Woodburner – Sweeping the flu – Pro or DIY?

Our flu was brand new a season and a half ago and so was the stove. The flu runs up through the house and through the loft (i.e. not up a chimney) if that makes any difference. We’ve burnt mostly seasoned wood and a little coal.

So do I call a local chap from the Yellow Pages (or whatever Google brings up) or do I get a DIY kit and have a go myself? If a DIY kit is there anything special to look out for?

Thanks.

My DIY kit is a brush tie-wrapped on the end of a long pole and a pair of 5:10 shoes so I don’t fall off the roof. Easy because the flue is straight.

i take it you dont burn alot ? a season and a half is a long time to leave it if your burn regular.

“if that makes any difference. We’ve burnt mostly seasoned wood and a little coal.”

make little difference – its how you burn the stove that makes the difference. keeping it locked down slumbering = more sweeps. although wet wood has the same effect.

burning it hot and keeping your flue temperature up makes more of a difference than what you burn to soot levels.

I have an 8inch and 6 inch brushes and drain rods from screwfix- think it cost 30 quid for drain rods and 15 for the brushes.

also needed ladder hooks for me ladder to get up to the roof for future as i have a steep peak – ive just pulled the stove out the opening the three times ive done it thus far.

Why pull the stove out Terry? Can you not just sweep everything down into the stove? Serious question, as I’m due to buy the brush etc to do my own. I don’t have any bends in the flue, so should be able to sweep straight down I reckon.

you can – i just didnt have a roof ladder

takes a braver man than me to go onto my roof without a roof ladder.

my roofs steeper than a steep thing – its one of them 1.5 story houses – roofs like steep like a chalet roof.

When I say a season and half, we tend to use it from November to March/April about 3 or 4 times a week in the evenings for a few hours.

I wasn’t planning on going up onto the roof. Do I need to? I wasn’t planning on moving the stove, just sweep everything down into it.

It’s a 6″ flu that goes straight up (no bends).

depends on your stove then and how its set up – mines a rear exit into a 90 degree T – roof sweeps the easy way.

some stoves have bars across the flue exit something to do with defra

burning it hot and keeping your flue temperature up makes more of a difference than what you burn to soot levels

This, definitely this.

And also the bit about fuel quality. Wet wood is tarry, dry is good; bit coal tarry, anthracite not.

I sweep myself. Straight flue on both our burners, so an easy job. One is through the stove (baffle plate out for access), the other is through a T piece (bottom cap).

how high is your T piece off the floor mr monkfinger.

i looked at mine and thought fack trying to get in there …. mines low to the floor – sub 1ft and its also behind the stove in an alcove.

My bloke has a huuuuge hoover and doesn’t make any mess. He gives me a certificate when he’s finished. Meanwhile, in theory, I get on with what I’m good at.

BSC* or SSC** slowoldgit

*bronze swimming certificate

**silver swimming certificate.

We used our coal fire every day through winter and bugger all came down when they cleaned it each year. Probably could have left it every 2-3 years.

aye but most of the heat from a coal fire goes up the chimney footflaps – keeping the chimney hot.

Much less of that heat goes up with the stove in.

You don’t need fancy brushes. Just go up on the roof and drop one of these down the pot:

I had to remove a rather injured pigeon that got stuck in one of our chimneys for several days. Eventually it made its way down to a fireplace and I got it out.

how high is your T piece off the floor mr monkfinger.

Near on ceiling height – easy (ish) to reach.

Having said that I’d still choose go in from the top if we had a long enough ladder, and same for the lounge woodburner, as it keeps all the mess inside the stove (even if you do have to mess about removing the flue cap).

I got a set of these powersweeping rods[/url] a while back.

Think it was about £80 for a 10M set, quality seems decent for the price. Much easier to use for stoves than a big brush and drain rods and the results are about a million times better if the chimney is tarry.

now bedmaker – i like that.

Maybe in march when i go to do my end of season clean. Looks like it will work for me as well – i have a 6 inch flue going into an 8inch clay liner – dont get much soot back tbh but i go by the doing it often its a small job mantra.

looks like i could sweep through the stove with that – although still less mess top down i reckon. – sweep sweep sweep … remove the fire brick and hoover out with the shop vac.

Thanks for the replies. I think I’ll go down the DIY route and get one of those power sweeping tools in bedmaker’s link above.

I’ll bear globalti’s suggestion in mind next time one of our chickens or ducks misbehaves but that would mean me climbing on the roof which I’m not keen to do 😆

That sooteater looks the daddy, Cheers bedmaker. Means I don’t have to go on the roof either.