Chimney Sweep Chimney Cleaning how to clean your chimney. Flue Cap Tools

Chimney Sweep from the top down. We show you how to clean your chimney. We will show the tools we use and how to use them, how we disassemble the flue cap and clean it and clean the flue. we will end with cleaning the wood stove and removing the creosote from the bottom of the flue at the back of the stove. Don't miss the Cast Iron Dragon Pot with steam coming out of his nose at the end.
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Wayne

[@wellspringoaks1900]

Thank you for posting this video. Felt like an ol’ grand dad teaching me how to take care of my chimney. Clear, concise, and informative. Thanks.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for the VERY NICE comment and have a great day.

[@lacasa3514]

The other guy’s advice was so bad I wanted to throw him off the roof. Thank you for your calm, simple, helpful video that actually covered everything.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad it helped! Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@alansach8437]

Wow! That's a lot of work removing that piece of pipe. My chimney is similar to this one, but maybe a smidge higher. What I do is remove the pipe from the stove, set up a tub to catch the creosote/soot, get on the roof and remove the cap. I don't use the extension rods for the brush, but I tie a rope to the pull loop on the brush and attach a little weight to the other end of the rope (I use a small crescent wrench, but whatever's handy) and drop the weight down the chimney. My wife grabs the rope and pulls it through while I feed the brush into the chimney. She pulls it all the way down and out. Then she'll bring it out and toss it back up to me on the roof and we will repeat until we stop getting creosote or soot. Usually 3-5 times. I'll clean and reinstall the cap. Reassemble the flue to the stovetop. Empty the tub of creosote. Done.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for your suggestion and for visiting our channel. We hope you have a great day.

[@kenknoke3922]

My previous house was two story and I used 2 eight foot lengths of 1/2 copper pipe, cut them into 4 ft lengths and sweated fittings to them to screw them together so that you were just adding a 4 ft. length to screw on as you went down the chimney, the first length had a fitting to take the screw in fitting on the brush, this all worked well without the flexing of the plastic rods that some folks use, after I had initially cleaned the ashes from the firebox, I put 2 apple flat dividers from a 40 lb apple box in the cleaned out firebox to catch the creosote from the chimney as I used the brush. Then just lifted the flats out with all the creosote on them and disposed of the creosote. Thanks for your informative video.

[@DIYwithWayne]

You are very welcome and you DIY approach was very interesting. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@vernemil]

Great video Wayne. Thanks. And i just want to say that i can tell you're a really nice guy, probably a good man to have as a neighbor. I'll be cleaning my wood stove out this morning.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for the very kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@jstratten5326]

I have never seen this man before however I think he did a GREAT JOB on his video and I’m surprised to see how many views he received compared to thumbs up, and I am disappointed with peoples appreciation/humanity.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@jstratten5326]

@@DIYwithWayne 🌼

[@deadmanprodinc]

Good job, wow that was a lot of creosote for a stove not heavily used. Good reason to clean every two months if you using the stove every day. Thanks!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@matti72033]

Thanks a bunch for posting this. We bought a new cabin and I need to clean the chimney this fall, so your video is very helpful.

[@thecowboyofoklahoma5866]

My grandparents have a fireplace in their house. We sweep it yearly each fall. We boys took turns, up, down, and rotate all the way from end to end.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Sounds like good times. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@JacksonJDoyel]

Great help for keeping my log cabin safe in winter, much appreciate

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad to help! Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@KohLHAUStyle23]

Thanks uncle Wayne! You're the man! Greetings from British Columbia

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad to be of help! I enjoy knowing you found this video useful. Thanks for the kind comment and visiting. Hope you’re having a great day.

[@jasonchampion9932]

👍👍✌✌ great job having the patience to explain yourself thoroughly!🙏

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you. I always enjoy seeing positive comments. Have a great day.

[@brainfloss9710]

If I could compel every human being to do one thing, this would be it. It helps so much to improve communication and understanding.

[@mattsmith7010]

Very helpful, thanks for your clear instructions, regards here from Australia

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@thechimneyboys4990]

I like it. Good stuff.

[@judithheinemann8439]

Thank you Sir. I had to have a giant pine taken down so will also be cleaning my chimney more often. Much appreciate you posting this. A great help. My house has been smokey lately so I am getting on the roof tomorrow.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Good luck and be careful on the roof. Also keep a close watch on your flue with the pine. the creosote will build up faster than you expect. Good luck with your project and have a great day.

[@benholler1389]

If dried properly pine absolutely does not make more creosote than any other wood. If you have problems with excessive creosote buildup dry you wood longer and run your stove at proper temps

[@humblelion1277]

Excellent informative video, thanks

[@DIYwithWayne]

I'm so glad you liked it. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@bridgettewood1713]

A very good lesson! Thank you for sharing! We live in Missouri and have alot of hard wood how ever, my flu will be checked every 6 months weather it needs it or not!😉🐴 God bless.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad it was helpful! Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@bidyutchatterjee7195]

Very well demonstrated !!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@michaelmccreery6305]

Thank you very helpful

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad I could help. Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@christopherjohnston6042]

To help keep the dust down from the ash while you're cleaning your box just use a little spray bottle of water to moisturizer the top of the ash that's will help with that.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Good idea! Thank you for your suggestion and for visiting our channel. We hope you have a great day.

[@mrh0wler353]

Great dragon breathing fire. I have an old Consolidated Dutchwest stove that can use a combustor insert to help burn creosote. I bought an aftermarket steel combustor, had to take the top off the stove to install it, and now I get more heat out of the stove with a slower burn. Your stove appears to have a LONG firebox. Very nice.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for your suggestion and for visiting our channel. We hope you have a great day.

[@atommiller1182]

Thanks for posting this! Not sure if it was mentioned, but I’ve read that a metal brush should be used in a brick/concrete chimney and a poly brush should be used for a metal flue - for anyone looking to buy the gear.

[@DIYwithWayne]

I purchased my cleaning rods and brush about 40 years ago. At that time, I think the wire brush was the only option. I will look into your comment. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@mrc4912]

My chimney cap is waaay to high for me to reach but I found out the perfect tool and solution for my cap that was clogged to the point where I couldn't light a fire because the smoke and flames came back in my face, singing my eyebrows. I had just purchased a .22 cal scoped pellet rifle to protect my chickens against the varmints that were trying to get into the henhouse and a light bulb went off in my head and I braced the gun against my rose arbor and fired a few flat-nosed pellets into the side of the spark arrestor screen and watched with satisfaction as clouds of grey creosote residue went flying off the sides of the screen. I then moved to the opposite side and repeated the process and noticed by looking through the scope that it appeared to be clear of creosote. So I went inside and it was like having a new stove, no smoke, no backups, just a nice, clean fire. Unorthodox, but it worked. For what I saved on not having to call in a professional, I saved more than enough to pay for that gun.

[@DIYwithWayne]

LOL, That's a very interesting way to clean the chimney cap. I'm glad it worked for you. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@TheSoftspokenShaman]

excellent video

[@DIYwithWayne]

Glad you liked it! Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@Mystique-Dreams]

Thank you!

[@DIYwithWayne]

You are very welcome and thank you for visiting, have a great day.

[@daviddiedrich6027]

Thank you

[@DIYwithWayne]

You're welcome! Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@DonziGT230]

I burn mostly pine in my fireplace, it's several decades old and has never been cleaned. Earlier this year I noticed it being harder to keep smoke from coming into the house, burning a creosote log seemed to help a lot. I do plant to get a brush and scrub it out soon.

[@DIYwithWayne]

I would recommend cleaning it. The chimney for a fireplace does not collect as much creosote as one for a wood stove but still needs cleaning at times. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@markmillward9733]

Wow the shovel fulls just kept coming.

[@DIYwithWayne]

It was a lot but I was burning pine. Not because I wanted to, but because it was all I had. Burning Oak and Maple now. Much less creosote. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@markmillward9733]

That's a large capacity stove obviously. Thanks for the confidence to do it myself. Have a great day.

[@helihoot]

You can burn pine if you do a hot fire every so often. It cleans it.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Some Pine is worse than others. Most of what I had was Virginia Pine and it has more rosin than most. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@deelew8449]

That's hot!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@philliphall5198]

What about the special logs to help dry it out for easy cleaning ???? Seems it works very well and brush sweap it clean

[@DIYwithWayne]

I have not tried them but maybe I will soon and do a video about them. Thank you for your suggestion and for visiting our channel. We hope you have a great day.

[@jonapolloapollo5770]

maybe you can help what size would i need to do a 4 story building i would say about 60 foot is there something different for commercial use thank you very much

[@DIYwithWayne]

I would recommend getting a professional to install it. When I was going to install mine, I talked to a lot of people and one problems with regulations and if I install it myself and there is a fire, my homeowners insurance likely would not cover the cost of repairs. So, I had a professional install mine and he also gave me insight about local codes for clearances for the stove. Good luck with your project and have a great day.

[@royalway12]

if you have a regular fireplace with the insert, don't make the mistake I made, and not put a large sheet of plastic at the very bottom, in the fireplace itself. Makes the cleanup from all the debris go a lot easier. It won't catch it all, but it does help considerably. I tape the plastic to the walls of the fireplace to help keep it in place, and then bring it out of the fireplace and form a bowl with the plastic outside the fireplace. Great advice on the hot coals. I put week old ashes in a brown grocery sack many years ago. While in the process of removing the ashes, I noticed a burning smell. I immediately grabbed the bag and saw hot coals burning through the bottom of the bag. I caught it early, it burned a small hole in the carpet. I already had that area slated for a tile surround, so luckily, no harm done. But it sure was boneheaded on my behalf.

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for your suggestion and for visiting our channel. We hope you have a great day.

[@davevann2925]

Awesome video, what is the story on your Fisher wood stove?

[@davevann2925]

@@DIYwithWayne I run a 1976 Fisher Grandpa bear here at the farm all winter my dad bought new. After 44 years I put a gasket kit in the doors and WOW total control of the amt of heat it puts out. It has ( fully damped down) got to 600ish deg so I always had to run with the windows open in 35deg plus weather. Not now, can operate in any outside temps comfortably. I put on magnetic stove and stack temp gauges so I can tell at a glance whats happening. Thanks for getting back to me, looking forward to another fisher/ wood stove video

[@littledancingfawn]

Thank you for your video. It’s interesting to read the comments. Everyone critiquing your great job. I did learn that it’s a myth about burning pine over other wood that it crates more creosote. Moved into my home 2 years ago. We were using the powder you sprinkle in your fire to help with the build up. We are new to fireplace. We were planning to give it a good cleaning this spring. We just got this major cold front upon us with high winds in middle of March. My husband is away, but I started a fire. Of course, me being alone, I hear a whishing sound in the fireplace all of a sudden. The fire gets bigger. I use the spray bottle, which we only use on logs IF the fire gets too hot. I noticed fire embers flying outside. This isn't good, I thought. I ran outside to look over the porch up at the fireplace and it was on fire! I called to my daughter to get pets and get out of the house into the car. Called 911. I ran to the fireplace got the extinguisher, which is placed right beside it. Put the fire out and put the spray up into the fireplace, but the extinguisher got stuck. Ran through the house with it going full blast. Came back inside and all i coukd see is a cloud if white! Lol. Anyways the fire continued to burn untill it burned out as i watched the firetruck TRY to get up the mountain to my home. What i learned= clean your fireplace yearly Buy more fire extinguishers And if the house/cabin were really on fire and i could not put it out myself, the house and its contents are gone. It just takes too long for the fire dept to get here. And if your extinguisher gets stuck on in your house, you will be cleaning FOR DAYS! Lol Take care dear💜

[@DIYwithWayne]

Hello Tina, Sorry to hear about your chimney fire. In spite of the mess your fire extinguisher made, it sounds like you did great in taking care of the fire. GOOD JOB! Also, I'm not sure what you read about pine not causing more creosote, but IT DOES! Some pine is worse than others but it will make more creosote. Thank you for the kind comment and for visiting, have a great day.

[@littledancingfawn]

@@DIYwithWayne thats what I thought, but after reading through the comments I googled it. This is a couple that came up. Pine creates creosote. In fact, all wood does. But opponents of burning pine believe that it creates more creosote merely because it contains a lot of pitch. On the contrary, hardwoods can actually cause more creosote than softwoods like pine, as Lifestyle Energy explains. Creosote is nothing more than a condensation of small, unburned particles contained in the smoke that coats the chimney surface as it exits. Similar to a hot shower, when the heated particles contact the cooler flue, the vapor solidifies into a layer of creosote. Since softwoods produce a hotter fire, the smoke actually travels faster, allowing less time for condensation. Hardwoods, on the other hand, burn slower and lower. When hardwood smolders, the smoke rises less quickly. It lingers longer inside the chimney, creating more condensate. Link here - homeguides.sfgate.com/burning-pine-indoor-wood-stove-48601.html The Washington post- www.washingtonpost.com/archive/lifestyle/1980/01/04/burning-questions-on-wood-as-fuel/c10462c7-3561-497b-8746-e19baa93cc06/

[@caseG80]

Dam crazy story glad everything worked out.cheers

[@DMSJagXK]

Don’t forget that in the UK, for insurance, flues should be cleaned annually by a professional who gives you the required certificate for insurance purposes after the job has been done.

[@DIYwithWayne]

That's good advice. You should always check with your insurance company if you have a wood stove. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@philliphall5198]

We all ready have to dam many laws in America allready Insurance owns America now and China 😢

[@DMSJagXK]

@@philliphall5198 I think you mean already rather than ‘all ready’! There isn’t a law in the UK that you have to have your chimney swept every year. I was just pointing out that on insurance policies in the UK (and probably the U.S.) there are clauses which invalidate any insurance claims if your house burns down as a result of a chimney fire if you haven’t had your chimney swept at least once a year. Don’t give your insurance company a chance of wriggling out of paying your insurance claim if your house burns down!

[@DMSJagXK]

@@philliphall5198 I think you meant to write ‘ We already have too many damn laws in America’. The damn comes from the word damnations. A dam is something that stops or restricts water from flowing.

[@susanne7339]

What kind of brush and rods were you using , a metal brush or poly who was the manufacturer thank you Susanne

[@DIYwithWayne]

Hello Susanne, The brush is a metal bristle brush and the rods are fiberglass. I don't know who manufactured them because they are very old. However they are very similar to the ones sold at hardware stores today. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@scottchristian5056]

Gonna wonder if seal is broken on support mounts at the roof.

[@DIYwithWayne]

No, there are pivot joints at the roof that will allow the rods to pivot. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@djbazzmaster]

the amount of suds that came out looked like there was a lot of wet wood or some sort burned?

[@DIYwithWayne]

At the time I was burning Pine because it was all I had. I was also cleaning the flue every 3 weeks or so. Now I'm burning cured hardwood and have very little buildup. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@chainsaw3339]

lets see you make a viedo of you firing up the wood stove and filling it with logs

[@DIYwithWayne]

We may do this someday but for now we have such a long list of videos to do, I don't know when we could get to it. Thank you for visiting.

[@gregmeeks2753]

Where did you get that broom and rods?

[@DIYwithWayne]

Mine are about 30 years old but you can get them at most hardware stores. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@paulbolger5761]

Great job do you burn a Chimney flue cleaner to loosen the creosote before you sweep it

[@DIYwithWayne]

No, I have never tried it, but I may try it in the future. Thanks for visiting and have a great day.

[@philliphall5198]

They really work and it’s easier to clean with the brush

[@izy8873]

You gotta burn hotter to avoid the hard build up, don’t burn wet wood or things with a lot of sap like pine cones

[@DIYwithWayne]

You are correct but I burn what I have and just try to make the best of it. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@Caoucaren]

Creosote comes from burning wet wood, make sure your wood is seasoned at least one yr. and your wood should have less than 20% humidity?

[@DIYwithWayne]

Thank you for your suggestion and for visiting our channel. We hope you have a great day.

[@woodsman82]

I found out after I swept my dads chimney the first time. Wear gloves. I got fiberglass slivers in my hands. Really annoying and itchy.

[@DIYwithWayne]

I don't have trouble with fiberglass but gloves would be a good idea. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@2268up]

Attach that drill to it and it would be easier

[@DIYwithWayne]

I have thought of that but I have not tried it. I will try it next time I clean the flue. Thanks for the suggestion and have a great day.

[@benholler1389]

Not with that setup at all. There are plenty of good rotary cleaners on the market though. As a pro that's almost all I use

[@johnjaco5544]

There is no need to take off the top section of triple wall pipe.Just ream your pipe with the top section connected.Ream it from the top all the way down to the stove,then use a dust pan to scoop all the soot and creosote out of the stove into a wast can and dump out side.I've been burning wood for my sole heat for over 40 years.

[@DIYwithWayne]

In my case, I must remove the top section. When the wire brush is pushed in all the way down, I can't pull it back up unless I am above the top of the pipe. In my younger days, I don't think this would have been a problem. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@chainsaw3339]

why do burn pine and risk a chimney fire i only burn wood that the tree has leaves

[@DIYwithWayne]

At the time I was burning what I had. Luckily now I have a better source and I am burning better wood. Thanks for visiting and have a great day.

[@calvinhobbes6646]

There will be creosote buildup regardless of the type of wood you burn.

[@DIYwithWayne]

@@calvinhobbes6646 You are correct but pine is MUCH worse than hardwood. The 2 years I was burning pine, I was cleaning the flue about once a month. This year I'm burning good hardwood and will clean the flue at the end of the season. It makes a HUGE difference. Thank you for visiting and your comment. Have a great day.

[@alansach8437]

Where I live pine is the only thing available. I get 3 or 4 cords delivered in the Sping every year. It's usually fairly fresh when delivered, but I leave it out in the yard all Summer in the sun and wind and it's pretty dry by November. I burn constantly from November until Early April most years and have never had a problem. I clean my chimney once a year and never get more then three or four cups of creosote including what's collected on the spark arrestor. I burn a Blaze King Princess, which I understand are pretty efficient stoves. Not sure if it makes a difference. Have had this stove since 2004. It is our only source of heat that we use.

[@benholler1389]

Again pine absolutely does not create any more creosote or have more of a risk of chimney fire than any other wood. Dry the wood properly and run the stove at proper temps and it will be fine. Now with an old dinosaur like that fisher burning clean is harder but still absolutely possible. Btw what are the trees on the door of your Fisher??? Why do you think they put pine trees on the door if they are dangerous to use?

[@markmartnick5846]

Using that wire brush on the flue is damaging the interior section of the flue pipe. He should be using a Nylon Brush.

[@DIYwithWayne]

I have been using the wire brush for years with out any problem. Do you have any documentation to back up your comment? If you do, Please post a link to it here. I am always interested in learning. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@426superbee4]

I don't even use pine wood for a camp fire!

[@DIYwithWayne]

Why do you think this is bad?

[@426superbee4]

@@DIYwithWayne If that the only thing you can fine? I guess your have to burn it. But Make your food have a pine taste YUCK Plus the slap is bad. causes a out of control fire, and it don't last as long as hard wood does

[@426superbee4]

Never burn pine in your house Fire Place > GOT TO MUCH SAPE and a soft wood. Need to burn a Hard wood like oak, pecan, things like that

[@DIYwithWayne]

I agree the hardwood is best but sometimes I only have softwoods. Thank you for visiting and have a great day.

[@benholler1389]

Not true at all. Any wood dried properly works just fine. And any wood not dried properly will create lots of creosote

[@426superbee4]

@@benholler1389 It not creosote, ITS SAP! Pine sap and from soft woods GOT MORE SAP! You want a chimney fire? GO FOR IT 🔥🔥Its the sap resin that create creosote

[@benholler1389]

@@426superbee4 What does sap have to do with the chimney??? Any sap that is left just burns up in the stove with the wood. I have been a chimney sweep for decades. The whole pine thing is a complete lie. I burn about a cord of it in my stove every year in the spring and fall and never have any issues with creosote. Again burn any wood you have as long as it's dry and you run at proper temperatures

[@benholler1389]

@@426superbee4 And no sap does not create creosote at all. I think you need to do a bit more research on the subject. If soft wood sap is what creates creosote why do I clean so much of it out of chimneys where people only burn hardwood?