In the old days, when wood stoves were in every home, people knew how to clean the chimney, and these methods were time-tested. There was even a profession of a chimney sweep, which is mentioned in various fairy tales.

In the modern world, few people know for what reason the fireplace in a country house begins to smoke, but the fire does not flare up. But, besides the fact that it is difficult to light a stove or fireplace, chimneys clogged with soot can cause carbon monoxide poisoning or ignition of products accumulated on their walls. The same can be said about heating boilers. After all, they also emit combustion products of gas or other fuel in the process of operation.

Why is the chimney clogged?

Chimney cleaning

There are a lot of reasons why soot and other combustion wastes accumulate on the walls of the smoke exhaust structure:

• Violation of masonry technology in the structural units of the stove, fireplace or chimney.
• Improper operation of these facilities.
• Poor quality material used in the construction of chimneys.
• The ingress of foreign objects into the smoke exhaust structure in the form of debris carried by the wind, or small insects and birds.
• The absence of a protective umbrella on the outer part of the pipe.

When laying the chimney pipe, the dimensions of the internal clearance must be observed. If they are less than the standard, then over time they are overgrown with combustion waste in the form of soot. This reduces the draft, and it becomes problematic to kindle a stove or fireplace.

Residues inside the pipe of the influx of the solution also accelerate the clogging of the chimney. Improper operation means burning raw fuel with a high content of tar in furnaces, as well as chemical industry waste - polyethylene, plastic and similar household waste.

If poor-quality materials were used during the construction process, this can also cause rapid clogging of the chimney. This happens due to the formation of cracks and violation of the geometry of the inner lumen. The destruction of the walls of the chimney pipe can also arise from the fact that the accumulated soot hides defects and does not allow them to be eliminated in time.

All these factors are the cause of poor draft, as well as smoke in the room during the operation of the stove or fireplace. And then the owner of the house is faced with the acute question of how to clean the chimney. It must be solved as quickly as possible, since the accumulated soot can spontaneously ignite in the chimney, which will create a risk of fire. In addition, the walls of the chimney, on which a large amount of soot has accumulated, warm up longer, which is why good draft cannot be formed.

Soot removal methods

Chimneys need to be cleaned regularly, and those who do not do this risk their health. After all, carbon monoxide, unlike ordinary smoke, has no color and strong odor, but can be fatal. In addition, the accumulation of combustion products in the chimney channels reduces the efficiency of the heating equipment, which leads to its rapid wear.

When the question arises of how to clean a chimney, people who first encounter this problem usually look for specialists. Today, however, services for such work will cause an unforeseen gap in the family budget.

To avoid this, you can use proven folk remedies or do the cleaning yourself by studying the available information on the Internet.

Home methods for non-contact cleaning of the chimney

mechanical cleaning

Safe methods include those that use salt and potato peels:

1. During the burning of a stove or fireplace, a certain amount of ordinary table salt is poured onto the burning fuel. The chemicals contained in its composition react with oxygen when heated, as a result of which less soot and soot settle in the pipe. This method is more preventive than cleansing, and it is necessary to use it when the pipes are not yet clogged with combustion products.
2. But potato peelings really help to remove soot from pipe walls. This method is the oldest and is quite justified in terms of efficiency. It requires stocking up on dry peeling potatoes. You can take a whole potato, cut into small pieces and dried in an amount of about half a bucket. It is simply poured onto hot coals. This produces hot steam containing starch. It is he who, settling on the walls of the chimney channels, facilitates subsequent mechanical cleaning.
3. You can clean the pipe in the stove with aspen or birch firewood. The high temperature in the furnace and, accordingly, in the pipe contributes to the formation of powerful traction, which literally tears off pieces of soot and soot from the walls of the chimney, bringing them out. If birch firewood is used, it is recommended to pre-clean it from the bark.

Note! With this method, it is necessary to monitor the furnace furnace. Too high a temperature can cause cracking of the walls of the chimney if a lot of soot accumulates there and it ignites.

Chemistry for soot control

Chimney cleaners

When a quick result is required, chemical chimney cleaning methods are used:

• Copper sulphate mixed with saltpeter and powdered coke coal is poured onto burnt fuel when red coals still remain. In this case, a reaction occurs, leading to shedding of soot. The amount of the mixture should not exceed 200 g.
• PHC is a substance sold in paper packaging and is similar in action to copper sulphate. You need to burn it in the same package in which it was purchased. This tool is considered potent, so you can not violate the dosage. It is necessary to strictly follow the manufacturer's recommendations, which are usually written on the packaging.
• Kominichek is a pipe cleaner made in the Czech Republic. It should be used if the thickness of the layers in the chimney does not exceed two millimeters. This drug is produced in packages weighing only 14 g, but despite the small volume of a single use, it is enough to keep the chimney clean for three months.

Note! Considering that copper chloride is present in the composition of the preparation, it is necessary to ensure high-quality ventilation of the room during the cleaning event.

• A chimney-sweep log is a type of natural log that is added to the firebox when wood is burned. When burned, it releases special substances that cause the exfoliation of all deposits on the walls of the pipes and reduce the amount of creosote precipitation.

All preparations based on chemical compounds are used during fuel combustion. At the same time, they release special substances that contribute to the rapid cleaning of pipes from soot. For human health, they are also harmless for the reason that all the released ingredients evaporate into the surrounding air through the chimney, without spreading through the living space.

Naturally, all these substances cost a lot, given the frequency of operations. Therefore, if you decide to save money, it is worth trying to remove soot on your own. Let's look at how to clean the chimney using mechanical methods.

mechanical cleaning

We clean the soot with a ruff

To clean the chimney channels with your own hands, you need to choose a specific device:

• ruffs of different sizes;
• weight on a chain;
• hard brushes;
• ramrod;
• long hook or pole.

In addition to accessories, you need to stock up on goggles, a respirator and gloves.

The essence of the method lies in the fact that, wielding any of the selected devices, you scrape soot from the inner surface of the chimney. They begin the event by climbing onto the roof directly to the protruding part of the chimney, while being careful. Cleaning begins through the hole, moving up and down, like housewives cleaning bottles with a brush. It is important to choose a tool that is the most suitable in size to the cross section of the chimney. At the same time, crumbling soot is collected at the bottom of the furnace wells.

In the case of fireplaces, cleaning is carried out from below, using a long brush with two handles.

It is necessary to clean the chimney in clear calm weather and preferably in early autumn. Do not start work when it is raining or snowing outside - the risk of slipping from the roof surface is too high. But even in dry weather it is necessary to use a safety rope.

After cleaning the pipe itself, they begin to clean the furnace wells. There may be several of them, depending on the design of the furnace. You should open everything and remove the crumbling soot. Simultaneously with cleaning, it is possible to repair the outer part of the chimney by sealing the existing cracks and holes with clay mortar, and then painting it with facade paint.

Conclusion

As you can see, the question of how to clean the chimney can be solved in different ways. Even using the mechanical method of cleaning the pipe, the owner of the house will be able to cope with this work. But in order not to bring to this, it is necessary to monitor the condition of the chimney and use preventive methods and means - both traditional folk and modern chemical ones.

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