and allowed to dry. insulating materials. If any defects are missed or the chimney cannot withstand high temperatures, then its complete destruction and / or fire may occur. In addition, there should not be any foreign objects in the chimney, and the soot layer should not exceed ten centimeters. After the precautions are taken, you can throw naphthalene into the melted hearth. Important: Do not use more than one tablet at a time! Naphthalene is an explosive substance and you need to be very careful when using it. When cleaning with naphthalene, soot will fly out of the pipe in the form of white particles, and the fuel will emit a characteristic unpleasant odor when burned. Perhaps cleaning the chimney with mothballs is the most unsafe option, but quite effective;
• using aspen or alder as fuel. The difference between the types of fuel is small: alder burns a little hotter, the flame flares up brighter, the draft works better, but it will also be more difficult to cope with such a fire. It is also important to observe safety precautions here: not every pipe will withstand cleaning from soot by aspen or alder. Before applying the method, it is necessary to verify the endurance of the pipe at very high temperatures. The consequences of non-observance of precautionary measures are unpleasant: a destroyed pipe and a fire. It is worth noting that although soot burns well, and this method is considered one of the most effective, it is fraught with a fire at home and neighboring buildings. Therefore, before kindling, it is worth closing the valves;
• the use of potatoes or potato peels - original way known since ancient times. You will need about a bucket of potatoes (or potato peels). Potatoes or cleanings are poured into a well-burning flame: the steam released will clean the chimney well, while the soot residues will fall into the hearth itself - cleaning may be required after the procedure. Like rock salt, potato peelings are more of a preventive remedy, but relatively safe. In addition, it is convenient not to throw away potato peelings after each cooking of potatoes, but to use them - a kind of waste-free production; and the chimney will be fine;
• walnut shells. In large families, such shells can accumulate in bags, and now there is a way to use it. The shell burns beautifully, but it is important not to overdo it in this matter: it is better not to use the husk as the main fuel, but toss no more than one and a half liters at a time to the burning firewood;
• birch logs. Less effective than aspen, and more suitable for preventing chimney clogging. To get the desired result, you will have to remove the bark and throw the logs only in the "naked" form;
• aluminum cans. Nowhere to put the cans? No problem. Now they can also be used for preventive work.

The most popular and effective folk way- cleaning the chimney with potato peelings

Self-manual cleaning of the chimney: tools and technology

Manual cleaning of the chimney is a complex but effective method. Devices that will allow you to clean the chimney are very diverse and can be found in every home. Among them:

• scrapers;
• chimney brush (sandwich type);
• brushes and ruff for cleaning the chimney of large sizes;
• weights on ropes - can be used for especially dense blockages to clear the chimney pipe that cannot be cleared with anything else. When using, care must be taken not to damage the integrity of the pipe.

It is worth noting that it is better to buy any tool for cleaning the chimney (brush, special firewood) in special stores. To make, for example, a brush or a chimney brush with your own hands is not easy. How to clean the chimney to remove soot and how to clean it will be discussed below.

Cleaning the chimney from soot, the main steps and how to properly clean the chimney in the bath:

1. Before direct work, you must make sure that the position of the stairs on the roof is stable and that insurance is available. Do not neglect eye and respiratory protection: a respirator will do, or at least it is worth arming yourself with gauze. The most suitable weather is a cool cloudless day. It is not safe to be on the roof in the rain, and in hot weather you can get heat or sunstroke;
2. The doors of the stove or fireplace close tightly, but the dampers, on the contrary, should be as open as possible. Otherwise, some of the soot will accumulate on the shutters, while the rest of its volume will stain the room, and getting rid of it is not easy. The hearth of the fireplace is curtained with a thick cloth, which is pre-soaked in water (it will be impossible to clean the cloth after use). This will maximize the protection of the space around the fireplace from soot. The head of the chimney is removed while the chimney is being cleaned;
3. Cleaning chimneys is where to start. Soot is removed from the chimneys from top to bottom: starting from the end of the pipe, gradually moving down. Soot is first scraped off with available chimney cleaning tools, then the space is cleared with brushes and brushes.
4. If the tool is stuck, you can use a chimney weight. It must be sharply, but carefully, lowered so as not to touch the walls of the chimney of the furnace;
5. Similarly to cleaning the pipe, they begin to clean the chimney through the oven doors to remove soot from the chimney;
6. Lastly, the hearth of the fireplace or chimney is cleaned. If possible, it is convenient to use a suitable vacuum cleaner - this will allow you to get rid of soot as quickly as possible;
7. Cleaning the chimney from soot is over, now you can check the draft. If the draft is still not very good when burning, and the room is filled with smoke, then the fire must be immediately extinguished and an experienced specialist should be contacted - here you cannot do without his help.

Chimney cleaning with chemicals

A more convenient and practical way than a mechanical one is a chemical chimney cleaner. These can be chimney cleaning powders and liquids, which are usually used during fuel combustion. Often, if you use a chimney soot cleaner chemical type, the flame acquires an unusual color - green or blue. This is normal. Such a change in the color of the flame is evidence of an ongoing chemical reaction.

Before proceeding with cleaning the chimney with chemicals, it is necessary to check the absence of foreign objects in the pipe and hearth.

How to clean the chimney with chemicals? The most popular and effective chemicals:

• cleaning logs. Such firewood is simply thrown to the main fuel, with which it burns. When burning, the log releases substances that provoke chemical reaction. Burnt soot is not thrown out into the street with smoke, but falls into the hearth. When using such a chemical composition, the fireplace or stove is heated for several hours to get the desired effect. Chemical firewood is used mainly to prevent blockages in chimneys; they will not clear a serious layer of soot exceeding two millimeters. For prevention, it is enough to burn one piece of such a log every six months. Ideal for brick stoves and fireplaces;
• PHC - anti-scale chemical composition - perhaps the most popular chemical composition to clean the pipe. It is a powder mass that can be burned both separately and together with firewood. It has strict indications for dosage, which are usually indicated on the package;
• Kominichek powder is a Czech-made chemical pipe cleaner with a charming name. One package of the product is enough for a long time of use.

So, it is obvious that you can clean the chimney with folk remedies yourself. The main thing to remember is that the better you take care of the stove or fireplace, the less often it will require radical cleaning, which will take a lot of effort, time and money. Properly maintained stoves with regular clog prevention (twice a year) may not require cleaning for several years, and their owners do not have to think about how to clean the pipe and why it became clogged at the last moment.

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The ignition of soot in the chimney is an on-duty nightmare for the inhabitants of any house with fiery heating and cooking appliances. Even if the fire can be extinguished before the chimney (boiler) burns out and the house does not have a fire, the cost of eliminating the accident will be prohibitive, and the house will be left without heating and cooking facilities in the cold. However, regular cleaning of the chimney from deposits in it is necessary not only for fire safety: efficiency and durability (resource before overhaul) of the furnace or boiler are maintained only if the draft in the chimney corresponds to the nominal; any blockage reduces the clearance of the chimney and, accordingly, the draft of the chimney.

Why get into the dirt?

For the reasons given chimney cleaning is an absolutely necessary scheduled technological operation during the operation of fuel-burning heating and cooking appliances, and the profession of a chimney sweep remains in demand from the most developed countries in an age when humanity is mastering quantum information systems and preparing for interstellar flights. Moreover, in the current state of affairs with energy resources in the world, the advantages of individual stove heating over centralized heating significantly outweigh its disadvantages.

But, the reader may object, when my sink siphon clogs, I call a plumber. And why should I know something about such a much dirtier and more unhealthy activity as cleaning soot from chimneys? Let the chimney sweeps do it, and I'll pay within reason.

First, what is the “reasonable limit” in this case? Chimney sweep services in the Russian Federation are considered to be perhaps the cheapest in the world. But in Russia, cleaning the chimney from soot costs at least 10,000 rubles. This is if there is a chimney sweep in this locality or in its immediate vicinity. For his call with departure, you will have to pay extra for round-trip travel and accommodation at the place of work. And if the road to the house with the stove is impassable for ordinary vehicles in winter?

Secondly, if it flows from the siphon of the kitchen sink or overflows from the toilet bowl, then there is simply no time to wait for the plumber - here the salvation of the drowning is the work of the drowning themselves; the degree of urgency in the presence of signs of the need for unscheduled / emergency cleaning of the chimney is even higher. That is why, even if your money is enough to pay for a chimney sweep + 200% bonus, you still need to know how to clean the chimney yourself at least quickly so that the immediate threat is over.

Thirdly, cleaning the chimney by any method other than chemical sparing (preventive) does not pass without a trace for its resource. At the same time, the profession of a chimney sweep is highly paid, but harmful, dirty and dangerous, and there is little competition in it. Really high-class professionals prefer to engage in easier scheduled and preventive cleaning under subscription service contracts, and if you need to clean a pipe in a private house urgently and / or in the outback, there is a high risk of running into a klutz who is greedy for money, moreover, if your chimney is a modern modular-sandwich or ceramic / glass, inept cleaning can disable it once and for all.

Reliable information about chimney sweeping is much less common than about plumbing - after all, just 10 years ago, individual stove heating was considered a relic of the past doomed to extinction. If the plumber starts connecting propylene pipes, tying them to each other with adhesive tape, he will also be kicked out by a glamorous pampered diva. But if a chimney sweep puts a steel ruff on a solid rod into a sandwich chimney with deaf kinks, then an intelligent economic man can decide that this is how it should be. And a day, a week, a month after the “specialist” receives his bribe and leaves, the consequences will be severe, even catastrophic. If it becomes necessary to clean the furnace / boiler pipe, some minimum knowledge in this area is needed to control the work of a specialist. Therefore, even if the very mention of cleaning the chimney causes you physiological disgust, but you use stove or boiler heating, you you need to know:

• Why and how the chimney clearance is covered with deposits.
• How to determine by external signs whether the chimney needs cleaning and, if so, in what order (see below)?
• What tools and methods are used to clean chimneys different types depending on the nature and properties of deposits in them?
• How, if necessary, to clean the chimney with your own hands, using improvised means?
• Are there ways to ensure that urgent chimney cleaning is avoided during the heating season, and if so, which ones?

Is it just soot?

Cleaning the chimney from black soot, as the ignorant imagine it, is quite simple, and if the pipe is brick, then one should not expect serious negative consequences from self-cleaning with improvised means. But, firstly, not only black soot is deposited in chimneys, and in different ways. Secondly, modern chimneys are by no means brick in their properties.

In brick and, when fired with high-quality fuel (deciduous or pine wood, properly seasoned in a woodshed), in simple steel chimneys, the so-called. plump soot (pos. 1 in the figure), which is almost pure amorphous carbon. As a rule, plump soot completely fills the lumen of the pipe before it cokes (sinters; is cemented with bituminous substances, mainly creosote). Puffy soot ignites most easily, but the external signs of its influence on traction (see below) appear early and clear. Cleaning the chimney from fluffy soot or preventing its deposition by any of the methods described below does not present technical difficulties.

Gray soot (pos. 2) is typical of conventional steel chimneys for stoves/boilers fired with coal or occasional wood fuel. Coking of gray soot begins when its layer reaches approx. 2 mm and then spread to the entire plaque. External signs of overgrowing of the chimney with gray soot are weak and develop slowly. Ignition of gray soot is a rare phenomenon, but it necessarily entails the most severe consequences: part of the amorphous carbon is modified to graphite during bituminization, and burning gray soot develops a temperature of over 1600 degrees. Manual cleaning of the chimney from gray soot is not always possible or very laborious, therefore, in this case, it is of paramount importance preventive actions against soot deposition.

Note: pure graphite burns at 2500 degrees. According to the memoirs of helicopter pilots who extinguished the Chernobyl reactor, its inside shone dazzlingly like the Sun.

Light gray soot in sandwich chimneys (pos. 3) cokes instantly, at the time of deposition. A modular sandwich chimney at the time of starting the device that is connected to it experiences a thermal shock: the cold inner surface of a thin-walled steel pipe in thermal insulation very quickly warms up to the temperature of the flue gases. From the point of view of the energy efficiency of the device, this is good: almost no fuel is spent on accelerating the furnace / boiler to the rated thermal power. But at the same time, the creosote film sits first on the pipe wall, which immediately seizes unburned fuel particles. Further, if the chimney is not prevented from falling out of soot, its lumen quickly overgrows with ordinary gray soot. Only an experienced professional chimney sweep can remove a coating of light gray soot without damaging the chimney, using alternately installations for hydraulic and mechanized rotary (rotary) cleaning.

Oily (white) soot, pos. 4, is formed in the chimneys of appliances intended for cooking on open fire: braziers, barbecue, etc. In addition - in the sandwich chimneys of household fireplaces - a real coal-wood fireplace, thanks to the always open firebox, perfectly cleans the room from dust. Where is the fat from? From the dust drawn into the furnace. A significant proportion of household dust is the dried grease of the inhabitants of the dwelling, kitchen fumes and splashes. Greasy soot manifests itself as clearly and quickly as plump, and is easily brushed off with a brush or ruff both from above and below. Preventive measures against greasy soot are quite effective and, if applied correctly, urgent cleaning of the chimney will never be needed at all. But, if greasy soot is detected in the chimney, it is impossible to delay its removal in any case - greasy soot ignites very easily; however, it burns weakly and the chimney can always be extinguished in time. But complete replacement an expensive modular system after that is inevitable.

About sandwich systems…

The advantages of sandwich chimneys are not limited to their efficiency, but it is almost never possible to clean a clogged "sandwich" without compromising its resource. The fact is that customers, tempted by the ease of installation of sandwich pipes, for the sake of cheapness, ask to make a chimney (or do it themselves) with inclined sections and deaf corners (kinks). The brush goes through them even during manual cleaning (see below), but it scratches the smooth stainless steel so much that the deposition of soot on the fractures becomes chronic, to the point that the chimney elbows have to be changed at the height of the season.

A correctly modular-sandwich chimney is assembled from horizontal (hogs) and vertical (otters) knees connected by tees to cleaning and inspection hatches, see Fig.:

In this case, even if solid light gray soot is detected in the chimney, it is cleaned after hydrotreatment with a gentle rotary brush (see below) and its resource practically does not decrease. If chemical prevention and revision of the chimney are carried out in a timely manner, then the “impact” chemical cleaning (see below) works. Then the remnants of soot can be scooped out into tees and removed by the owner himself without calling a specialist. In general, add. the cost of "extra" elbows and tees during operation pays off with savings on cleaning and peace of mind.

Note: what is in fig. designated as otters, according to the rules for the formation of technical terminology - risers. An otter in the furnace business is a broadening of the part of the chimney protruding above the roof, which improves its wind flow, chimney draft and partly prevents the chimney joint from becoming stuck. roofing cake. But there are already plenty of risers in everyday life - water supply, sewage, gas - so it will not be a big sin to call the vertical modules of a sandwich chimney otters.

When to Call a Pro

It is recommended to clean the sandwich chimney yourself only by chemical (non-contact) methods, but they are effective if the soot layer is not thicker than 2 mm. Otherwise, you need to call chimney sweeps, but first show them a photo of soot in the pipe and ask: how will you clean it?

Plump soot and gray not too thick, i.e. not completely coked, the so-called. with a gentle, fast-rotating brush, on the left in the figure:

Its flexible shaft (see below) can be driven by a drill or hammer drill with the impact turned off. Further, if the gentle brush did not cope, use a hydraulic installation to remove soot and repeat the passage with a gentle brush; it's already extra. payment. Soot remains - more extra. payment, and the master prepares the unit for mechanized rotary cleaning with hard brushes (the rest in the figure). "Handy" drive is not suitable for them, because. the rotational speed must be kept stable regardless of the load on the brush. Its (frequency) and type of brush is chosen by the master, depending on the type, structure of the chimney and the nature of its pollution. A hard rotary brush will rip everything off, but if a sandwich was cleaned with such, then a conscientious specialist warns: “Do not forget to replace the chimney in the summer. Whether this next season will survive, I can’t guarantee.”

…and about ceramic chimneys

Glass chimneys and solid ceramic chimneys made by slip casting are very expensive, but in terms of economy and overall performance they surpass the best sandwich. If regular chemical prophylaxis is carried out, soot in them or does not fall out at all, and if it does, then it keeps very weakly. But such chimneys are fragile, and damaged ones quickly overgrow with plump soot. Therefore, if it comes to mechanical cleaning of a ceramic / glass chimney, you need to use only and only a special tool, see below.

When should you clean?

The chimney is cleaned next. cases:

1. Scheduled annually - before and after the end of the heating season with the furnace/boiler stopped;
2. Scheduled preventive maintenance - in the process of using the heating and cooking appliance without stopping it;
3. Unscheduled without shutdown - if there are initial signs of soot deposition and if, according to the results of the chimney revision, the thickness of its layer is up to 2 mm;
4. Urgent with a stop - according to the signs of strong soot deposition and the thickness of its layer of more than 2 mm.

Annual scheduled cleanings are carried out necessarily mechanically (see below). During the autumn, the readiness of the device for the heating season is checked, even if it did not work in the summer: a bird's nest, a tangle of hibernating snakes, or just random garbage can be found in the pipe. In no case should you skip the spring one: over the summer, winter soot in it from heat and precipitation will coke so much that autumn cleaning from a simple inspection will turn into a complex and expensive procedure.

Smoke or flame?

It is usually advised to determine the need to clean the chimney during the operation of the furnace / boiler through the smoke from the chimney: if, they say, white curly, everything is OK. Turned gray, compacted, stretched down - you need to clean it. This is an unreliable sign: the type of smoke from the chimney is highly dependent on weather conditions; You do know that they predict the weather from it, don't you?

The most reliable state of the chimney is determined by the type of flame in the furnace. Fuel must be loaded into it according to the norm; firewood should flare up, i.e. be completely engulfed in flames and charred on the outside. If the stove/boiler is new, correctly designed, built and properly heated, then after they are accelerated (brought to the design capacity by test furnaces), the cores of the flames will turn light yellow, and the tongues themselves will evenly stretch upwards (on the left in the figure). This means that the device has settled down: a layer of soot with a high content of graphite up to 0.5 mm thick has been deposited in its chimney. Such a raid is harmless, and in a brick chimney it is useful, because. makes its walls smoother and enhances traction.

Over time, the cores of the tongues will turn straw yellow and the flame will begin to dance (center in the figure). This is a sign that it is time to start chemical prophylaxis (see below) and carry it out until the flame stretches straight up, remaining straw yellow in the core. If this did not happen after 2-4 fireboxes, you need to burn the aspen or a log for shock dry cleaning. It did not help, the flame faded, turned red at the top and beats in the furnace; especially if it splashes on the forehead of the stove, on the right in fig. - an urgent mechanical cleaning of the chimney with a stop of the device is needed.

Note: by smoke, you can clarify the state of the chimney if the flame does not give a definite answer; e.g. when changing the type of fuel. Provided that you have memorized (or photographed in good quality), what was the smoke from the chimney of a new or thoroughly cleaned stove in different weather. If it then darkened and thickened in the same one, you need to revise the chimney and, if necessary, clean it.

Chimney cleaners

Chemical and mechanical chimney cleaners have already been mentioned above; this is their set and is limited. "Chemistry against soot" is applicable to non-running (in the sense of care) chimneys with soot deposits no thicker than approx. 2 mm; in other cases, you have to use the mechanics

Chemistry against soot

Chemicals are designed for use by the owners themselves without the involvement of specialists and cope with a thin coating of any soot of any kind. "Chemistry from soot" cleans not only the chimney, but the entire smoke system. For devices with complex thermal circuits (which are just the most economical), this is more than relevant. Prevention against soot loss is also possible only by chemical means. In addition, the “dry cleaning” of the stove is the cleanest in the literal sense: a relatively small amount of cleaned soot falls into the furnace, from where it can be removed without soiling the room; most of the soot burns out and flies out into the chimney.

The action of means for the chemical removal of soot is based on the release of catalysts into the flue gases, which provoke the combustion of its bituminous components. A typical composition of "chemistry from soot":

• Amorphous silicon (inhibits, i.e. suppresses the ignition of carbon).
• Sawdust (release volatile combustible substances that initiate the ignition of bitumen).
• Carbamide (urea) plays the role of saltpeter: when heated, it releases oxygen. Saltpeter itself (any) in this composition cannot be used - in contact with carbon and in the presence of catalysts it can detonate!
• Ammonium and sodium sulfates - give catalyst ions.
• Charcoal wax - spreading in a layer of soot, ensures uniform combustion.

Note: carbamide is also, in principle, an explosive. In the Bond film "The whole world is not enough" ("All World is not enough”), to them, under the Western name “urea (urea)”, a terrorist blows up MI-6. But some kind of Hollywood-style fantastic detonator was used there, and in general it is extremely difficult to make urea detonate even in special installations.

Creosote and other bituminous substances are enough even for the most plump soot. After their burnout, non-sticky amorphous carbon and graphite remain, which crumble down. This implies an important disadvantage of chemical soot removers: the chimney must be designed for elevated temperatures. If the top of the pipe is folded on the normal cement mortar or made of asbestos-cement pipe, the use of chemical soot cleaners can render it completely unusable. And if you try to remove a thick coating of plump or greasy soot with "chemistry", then the probability of its ignition is very high.

Chemical soot removers are available in the form of powder (on the left in the figure), briquettes and logs (in the center and on the right):

Powders are used for prevention; the ratio of ingredients in them is different than in pressed formulations. The powder is sprinkled with the logs loaded into the firebox in layers before kindling according to the instructions attached to the package. The device is started and operated in the normal mode; combustion can be adjusted by supplying air and draft with a gate valve. If you buy a powder recommended for the type of fuel you use, then only planned seasonal cleanings of the chimney listed above will be needed.

A briquette and a log for cleaning the chimney from soot differ only in shape and are used for “impact” unscheduled dry cleaning. They are applied in a different way, because. act only on hot soot: they load standard fuel into the furnace and wait for it to burn out, but not completely go out. Then a cleaning log is thrown into the furnace, its door is closed and the blower with the gate is fully opened. The device is kept “on the blow” for 2-3 hours (more precisely, according to the instructions), i.e. the stove/boiler is getting dry and this load of fuel does not provide useful heat.

Note: how chemical soot removers are used, see the video:

Video: dry cleaning of the chimney

and user reviews about them in the next. roller:

village chemistry

Our ancestors discovered chemical prevention and chimney soot removal long before they hit the market in the form of new chemical technology. Folk remedies for preventing soot deposits in the chimney and cleaning it from it are as follows:

1. Potato husks - for the prevention of soot, similar to chemical powder;
2. Table salt - the same;
3. Aspen firewood - for "shock" cleaning of a small layer of soot.

Potato peels are dried until brittle before being added to the fuel. Soot bitumen burnout catalysts are organic products of joint pyrolysis of starch and solanine alkaloid; solanine is found in the peel, sprout and green areas of the tubers, which is why they are all poisonous. There is even more solanine in the tops of potatoes and other solanaceous (for example, tomatoes), but there is no starch there and they are unsuitable for prevention from soot. Also, products containing only starch, such as rice, are unsuitable, and peeling root crops without alkaloids containing sugars (beets, turnips, etc.) will only aggravate the deposition of soot. In principle, cleaning the root crops of yams, sweet potatoes and taro would fit against soot, but they do not grow here, and where they grow, there is no problem cleaning chimneys due to the lack of need for seasonal heating.

Note: organic bitumen combustion catalysts are more active than mineral ones, therefore removing a lot of plump and greasy soot with potatoes is even more dangerous than with “chemistry”.

During thermal decomposition, table salt releases sodium ions - catalysts, but in the singular without complementary additives, they act weaker. But with salt, you can try to loosen thick, plump and greasy soot without stopping the furnace: if it doesn’t work out, then nothing bad will happen. Just do not expect an instant effect - soot shedding into the firebox begins 1-3 days after heating with salted firewood.

Aspen firewood (see the figure on the right) is used to remove soot at room dryness, i.e. after the woodcutter, they must be kept for at least a month in a dry, heated room. Aspen fuel is low-calorie, but when burned, it develops high temperature, up to 1200 degrees, which is why it is used to disperse brick kilns. On soot (including thick plump and greasy) the aspen furnace acts purely thermally: the bitumen is heated to fluidity and the soot crumbles. An aspen firebox from soot gives an immediately visible effect, but it is necessary to load aspen firewood into the oven no more than half of the norm (by weight), otherwise the structure of the oven may not withstand overheating.

Note: about "village" ways to prevent soot in the chimney and remove it from there, see the video:

Video: folk methods for cleaning soot

Means for mechanical cleaning

Mechanical cleaning of the chimney is carried out, firstly, in the order of its scheduled inspection and care in the fall and spring. Secondly, if urgent cleaning is required during the heating season with a furnace/boiler shutdown, because Mechanical cleaning while the instrument is running is not possible. Mechanical cleaning is laborious; a lot of dirt gets into the room. It is not possible to clean the furnace/boiler mechanically together with the chimney. Mechanical prevention from soot is also impossible: mechanical cleaning of the chimney is carried out only upon the fact of its contamination. When cleaning by mechanical means, the probability of damage to the chimney is not small. But on the other hand, by mechanical means it is possible to remove the oldest soot, even completely tightening the pipe lumen, without risking its ignition and / or overheating of the device.

Note: machine cleaning of the chimney (briefly described above) is the lot of professionals, because. keep at home in reserve just in case resp. installation is meaningless. If an ordinary householder dares to clean the chimney himself, he will have to do it manually.

Above or below?

Mechanical devices clean the chimney from above (from the roof) or from below (from the furnace / boiler furnace). Upper cleaning may not give dirt to the room at all, because. most of it is removed outside, but it is traumatic and is possible only under favorable weather conditions. From above, as a rule, the chimney is cleaned in the order of the autumn-spring revision. After the bottom cleaning, the room will be full of soot, but climbing to the roof is not necessary. Therefore, an urgent / emergency winter cleaning of the chimney is carried out from below with the device shutting down. The working body of a manual cleaning tool in either case will be a ruff or brush.

Ruffs…

Cleaning the chimney with a ruff is the most accurate; it is strongly recommended to clean sandwich chimneys by hand only with a ruff. But cleaning with a ruff is also the most time-consuming: on average, a planned cleaning of a pipe 4 m long takes 40 minutes, and an urgent one takes more than an hour. Light gray and old gray soot is unlikely to be removed with a ruff.

They clean the chimney with a ruff most often without rotation; in this case, the working body is fixed on a long flexible cable in a slippery sheath (on the left in the figure). They clean the pipe with a ruff, shaving it up and down; the cleaned soot is poured wherever it is necessary. The awns (bristle) of the ruff can be steel or plastic. Steel ruff cleans both plump and greasy soot, but scratches the pipe. A plastic brush in greasy soot sticks or slides on it, but it can clean not only a sandwich, but also cast ceramics and glass. However, now more and more chimney brushes with awns of propylene fishing line for lawn mowers are coming into use, they combine the advantages of steel and plastic brushes, without their shortcomings.

Note: a ruff with awns made of hard, rigid, thick steel wire (see the figure on the right), the so-called. bastard, is used in exceptional cases for cleaning thick-walled steel chimneys, but scratches them so that then soot deposition accelerates significantly.

A ruff-brush (pos. A in the previous figure) for 2-3 turns is also called single or clean: they alone can only remove not thick fresh puffy soot, and from others it only rakes out the remnants loosened and / or softened by chemical or hydrocleaning. A clean ruff does not pass through the breaks in the chimney - there are few awns, they are crushed and do not hold the rod, which rests on the break.

One and a half ruff for 4-5 turns (pos. B) is the most common, because. it picks up plump, greasy and not old-fashioned gray soot and passes through kinks at least 120 degrees. However, they have to play tricks even with planned seasonal cleaning for up to an hour or more. A one-and-a-half ruff is also called a poltorashka and is often attached to a ball cleaner (see below), which is also called a poltorashka. Full brush for 6 or more turns (pos. B) is suitable for cleaning only straight pipes, incl. boom (also see below), but reduces the working time by approx. 1.5 times compared with one and a half.

…and brushes

A chimney brush differs from a ruff in that its awns stick out in bunches without forming spiral surfaces. Therefore, the brush can clean the chimney with rotation: the awns do not crumple or cut into the soot and do not get stuck in it.

Brushes for manual chimney cleaning (see fig.) are not the same as for machine brushes (see fig. above), and replacing manual brushes with machine ones is unacceptable: a machine brush must rotate much faster than a manual one, and you will ruin the chimney with your hands more than you will scrape off soot . Brushes for manual cleaning of conventional chimneys are produced with a through axial hole for mounting in one and a half (pos. and 2 in the figure) or with a threaded tip for installation on flexible rods (pos. 3) for cleaning from below or from above, or on a rigid rod for cleaning only from above. Both of them do not differ in length, arrangement of awns and action, but the drum brush for sandwich chimneys is arranged differently, pos. 4. It is not recommended to replace it with a simple one, because otherwise, the thin-walled pipe can be damaged by the brush core or the load of one and a half.

Note: working with a manual brush on the bar, watch where you twist. If the brush unscrews and remains in the chimney, it will be difficult to remove it back.

Bottom cleaning...

Not a chimney sweep with your own hands most often has to clean the chimney from below - in winter, urgently, when the roof is snowy and / or icy and calling a specialist is too expensive or even problematic. For lower cleaning, a ruff (better if it takes soot) or a brush is screwed onto a rod and, building up the unit with them, gradually push it into the chimney until the working body leaves the mouth of the pipe (this is well felt). Suddenly it gets stuck - carefully poke around and twist: flexible rods with a one-and-a-half ruff go through a break from 120 degrees, and with a brush from 90 degrees.

If you work with a ruff, then you need not to quickly shove to full length, stepping back and coming up again until the soot stops pouring in a stream. Be patient: an hour and a half to clean the bottom of a 4-meter chimney with a ruff is still fast.

If for the sake of speed you work with a brush, the next stage is the most interesting. A regular handle is placed on the last rod, or the end of the rod is fixed in the drill chuck. The tool is switched to the right (direct) rotation, so that the rods seem to be screwed into each other and into the brush, the speed control is set to 2-4 clicks from zero and moves back, rotating the entire system. One pass is probably enough, because. in winter, soot cokes slowly, but how much it will fly into the room ... you can imagine, but you don’t have to. And if it comes to such an extreme, you will see for yourself. Therefore, carpets, furniture and everything valuable from the room must be taken out in advance, and the walls should be hung with a film, fastened with tape. It is difficult to hang the ceiling, so plan to re-whiten it in the spring, and it is better to remove the false ceiling: stove soot tightly eats into all finishing materials.

…and above

Two scheduled cleanings a year will save you at least 20 thousand rubles, so let's see how the chimney is cleaned mechanically from the roof. This can be done with a brush on the rod(s), and a ball (one and a half) with a ruff, depending on the type of soot and the degree of contamination of the chimney.

Dense gray soot builds up and the pipe lumen narrows slowly, so in this case it is better to brush. Cleaning is done in reverse: the brush, without rotating, is slowly inserted into the chimney channel, trying to bring down as little soot as possible (pos. 1 in the figure), and then faster and rotating it is pulled up (pos. 2), pulling the soot out. If the firebox and blower of the stove are closed, and the fireplace portal is tightly hung, nothing will get into the room, but carpets, furniture and valuables still need to be taken out in advance.

The chimney brush will not quickly take soot in the corners of a rectangular channel; square brushes are nothing more than a marketing ploy. To speed up the work, the corners can be cleaned with a hard household or locksmith brush on a pole, pos. 3, but the remnants of soot will then fall down and it will take more to rake them out of the furnace. For the same purpose, a thick, dense and / or lumpy coating of soot is loosened with a hook (pos. 4) before using the brush; they also remove foreign objects.

A special case is the cleaning of a ceramic chimney. Soot adheres poorly to cast ceramics, but sharp scratches on its inner surface, no matter how small, accelerate its deposition and adhesion to the base to the point that an expensive chimney begins to require replacement. Therefore, ceramic chimneys are cleaned with a special so-called. smooth brush with blades made of steel spirals, pos. 5.

Note: light gray, old or greasy soot from a round steel chimney is more convenient, faster and cleaner to remove with a disc scraper, see video:

Video: a simple and effective pipe cleaning method

And if you joke?

If you don’t feel sorry for the time and labor for cleaning, and the chimney is straight, then you can clean it with a half-and-a-half round-trip method. Soot will also get into the room a little, but the risk of damaging the chimney channel is the least. Very dense soot lends itself to a poltorashka from above, almost completely or completely tightening the pipe lumen, because. the load (ball) of the device is involved in cleaning, breaking and loosening soot deposits; ruff removes it more and brings it down. To do this, they use the shock method: they lift the one and a half on a cable and throw it. For these reasons, the chimney sweeps of the past preferred to work with one and a half and were portrayed with it.

You can make one and a half chimney cleaners with your own hands by buying only a ruff and / or a brush for it. But it is not worth using a sports weight as a load: it can get stuck in the channel (see the figure below), which will almost certainly result in damage to the chimney and increased soot deposition in it in the future. How the poltorashka is correctly arranged, see in the same fig.

Note: about cleaning the chimney with a homemade one and a half, see the video: