Causes of chimney blockage
Soot can completely clog the chimney, so cleaning is carried out once a year.
Combustion of fuel requires sufficient oxidation of carbon. This process requires high temperature and oxygen. If one of the conditions is violated, soot is formed, which clogs the chimney.
Reasons for the formation of plaque on a pipe:
- Use for burning raw wood. In this case, when they enter the oven, they begin to dry, which wastes a large amount of energy. As a result, the temperature is lost, the carbon does not warm up well and soot is formed.
- Burning of plastic and polyethylene, as well as scraps of plywood, chipboard and OSB. They contain substances that clog the chimney.
- Weak traction. This is caused by insufficient pipe height, conversion of the combustion process to smoldering, and accumulation of soot deposits.
Dry cleaning: caution required!
But it happens that soot is difficult to clean, especially if old firewood was used, and then you will have to resort to the chemical method. The advantage of this method is that it will not take up either your time or your energy.
The variety of special products for cleaning chimneys today is pleasing to the eye: liquids, briquettes, special powders. Their secret is that such substances are ignited in a heating device and they release active gases, which are what soot is afraid of. Under their influence, it becomes fragile and begins to fall away. Moreover, some of the small particles simply fly out along with the smoke, and the rest falls down and is removed along with the ash.
The powders are simply thrown into the firebox without unpacking, directly with the firewood, and there should be a lot of firewood itself. You only need to throw in one packet every two to three weeks. The only limitation of this method is that it makes sense to use powder products only if the soot on the chimney walls is no more than 2 millimeters. But if you use this powder constantly, you won’t need to clean the chimneys at all:
But if you have a deeper problem, then you will have to use a log - this is a chemical substance in the form of a briquette, which you just need to put in the firebox once every two months, also in a package. It is used when the wood has already burned out, in order to set it on fire separately. This log contains wooden saw blades, urea, sodium sulfate, coal wax, ammonium sulfate and amorphous silicon.
This composition of active substances is capable of removing all accumulated soot in the chimney in just one go. After you burn the chemical log inside the firebox, you will still have soot falling off the chimney walls for another two weeks, and you just need to clean it up.
Very convenient: just put a log on the fire, and chemical gases corrode the soot not only on the surface of the chimney walls, but also inside the heating device itself, even on the heat exchanger and the internal chimney. And in its own way it even prevents the appearance of new soot. It is this method that allows you to remove soot in the most inaccessible places of bends and knees. And, most importantly, such cleaning can be done at any time of the year - even with an active winter furnace. The only point: if the chimney has not been cleaned for a long time, a blockage is clearly felt and there is almost no draft, then first you will still have to use a brush.
Here is a clear example of how to clean a chimney using modern chemicals:
TOP 5 chemicals for cleaning
Chemical products for routine cleaning of chimneys of solid fuel boilers, stoves and fireplaces are attractive due to their simplicity, reasonable cost and ease of use.
Owners do not have to purchase special equipment, get their hands dirty with soot, and make serious physical efforts to return the equipment to working order.
Products for removing soot and deposits from chimney systems are produced in the form of powder, granules or briquettes, resembling a classic wooden log in shape. Efficiency does not depend on the form of release
Purchased preparations are simply poured into the fire in a certain volume or placed together with firewood when kindling. During thermal exposure, the working components react with soot or resinous elements and contribute to their decomposition.
The gaseous part, along with the smoke, escapes into the atmosphere, and the dry part simply falls to the bottom. Then it is removed along with solid combustion products and ash.
Many domestic and European companies are engaged in the production of chemical reagents for cleaning. Their products are in stable demand and cope well with their tasks.
Polish product Sandpal is a non-explosive and non-flammable fine-grained green powder.
It consists of a complex of inorganic salts and serves as a catalyst for the afterburning of soot that has settled in the chimney part of fireplaces and stoves. Effectively affects organic matter, decomposing it to water and carbon dioxide.
In a volume of 1 tablespoon, pour into a well-heated combustion chamber directly onto the smoldering parts of the fuel. If kindling is carried out with a dry resource, the dose is slightly reduced, and for a wet resource with a weak, insignificant combustion coefficient it increases by 10-15%.
The manufacturer recommends that customers use the product strictly in accordance with the instructions. Violation of proportions negatively affects the cleaning procedure and does not bring the desired results.
During the oxidation of soot, large fractions of the resulting substance fall to the bottom of the combustion chamber, and small fractions, together with the flue gases, rise up and go into the outlet pipe.
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Using Sadpal cleaning powder you can:
- optimize coal and firewood consumption;
- reduce the risk of ignition of residual soot deposits;
- reduce the volume of sulfur emissions into the atmosphere;
- protect metal fragments located in the chimney section from corrosion;
- protect ceramic elements of the system from cracking.
With regular maintenance, the pipe will no longer become clogged with combustion waste, will not suffer from resinous deposits, and will not require complex and labor-intensive mechanical cleaning.
Hansa concentrate is produced using German proprietary technology at the production facilities of a plant in Lithuania.
It is a fine-grained blue-white powder from a mixture of crystals, packaged in plastic jars with lids or economical high-strength plastic bags.
Individual components act as catalysts and stimulate the decomposition of wood resins into flammable gases. Other elements themselves, during the heating process, produce gas compounds that destroy the structure of soot, soot and tar deposits.
Hansa crystal powder is simple and easy to use. It can be used not only for global cleaning of exhaust systems, but also to prevent combustion products from settling on internal smooth and textured fragments of chimneys
The adhesion to the surface of the chimney system weakens and all excess is released into the atmosphere along with other emissions. The product comes with detailed instructions telling you how to clean the home chimney of solid fuel stoves and boilers, open and closed fireplace systems.
In addition to powder, the company produces Chimney Sweeper logs and pellets for preventive maintenance of heating units operating on granular fuel.
The drug Kominichek is manufactured in the Czech Republic. Designed to remove soot deposits and other combustion products from the chimney that are prone to spontaneous combustion and impair the traction properties of stoves, boilers and fireplaces.
During the heating process, it reacts with substances deposited on the inside of the pipes and decomposes them.
The product must be used in strict accordance with the dosage indicated by the manufacturer. There is no need to increase the one-time portion. It is better to repeat the procedure if necessary, and during the active heating season, clean it every two weeks.
After servicing, stoves and fireplaces operate more efficiently, and fuel consumption is noticeably reduced. The possibility of spontaneous combustion of tar and soot deposits is reduced to zero. Using heating equipment again becomes safe, convenient and comfortable.
The granular preparation is intended for pellet boilers and stoves. It is mixed with a medium-grained fuel composition and poured into the combustion chamber.
The boxed version consists of metal salts and activated carbon. The outer labels are removed from it, placed in the firebox, doused with a special liquid and set on fire. The product works for an hour and a half, transforms soot into a brittle substance and stimulates its rapid combustion.
The “Smoke” box does not give instant results, but works in a prolonged mode for 14 days. The most complete and pronounced effect is noticed 2-3 months after use
The Smoke log is shaped like a neat block of natural wood. It is placed in the firebox along with a load of firewood and does not reveal its presence there in any way.
During the heating process, it produces a specific azure-colored flame. This means that the components have already reacted with deposits and cleaning is proceeding normally.
Polish catalyst for burning tar and soot deposits Spalsadz is available in powder form. Contains inorganic salts. As the temperature rises, it releases components that decompose organic structures into water and carbon dioxide.
The unique Spalsadz formula significantly speeds up the process of cleaning chimneys and significantly reduces the amount of sulfur dioxide emissions into the atmosphere
The drug does not react with ceramic fragments of the smoke exhaust system. After global cleaning, the efficiency of heating devices increases by 20%.
How to find out about the need for chimney cleaning
If you do not clean the chimney, the roughness of the walls becomes greater, and the force of air friction on the side surfaces increases. The traction force is spent on overcoming this resistance and, as a result, the rate of release of combustion products decreases and the air consumption for heating decreases.
The temperature in the firebox drops and the house becomes cold. Instead of cleaning the channel, the owners of a private house begin to add fuel. All of the above reasons lead to a violation of traction, which is manifested in the following performance indicators:
- The amount of heat in the house remains constant, but more fuel is required to achieve this.
- Hot gases can cause soot in the pipe to ignite and lead to a fire.
- Burning soot emits black smoke visible from the chimney, and absolutely dry fuel can be loaded into the stove.
- The color of the flame turns into a dark red hue, which indicates a lack of fresh oxygen due to reduced draft.
The chimney in the house should be cleaned only if it removes solid fuel combustion products. When gas fuel is burned in a chimney, other problems arise related to the formation of condensation.
The norm is to clean the chimney of soot once a year; this is done in any way at the beginning and end of the season, which prevents major cleaning or even disassembly of the chimney pipe.
How to clean a chimney pipe with your own hands
The process will require considerable effort; people who are afraid of heights should refuse to perform it, because without visiting the roof the manipulations cannot be completed. It should also be noted that the work is dirty; first you need to prepare clothes that you won’t mind getting dirty.
Basic supplies you will need:
- Respirator.
- Glasses.
- Gloves.
- Rope for belay.
There are several ways to clean a stove chimney and get maximum results; each person can choose any method they like at their discretion.
Mechanical cleaning of the chimney from soot by hand
Environmental friendliness is the main advantage of the method; no chemicals are required when performing the work; to perform the manipulations, you often need to have a weight, a ruff or hard brushes with a long handle.
By performing the manipulations yourself, you will be able to significantly save your family’s budget and monitor the correctness and quality of the work. The only health hazard is the height; if you fall from it, you can get a lot of unpleasant injuries.
How to make a ruff
This device can be made quite quickly; there are already ready-made prefabricated elements for such purposes on the market, the price for which will be affordable for every average family.
But if you don’t want to spend money, then you should make a chimney brush from a plastic bottle. To achieve maximum results, you can create a metal tip, but you need to first measure the diameter of the pipe, otherwise it will get stuck in the middle of the channel.
In case of large soot deposits, it is important to carry out actions until all partitions collapse with a weight, and then achieve ideal cleanliness of the walls with a brush.
How to clean a chimney using a chemical method
There are quite a lot of special means of this kind; you can choose any method you like from the assortment; the products differ according to the following characteristics:
- Liquids.
- Briquettes.
- Powders.
When burned in the firebox, active gases are released, which affect the blockage, but the process requires maximum care and attention. Small particles fly into the atmosphere along with the smoke, and large ones after the manipulation can be easily removed along with the ash.
One of the strong means for cleaning a chimney can be called the PHC preparation, it does not need to be unpacked, the composition is quite toxic, it includes copper sulfate, saltpeter and fine coal. After the reaction has formed in the pipe, soot will literally slide from the walls into the furnace; it should be eliminated along with the remaining combustion products.
Cleaning a curved chimney from soot
Such structures are quite rare, work with them must be approached seriously, some areas can be safely called inaccessible. Such design options can be found in those buildings that, due to their shape, did not allow the installation of an even pipe.
Before installing the system, special hatches are installed so that you don’t have to think long about how to clean the chimney of a bathhouse or other building, otherwise you won’t be able to be completely sure that the work is done efficiently.
Experts do not recommend more than 2 elbows; this will inevitably lead to big problems, regardless of the material from which the device is made.
By the way, Poleshko would be a good cleaning product.
Folk methods for cleaning soot from stove and fireplace chimneys
For cleaning boilers, stoves and fireplaces, people have long come up with an effective method; to implement it, you can choose several options, these include:
- Salt.
- Potatoes, you can accumulate just by cleaning them.
- Naphthalene powder type.
- Aspen firewood.
The principle of traditional methods is quite simple; vapors can corrode soot, which is carried through a pipe into the atmosphere when a furnace or equipment burns. Salt must be purchased in quantities of 0.5 kilos for kindling; it can release sodium chloride and create an atmosphere undesirable for accumulation.
Folk remedies such as naphthalene and starch operate on the same principle, but with dry aspen the situation is different; the elements are suitable for cleaning the chimney from dust deposits, because they simply burn out due to the high temperatures that arise during the combustion of natural wood.
Cleaning the fireplace glass
How to clean fireplace glass? The first question that arises before users. And this is not surprising, because closed fireplaces need to be cleaned much more often than open fireplaces. Cleaning procedures must be carried out regularly, because the slightest dirt will be immediately noticeable on the glass fireplace screen.
First you need to figure out: why does glass smoke in a fireplace?
There can be several reasons for the formation of dirt on the glass of the fireplace insert:
- If the fireplace operates on gas fuel, then soot and soot indicate that the burners are clogged or the jets are not positioned correctly. All these shortcomings affect the fact that air and gas are correlated incorrectly and, as a result, soot settles on the inner walls of the firebox.
- Units operating on propane are even more susceptible to the formation of dirt than gas fireplaces. And most often the main reason lies in low-quality fuel, clogged burners and damage to the regulator tank.
- Fireplaces that use wood as fuel. Soot most often forms on the glass of such devices. This is usually due to the fact that coniferous trees are used as fuel. Another reason is the lack of holes for air intake.
- Soot can also occur as a result of contamination in the gas exhaust pipe.
Soot on the glass of the fireplace
To cope with the problem, you need to know how to clean the glass of the fireplace.
Fireplace glass cleaner is an excellent solution to this unpleasant situation. Today, a large number of different chemical products are sold that can successfully cope with deposits of soot and soot.
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When choosing a cleaning product, look at the composition: it should not contain any aggressive components that can damage the glass.
How else can you clean smoked fireplace glass besides special chemical compounds? You can use regular dishwashing detergent, but this will require some effort.
Another excellent remedy is ammonia, which allows you to thoroughly clean soot.
The stages of cleaning glass with ammonia are as follows:
you need to wait until the fireplace cools down, it is important that the door is cold; then you need to mix ammonia and water in a container, add a small amount of vinegar to the mixture. The resulting composition must be filled into a spray bottle; then simply spray the liquid on the glass and wipe it with paper napkins.
There are other methods for cleaning glass from soot:
There are other methods for cleaning glass from soot:
- The fire is lit at full power until the flame burns the soot deposited on the glass. This technology will not only effectively remove contaminants, but also allow you to maintain cleanliness in the chimney.
- The next method is to lower the newspaper into water and then into the ashes at the bottom of the firebox. Then you need to apply it to the contaminated area and rub until the plaque is removed. After finishing the cleaning process, you need to wipe the glass with a dry cloth. It is worth noting that such a process is quite labor-intensive and time-consuming, but effective.
Follow a number of simple rules and you will have to clean your glass fireplace doors much less often:
- Every time the fireplace stops working, you need to wipe the door. This way you can avoid the long-term routine cleaning of glass when soot accumulates.
- To keep the glass as clear as possible, wash it with regular soap. After each cleaning, apply soap to the glass. As soon as the fireplace heats up, all soap stains will dissolve and the glass will become transparent.
- In order to cause the glass to form strong soot, fireplaces should be lit only with clean and dry wood.
- When using the fireplace, use the “clean glass” method. It is based on the fact that a narrow slit needs to be made on top of the glass. When air penetrates through it, an invisible barrier will be formed that will prevent plaque from appearing. There is a door with similar holes on sale.
Knowing how to clean the glass of a fireplace from soot, you can get rid of dirt at any time.
Therefore, there is nothing difficult in cleaning a fireplace.
The dream of every home owner is the uninterrupted operation of all engineering systems, and especially the heating system. Of course, it is desirable that minimal maintenance is required for gas equipment. But in order to ensure a calm and warm life under the roof of your own home, you will still need to strictly observe some simple conditions, namely, carrying out a preventive inspection of the gas unit and carrying out minor repairs, if necessary. The most important tasks that will help add life to the boiler will be: cleaning the heat exchangers and removing soot.
Content:
- What is a gas heating boiler?
- How to clean a gas boiler - rinse the heat exchanger video
- How to mechanically clean a heat exchanger
- Cleaning heat exchangers with chemical reagents
- Cleaning boilers from soot video
- Chimney cleaning
- Removing soot mechanically video
- Why install condensate collectors?
What is a gas heating boiler?
By design, a gas boiler is a combination of several diverse devices:
- a heat generator in which thermal energy is generated by burning fuel, consisting of a combustion chamber and a burner,
- a heat exchanger in which thermal energy is transferred to a coolant, which is usually water, antifreeze or air,
- housing in which the above-mentioned parts are enclosed,
- a special regulating device with the help of which the fuel supply activity is controlled,
- chimney.
To ensure high efficiency of the boiler, it will be necessary to systematically clean:
- fireboxes and chimneys from soot,
- heat exchanger - from scale.
Each type of cleaning must be carried out according to certain rules; the question of how gas boilers are cleaned should be considered in more detail.
How to clean a gas boiler - wash the heat exchanger
The heat exchanger is a system of pipes designed to move the coolant during the heating stage. Since the water that is used as a coolant is usually not sufficiently purified from impurities of various salts, scale settles on the inner walls of the pipes over time, the diameter of the tubes as a result decreases, and the speed of movement of the coolant becomes lower. In addition, scale becomes a kind of barrier that reduces the thermal conductivity of metal fragments. All these negative aspects lead to serious consequences - a sharp decrease in the temperature of the coolant in the system.
If the system is not flushed in a timely manner, preconditions for a serious accident may arise, including:
- boiler overheating, because scale will prevent proper cooling of the coolant, which, in the process of reverse movement, should reduce the temperature of the internal parts of the heating elements,
- breakdown of parts, which may occur as a result of increased loads on the circulation pump (which may be caused by narrowing of contaminated pipes),
- increase in fuel consumption.
Scale can be combated using several methods:
- water pumped into the system under high pressure,
- using chemical reagents,
- mechanically.
The first method, due to its complexity (you will need a special compressor that allows you to create a pressure of tens of atmospheres), is acceptable if the work is carried out by a team of specialists. It is quite possible to produce the second and third ones yourself.
The difficulty of mechanical and chemical cleaning will be the need to completely dismantle the heat exchanger; this work will require certain knowledge and skills.
How to mechanically clean a heat exchanger
First of all, you should remember that the heat exchanger has a fairly large volume and is located directly above the combustion chamber; some difficulties may arise when trying to get to it.
In this regard, it is recommended to adhere to the following procedure:
- First, disconnect the electrical wiring (if any) and gas supply pipes from the boiler.
- Disconnect the heat exchanger from the heating system.
- Remove the heat exchanger fasteners.
- Remove the heat exchanger from the boiler and begin cleaning it.
Once the heat exchanger is removed, you can see how thick the deposits are on its walls; pins, scrapers, etc. can be used to remove them. tools. Care must be taken when performing work, otherwise the walls of the heat exchanger may be damaged.
It is more rational to perform mechanical cleaning after pre-soaking the part in a weak acid solution - this will soften the scale and make it much easier to remove.
Upon completion of the process, it is advisable to connect the heat exchanger to a source of running water - as the liquid passes through its internal cavities, a large amount of dirt will be washed out of them. Flushing can be completed when the flowing water becomes clear. Tapping the walls of the heat exchanger with a rubber or wooden hammer will speed up the washing process.
Cleaning heat exchangers with chemical reagents
To perform chemical cleaning of the heat exchanger, you will need a special device - a booster. Although the dry cleaning process itself is not complex, before starting work it is advisable to familiarize yourself with the recommendations of specialists.
There is no need to completely remove the heat exchanger; you should disconnect the two pipes, connect a hose to one of them, and the cleaning solution will be supplied through it. The supplied liquid will exit through another pipe and be supplied to the booster through a hose connected to it. Such a connection will ensure the movement of the reagent in a circle.
Experts recommend choosing a booster equipped with an electric heating element. It will allow heating of the chemical composition; increasing the temperature of the reagent will help increase the efficiency of washing and speed up the process of destruction of deposited salts.
Chemical reagents can be various solutions sold in hardware stores. However, the choice of product should be made taking into account the degree of contamination and the composition of the deposits, and recommendations regarding what materials this product can be used for cleaning should not be ignored.
Cleaning products most often contain acids:
- sulfuric or salt,
- less often - phosphorus or nitrogen.
Such reagents can easily remove thick, dense deposits, including layers of trivalent iron. To remove small contaminants, you can use solutions of weaker acids: sulfamic or adipic. If desired, you can use special gels; before use, they are diluted with water.
Cleaning boilers from soot
Natural gas, which is used to heat residential premises, is a relatively clean product. However, during its combustion, heavy components of petroleum products are released, which contribute to the formation of a black layered film on the surface of the heat exchanger and combustion chamber. such a film significantly reduces the thermal conductivity of the metal parts of the boiler, i.e. contributes to a decrease in its effectiveness.
Since only the outer parts of the components will require cleaning, cleaning the boiler with your own hands will not be such a difficult process. First, you will need to determine the thickness of the soot layer: if it does not exceed 2 mm, then you can use a scraper or a damp sponge to remove it; if the layer is thicker, then you will need to use chemicals, the best option is acid-containing compounds.
Chimney cleaning
An equally important measure is removing soot from the chimney. There are many ways to solve this problem - after all, our ancestors, who used stove heating to heat their houses, had to do this for many centuries in a row.
Modern chimneys, in accordance with the rules, must be made of stainless steel that can withstand the effects of high temperature and acid precipitation that are formed during the combustion of natural gas. Sometimes they resort to installing a ceramic chimney, but with their high quality characteristics, ceramic models do not yet compete with metal ones. Regardless of the type and material of manufacture, chimneys are designed to improve draft. The accumulation of soot on the inner walls of the chimney pipes reduces draft, therefore worsening the operating condition of the boiler.
The amount of accumulated soot can be determined by analyzing the frequency of operation of the boiler: its constant use will contribute to its rapid accumulation. In this case, cleaning the gas boiler from soot, as well as the chimney, must be done at least twice a year.
The intensity of the accumulation of acid condensate is influenced by the ambient temperature - the lower it is, the more active the formation of sediment, which is destructive for pipes.
Severe soot contamination threatens:
- thinning the smoke opening, reducing draft and smoke emissions can create conditions in the house that are hazardous to human health (suffocation from carbon monoxide poisoning may occur),
- Since soot is a flammable material, the possibility of a fire will be quite real.
If you don’t know how to clean a gas boiler and remove soot from the chimney, then it’s best to turn to professionals - they will do the job efficiently and in a short time.
Mechanical soot removal
If you decide to do everything yourself, then you will need to purchase the appropriate tools for cleaning chimneys:
- hard brushes,
- scrapers and other rigid devices for mechanical cleaning.
The most effective method today is cleaning with a special vacuum cleaner. Accumulated in any quantity, dirt is quite easily removed through a special pocket. The switched on device, drawing in air, removes all accumulations on the walls of the pipe, leaving it undamaged and clean.
Experts consider a special vacuum unit to be the ideal cleaning unit; it is capable of removing dirt of any composition in any quantity, but it is usually used by professionals - the cost of such an installation is within 100 thousand rubles.
When doing the work with your own hands, you can use all kinds of pipe cleaners or brushes, but you should not forget that their diameter should be slightly larger than the diameter of the pipe. A very thick layer of soot can be removed with a scraper, then carefully treat the pipe with brushes or a pipe cleaner. Of course, you can carry out such activities yourself. Nevertheless, at least once every few years it is advisable to call a specialist who can realistically assess the condition of the pipe and determine the presence of flaws in it, if any.
The chimney can also be cleaned from the outside by lowering a brush inside it on a transforming handle; the structure should be weighted with a plumb line. Under its action, the brush will move downwards more actively, cleaning the pipe walls will speed up. The crumbled soot is removed from the chimney through a special pocket using a small scoop or vacuum cleaner.
Chemical cleaning of chimneys for gas boilers is rarely used; this method is more acceptable for wood-burning stoves and fireplaces. If gas is used as fuel, then most likely you will need to pay attention to the fight against condensation.
Why install condensate collectors?
As we have already mentioned, when soot burns during the combustion of gaseous fuel, acid-containing sediments are formed, which can have a detrimental effect on the material from which chimneys are made.
Installing special devices - condensate outlets and collectors - allows you to get rid of acid-containing vapors and completely protect chimney pipes from destruction. Today, technologists are actively developing more effective methods for removing acid condensate, which will allow uninterrupted operation and extend the service life of chimney pipes.
Author: Sergey and Svetlana Khudentsov
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Mechanical tools
If the chimney opening is severely narrowed or there is a large blockage there, then chemicals may be useless. In such a stove there is no draft, and the smoke goes inside the room. It is dangerous to use it, since deposits on the pipes burn out when exposed to strong heat, and a sheaf of sparks flies out, which can cause a fire. In this case, mechanical pipe cleaning will help. It is produced using special tools. These can be a variety of scrapers, brushes, and brushes. To break through large and dense blockages, special cores are used. All this can be bought or made yourself.
Chimney ducts are cleaned from top to bottom. The work is carried out in the following order:
- break through large blockages with a core;
- clean pipes using scrapers, brushes and ruffs;
- smoke ducts are cleaned through the doors;
- clean the dampers, firebox and ash pan.
We remove soot using traditional methods
But what to do if you don’t have the opportunity to go to the store for chemicals to remove combustion residues? In this case, you can use folk remedies that have been showing their effectiveness in cleaning chimneys for decades. The simplest option is to use rock salt. You just need to sprinkle fuel (wood or coals) into the combustion process. True, salt is best considered as a preventive measure - it is not very effective in removing deposits.
They cope much better with soot and plaque on the walls of potato peelings. The process of using them is very simple: heat the oven well and throw a bucket of peelings into the fire, maybe even pieces of potatoes. The soot will decompose under the influence of the resulting steam - small particles will fly up, and larger ones will remain inside. All you have to do is remove their remains.
An excellent tool in the fight against plaque in the chimney is aspen firewood. To remove soot, simply burn a few armfuls of wood. However, in this case you need to be careful, since cleaning with wood leads to the formation of high temperatures, as a result of which the soot will begin to ignite.
We introduced you to the basic means and methods for cleaning soot from a chimney. We hope our recommendations will benefit you and your fireplace.
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The use of folk remedies
Opponents of chemicals and modern methods prefer to clean smoke systems using the good old folk methods. They are simpler, more accessible and recognized as the safest.
Natural components work slowly and delicately, but do not cause any damage and do not have a negative impact on the system and its constituent elements.
Method #1 – cleaning with rock salt
Rock salt is one of the most accessible, cheap and environmentally friendly reagents for removing soot from chimneys. There is no need to prepare specially for cleaning. Simply pour a few large handfuls onto the wood and light the fire right away.
Rock salt cleaning is suitable for lightly soiled systems. A dense layer of soot and soot cannot be destroyed in this way. But as a preventative measure, you can regularly treat chimney ducts with a salt composition.
During fuel combustion, a lot of oxygen is released. It softens the soot on the inner surface of the pipe and reduces its layer.
Part of the soot flies into the atmosphere in the form of gas, and the remainder falls into the kindling part in the form of a dark powder. Then you can simply scoop it out with a metal scoop or remove it with a powerful vacuum cleaner.
Method #2 – Potato peels for pipes
Potato peeling (peeling) is an easy way to rid the chimney of soot and soot. True, to achieve a noticeable effect, you will have to prepare a lot of cleanings - depending on the size of the stove or fireplace, from half to a whole bucket.
They will first need to be dried to a brittle state and only then loaded into a well-heated firebox.
Potato peelings are not suitable for removing a wide layer of greasy, sooty deposits. Organic combustion stimulants are much more active than mineral ones and can be more dangerous to humans than chemicals
During the catalysis process, the bitumen components will gradually burn out, and the result will resemble the effects of chemical reagents, only in a milder version.
Soot powder will continue to pour into the combustion part for a few more days, and then this will stop, and the overall level of system efficiency will improve. Periodic burning of potato peelings is an excellent prevention of back draft in the chimney.
Method #3 – aspen firewood to remove soot
Firing a stove or fireplace with aspen wood is a simple and quite effective cleaning procedure. Its convenience lies in the fact that no additional actions need to be performed. All you need to do is place the wood in the firebox, light the fire and wait for it to burn completely.
There is no difficulty in distinguishing aspen firewood from any other. The forest tree has smooth bark with a dull gray-green or slightly bluish tint and a very light, almost white color when freshly cut.
As a resource for constant heat generation, aspen firewood is not advisable. They burn too quickly and, compared to other types of wood, provide extremely poor heat transfer.
But, as a cleaning element, they are effective and popular. During the heating process, the chimney becomes very hot and is naturally cleared of build-up and deposits.
Removing dirt using folk remedies
The most unpleasant consequence of fuel combustion is a dense layer on the glass, representing fumes and soot. Due to the fact that the basis of this plaque is creosote, which attracts soot particles like a magnet, simple treatment with a damp cloth will not help here. We have to resort to accumulated experience, because we have always encountered similar problems.
- If the glass has become smoked recently, and the soot layer has not had time to dry in the creosote, then it is quite possible to use self-cleaning, which consists of burning dry hardwood firewood with plenty of air access. To do this, you need to open the blower door all the way. At high temperatures, soot particles burn out and the glass is freed from carbon deposits. But this method is good only if you promptly discover that the glass needs to be cleaned.
- Mix equal parts of water and vinegar. The resulting solution is poured into a spray bottle. will have to be dismantled and placed on a horizontal surface. A layer of newspaper is applied to the smoked areas. These newspapers are soaked in the vinegar solution and left for some time. Then the glass should be treated with wet newspapers as a cloth.
Be sure to use rubber gloves while working
Sometimes ash taken from the ash pit is used to clean glass. It is known that it forms an acidic environment. Under the influence of chemical reactions, carbon deposits are broken down and the surface can be washed. For ease of work, use a sponge. The ash should not contain dirt, otherwise the glass may be scratched. Ash is poured onto a moistened sponge and the surface is treated with gentle movements. If necessary, wash the sponge well and add a new portion of ash again. Another recipe for preparing a fireplace glass door soot cleaner is based on mixing ammonia, vinegar, lemon and soda. The soot layer must first be moistened, after which we can easily clean the soot
It is important to remember that an increased concentration of ammonia will make it possible to make a more active solution, and cleaning the glass will be simplified, but the ammonia will quickly evaporate, and this fact will have to be taken into account
Mechanical chimney cleaning: only in the warm season
As a rule, ordinary owners of stoves and fireplaces clean their chimney once, before each heating season, and it’s good if this is enough. And the mechanical method is the oldest and even today it makes sense:
You can clean the chimney manually both from inside the house, from below, and from above, directly from the roof. And for each method there is its own tool.
If you choose the brush that is used from above, you need to tie a rope to it and hook a load onto it, and after that launch it into the chimney through the roof. This will go along the entire chimney and pick up soot from the walls.
It is only important to lower the brush carefully and gradually, slowly, so that the soot is collected efficiently and the load does not damage the chimney itself. In the same way, lower and raise the brush several times until it becomes noticeable that the soot has been cleaned and the blockage has been broken
Typically, such a brush lasts up to three heating seasons. But this method has its disadvantages:
- Firstly, you will need a lot of time for all this, at least an hour;
- Secondly, if you need to clean the chimney, you will not always be able to climb out onto the roof, especially when it is snowing and the wind is strong;
- And finally, with such a device it is quite difficult to clean chimney elbows and hard-to-reach places, or the chimney itself is designed in such a way that it is generally impossible to clean it from the outside, through the roof.
And the method of cleaning the chimney from below, from the room, is much safer for humans. You can easily do all the necessary work and not risk your life. Simply take the brush, place it on the flexible holder and insert it through the heating device or a special inspection hole.
In addition, from below, with the help of long flexible holders, soot is easy to clean even in high bends:
For example, a brush with a telescopic holder is good because it is convenient to use on the roof: you just need to insert one part into another, gradually lowering the brush down, and disassemble it in the reverse order when going up:
Here is a step-by-step illustration of what is needed for mechanical cleaning of a chimney with a brush and a weight:
Methods for cleaning a chimney
If there is only a little soot, it can be removed with potato peelings or salt.
Before cleaning the chimney pipe from soot, you should choose the appropriate method. There are only three of them: mechanical, chemical and manual cleaning.
With a mechanical method, a brush is inserted into the chimney, which knocks soot off the walls. This method cannot always be used, since not every pipe has good access. In addition, the entire contents of the pipes are poured down, after which the garbage must be removed.
The chemical method uses powders and logs. They are placed during the fire. Under the influence of temperature, substances are released that soften the soot and it flies into the pipe or falls down. It is better to use such products for prevention when there is little soot deposits.
Traditional methods are also used to clean pipes. The problem of soot formation is dealt with with salt or potato peelings.
If professional cleaning is required, you can contact the fire department and call a professional. The quality of work will be at the highest level, but you will have to pay for the services.
Mechanical cleaning
A brush with a weight for cleaning the chimney from the roof
This method of cleaning pipes involves the use of additional means. The most common devices are brushes. They come in different diameters for specific chimneys. The brush-ruff is placed on the end of a long and flexible cable; a metal ball can be attached under it for easier passage down. The structure is lowered into the pipe and raised, as a result, soot is cleaned from the walls.
Before you clean the chimney in the stove with your own hands, you should take care of technical safety. When working on a roof, you need to provide insurance to avoid falling. Gloves, goggles and respiratory protection will also be required. A respirator is needed because when cleaning, small dust particles are formed that get into the mouth and nose.
Not every type of chimney can be cleaned from the roof. Sometimes you have to clean a chimney made from sandwich pipes. In this case, cleaning from below using a brush on a flexible hose is required. Professional pipe cleaners use special vacuum cleaners to collect soot that falls off during work.
We invite you to familiarize yourself with Finnish sauna stoves - All about the sauna
Before cleaning the chimney pipe in a private house, you should first place a container in the fireplace into which combustion products will fall.
Dry cleaning
Chemicals for soot removal
If the chimney in your country house is not too clogged, you can use various chemical compounds to remove a small layer of soot. If the chimney pipe is brick, such substances will allow mechanical cleaning to be done less frequently. As an independent cleaning product, they are used for chimneys made of ceramics or stainless steel.
Periodic use of chemical cleaning of soot from chimneys of stoves and fireplaces makes it softer, after which the residue is easier to remove mechanically. The combination of these two methods will keep the chimney free of plaque for a long time.
Among the most popular means for cleaning pipes from soot are the following:
- Kominichek. This is a Czech drug that is sold in paper bags in the form of granules. Place the bag on top of the wood in a preheated oven without tearing it. During the combustion process, substances will be released that will effectively clean the pipes. Recommended for use when the soot layer does not exceed 2 mm.
- Log. They are produced under the names Chimney Sweep and others. Boxes will vary in appearance depending on the manufacturer. The rules for use are the same - the log must be placed in a well-heated oven. During the combustion process, smoke will be released, softening the soot. It will evaporate or fall down.
- Powders for cleaning pipes. Available in the form of packages with prepackaged powder. The package should be placed in a hot oven. There are both domestic and foreign production.
Traditional methods
Aspen logs burn soot, but they are used only for prevention, so that if there is a large deposit of soot, a fire does not occur.
If it is impossible to clean the pipes mechanically or chemically, you can use folk remedies. The simplest of them is heating an already heated stove with aspen wood. The flame from them is hotter, the soot burns instantly. But this method cannot be used if there is a large deposit - soot can explode and damage the chimney.
There are safer ways to clean a chimney using folk remedies. Place a kilogram of table salt or a bucket of potato peelings into a hot and heated oven and heat it. They should first be dried so as not to lower the temperature in the firebox. The effect of the products will be milder than that of chemical drugs.
All options for cleaning the smoke channel can be divided into three groups.
The most common remedy for soot buildup in a chimney is rock salt. It is usually sprinkled onto the fuel during the combustion process. However, this option can be considered, rather, as a prevention of soot formation. It will not help to radically clean the pipe.
A more effective means for cleaning chimneys is potato peelings or simply chopped potatoes. Their quantity is determined by the size of the heating device, but on average it usually takes about a bucket. The peelings are poured directly into the fire. The starch released along with the steam softens the soot and it comes out of the pipe. After the procedure, you need to clean the oven. Sometimes this operation is carried out before mechanical cleaning, which is much easier.
Another remedy is aspen firewood. Several armfuls of such fuel are burned in a furnace. However, we must immediately make a reservation that this is a rather dangerous method. It involves heating the chimney to very high temperatures, as a result of which the soot begins to burn out. Before using this method, you should make sure that the chimney is strong. In addition, soot deposits must be small, otherwise even the most durable pipe will not withstand the loads and will collapse.
Soot is deposited inside the chimney and closes the exhaust channel space. The draft deteriorates, the efficiency of the heating device decreases and the risk of fire increases
The industry produces many products designed to clean chimneys. These are a variety of powders, liquids and briquettes. They are added to the firebox during fuel combustion. They light up and release substances that are harmless to humans, destroying deposits on the walls of the smoke channel, which crumble down.
When looking for how to clean your chimney from a small layer of soot, you should pay attention to the Czech product Kominichek. This powder, when heated, causes a catalytic reaction, causing the soot to burn at a lower temperature. The most popular is the “Log Chimney Sweep”, which can be used in all types of appliances operating on liquid and solid fuels.
Before using the “Log Chimney Sweep” for the first time this heating season, you should inspect the chimney to be sure that it is not clogged with debris or foreign objects. The briquette can be burned with or without fuel. However, for maximum effectiveness, it is placed on hot coals.
Before this, the log is removed from the packaging, but the wrapper is not removed. You should wait until the briquette flares up; if this does not happen, the wrapper is set on fire on both sides. The action of the active substance lasts for two weeks. During this time, soot may fall out. After this period, you should inspect the pipe and clean the firebox.
An effective means for cleaning a chimney is a special log. When burning, it releases volatile substances that destroy soot deposited in the smoke channel
Whom to believe is up to you.
No matter how advanced humanity has become in terms of technology, mechanical cleaning of chimneys, just like hundreds of years ago, remains the simplest, most reliable and effective way to remove soot and deposits. Depending on which gas ducts need to be cleaned - vertical or horizontal - a variety of scrapers, blades, brushes and brooms are used.
You can make a tool for servicing furnace channels yourself or buy it in specialized departments of construction markets. Most often, a brush-brush is used to remove soot in vertical flues, and a poker and a brush with stiff bristles are used in horizontal flues. If necessary, attach a handle of the required length to the tool.
A brush for cleaning a chimney can easily be made from scrap materials.
Previously, you could call a chimney sweep to clean your chimney. Since today people of this profession are extremely rare, we will tell you in detail how to properly clean soot from a stove or fireplace:
- Clean the firebox from ash and unburnt solid fuel residues.
- Close the ash pan, firebox and all cleaning doors tightly - remember that soot consists of microscopic particles that can penetrate into the narrowest cracks. An open fireplace should be curtained with thick cloth, which should be moistened generously with water.
- Following safety precautions, climb onto the roof. You should have a brush with you, tied to a long rope.
- Inspect the vertical flue for contamination with large debris. If large foreign objects get into the chimney, or the smoke channel is blocked by a broken half of a brick, then it can be freed using a cable with a heavy weight in the shape of a ball. It is not recommended to use objects of complex shape (with a displaced center of gravity) for these purposes. They often turn and get stuck in the oven channels, requiring additional effort and time to remove.
- After removing the blockage, lower the bristled brush into the chimney and, using progressive up and down movements, clean the walls along the entire height of the pipe. If the chimney has not been cleaned for a long time, or if damp wood with a high resin content was used for the firebox, then a thick layer of deposits can only be removed with a metal scraper.
- Check the result of your work and go down. Your next goal is the remaining vertical and horizontal channels. They can be accessed through the cleaning doors. Opening them one by one in the direction from the chimney to the mouth of the stove, remove carbon deposits with scrapers and hard brooms and scoop them out of the channels with a poker.
- Stoves with a wide firebox, as well as fireplaces, are also cleaned from the firebox side. Lastly, carbon deposits are scraped off the walls of the fuel chamber and the ash pan, after which the soot is scooped out and the under and grate is cleaned.
We suggest you familiarize yourself with How to cover a roof with ondulin with your own hands: instructions
From grout on brick
It is best to remove grout from the surface of the brick immediately. If a day has passed since application, you can lightly moisten the contaminated areas with water, wait 20 minutes, then clean with a spatula.
If much more time has passed, then you need to proceed according to the following scheme:
- Purchase a special solution in the store and dilute it according to the instructions.
- Apply to surface.
- Wait a certain time.
- Clean off with a spatula.
You need to act carefully and do not leave the product on for longer than the prescribed time. Before starting work, it is best to seal the seams with thin masking tape to prevent chemicals from getting into them.
Why do you need to clean your chimney?
The condition of the structure determines the safety of the people living in the house. Carbon dioxide is invisible and odorless, but it is highly toxic and its effects on humans can be fatal. The quality of operation of a fireplace or stove directly depends on the condition of the chimney in the house, especially if you made it yourself. Over time, the lumen area of the channel through which the smoke exits begins to decrease, reducing the draft force. If the clearance becomes too small, it may cause the fireplace to malfunction.
There are other reasons why the chimney must be cleaned. First of all, over time, the walls of the structure will begin to collapse, including due to high temperatures and chemical reactions. Due to the large amount of soot, you are unlikely to be able to react in time to the appearance of defects on the walls. Soot on the surface also prevents good traction, resulting in a significantly longer warm-up time. This in turn leads to excessive fuel consumption.
If there is a lot of soot inside the chimney, flames appear - this can cause a fire. Now you know why work to remove soot and other foreign objects from the chimney must be carried out regularly. And now we will tell you which chimney cleaning product is best to purchase, and also share popular cleaning “tips”.
Special cases of chimney cleaning
Some chimney cleaning situations require separate consideration.
How to clean a chimney pipe in a private house
The entire process of cleaning a chimney has already been briefly described above. To what has been said, you only need to add that if the smoke channel is severely clogged, the first operation is to punch through the carbon deposits with a core without additional devices. Only after this are brushes of different sizes and designs used sequentially.
When performing work, care should be taken to create safe working conditions.
When working at height, be sure to wear a safety rope
Video: how to clean a chimney in a private house
https://youtube.com/watch?v=mZ_DrH7-jpY
Cleaning the chimney in the bathhouse
The chimney in a bathhouse is usually simpler. And most often it is made from stainless steel pipes, which requires special attention to its cleaning. In order not to negate its main advantage - the high quality of the internal surface - cleaning should be done only with soft plastic or brushes made from natural materials. It is easiest to manage with straight pipelines, and if there are elbows - let us remind you that there should be no more than two of them - you may have to dismantle the chimney if special windows for cleaning were not provided in it during installation.
Otherwise, preventive measures and cleaning are carried out in the same way.
Cleaning the chimney pipe from resins
When considering the composition of flue gases, you need to pay attention to two main components - water vapor from fuel and vapors from creosote, which is difficult to ignite. 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 to combat tar deposits is to prevent its formation. For this, various products are used that are produced specifically for this case.
HANSA effectively protects chimney walls from tar formation
For example, the known composition HANSA is a fine crystalline substance. Part of it turns wood into resin and water vapor, and the second, reacting with the resin substance, promotes its decomposition and combustion at the temperature in the furnace. The remaining resin on the walls turns into a brittle crystalline composition that crumbles inside the furnace.
This composition is placed inside a burning firebox. The frequency of use at the beginning of operation of the heating unit is daily, then you can switch to using it once a week.
Cleaning a curved chimney
Bends in the smoke duct are always a necessary measure caused by the design features of the building. However, periodic cleaning is necessary. For this purpose, the pipeline design includes elements that can be used to perform this operation easily and simply. These are special hatches, when opened, it becomes possible to access the straight section of the bend. It is not recommended to make the length of inclined sections more than a meter in size. 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 the chimney of a gas water heater
The reason for cleaning the chimney of a gas water heater is its banal clogging with deterioration of 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 deteriorating traction 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 brush is used. Recently, specially designed vacuum cleaners have often been used to reliably clean the surface of the pipe and collect contaminants. In difficult cases, when deposits cannot be removed with a brush or vacuum cleaner, special chemicals are used to soften and remove them. Considering that the use of preventive agents on the dispenser pipe is impossible, immediate measures should be taken if signs of clogging are detected.
It must be recognized that the success of using solid fuel furnace equipment depends to the greatest extent on the correct operation of the units and 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 beneficial warmth in your home for a long time. I wish you success!
Why does the chimney become clogged?
Clogging of chimney ducts is a natural process that occurs as a result of combustion.
Only part of the fuel, breaking down into fractions, acquires a gaseous form and is released into the atmosphere as an emission. Other fragments with a heavier, dense structure take the form of soot deposits and settle on the inner surface of the pipeline, over time significantly worsening its throughput.
The chimney pipe coming out of the roof must be covered with a special windproof cap. Then, during the seasonal downtime, a bird or wasp nest will not be built there, and in winter, leaves, branches, ice and other foreign elements will not get inside
The use of firewood from coniferous trees causes clogging of channels. Viscous resinous substances, contained in excess in the composition, form a powerful adhesive base and help retain soot deposits on it.
Such contamination is difficult to clean with preparations and requires careful removal using mechanical devices.
Household waste, packaging containers, remains of old furniture, textiles and other items that are not a fuel resource by definition, during combustion, emit caustic ether complexes, heavy carcinogens and resinous compounds.
Therefore, burning such human waste in the furnace of a stove or fireplace negatively affects the operation of heating equipment of any class.
All of them, in the form of a dense, viscous sediment, cover the inner surface of the pipes and create conditions for retaining soot, carbon deposits and soot. The channel through which gaseous elements escape into the atmosphere narrows to a minimum, the draft overturns, and part of the smoke enters the living room.
The temperature in the room drops, and the use of heating equipment becomes dangerous due to the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.
They accelerate the clogging of the chimney channel with deposits of firewood from recently cut, damp forest.
If the current humidity of a log exceeds 12%, throwing it into the firebox immediately is strictly prohibited. It must be thoroughly dried in a warm room for at least 1 week.
Damp logs reduce the level of heat transfer by 35%, quickly clog the smoke exhaust system, and eventually cause it to fail.
Soot, which covers the inside of the pipe in a thick layer, is highly flammable and can suddenly ignite. This is fraught with a fire in the premises and the spread of fire to neighboring houses and nearby outbuildings
Sometimes the active accumulation of soot inside the pipe is provoked by mistakes made accidentally or due to inexperience during the process of laying the firebox and arranging the chimney for the fireplace or stove.
It could be:
- incorrectly calculated pipe angle;
- the walls of the drainage system are too thin;
- incorrectly selected chimney pipe;
- increased volume of condensate formed due to insufficient thermal insulation;
- excessive number of bends and turns of the chimney;
- roughness on the inner surface of the outlet channels.
It is these reasons that accelerate the contamination of chimneys and reduce the efficiency of stoves, boilers and fireplaces several times. Homeowners are advised to be very careful when choosing stove makers and to contact only those who have already proven their skills and high qualifications.
Otherwise, the question of how to clean your home chimney will arise with enviable regularity, causing you a lot of trouble and requiring constant financial costs.
Signs of a clogged chimney
When the flue gas exhaust channel becomes clogged, it will be immediately visible. The main signs of a clogged channel will be the following:
- Deterioration of draft in the stove or fireplace. You need to check the gate, and if it is in the open position, it means that the pipe is overdue for cleaning.
- Gradual attenuation of the flame in the furnace of a heating unit.
- Difficult fuel combustion. If you use dry wood and it doesn't burn, the chimney is most likely to blame.
- Changing the color of the flame in the firebox. You should be especially wary if it has acquired an orange color.
- Strong unpleasant odor. If acrid smoke appears in the room during the combustion process, it means that carbon monoxide (carbon monoxide) is entering it. In this case, the room should be well ventilated, the firebox should be interrupted and measures should be taken to clean the chimney.
What to do if the chimney is clogged
Before the start of the heating season, you must inspect the inside of the chimney for blockages. In the warm season, birds with a nest may settle in it, or debris may appear, blown into the pipe by the wind. To avoid this, the chimney must be equipped at the installation stage with a cap with a mesh that prevents 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 during the cold season, you can carefully consider the situation and think through options for getting out of it.
The presence of draft in the firebox must be checked every time the stove is ignited - the flame must deviate towards the chimney
Is it possible to avoid soot?
Let’s immediately answer the question with a negative, because the release of combustion products is typical for any type of fuel to a certain extent, and we’ll talk about this degree in more detail. When using gas to operate a fireplace, many people renounce the reality of a real hearth. But they compensate for this with rare device maintenance sessions. Even if glass smokes, it does so very slowly compared to wood-burning models.
But if the time has quickly come to clean the door, then you should pay attention to this fact
Cleaning after use
Why does soot form at all? The fact is that the fuel does not burn completely. The more oxygen supplied to the firebox, the better the oxidation reaction occurs. The formation of soot indicates a lack of oxygen. In the case of a gas fireplace, the dosage is regulated on the nozzles. One thing can be said about a wood-burning fireplace - the chimney is clogged or the ash pan has not been cleaned out. Although such a procedure as cleaning the chimney also awaits owners of gas equipment.
Different tree species, of which , contain different amounts of resins. When they are burned, soot is formed, which settles on the glass. Therefore, it is recommended to stock up on hardwood firewood. The logs should be thoroughly dried before use. Excessive humidity levels cause poor combustion and soot production.
If you find that it is time to wash the door glass, then try adding a handful of salt to the firewood first. This method was often used in the past to soften the soot before cleaning the chimney. There are special fuel additives that inhibit the formation of soot. This is a kind of catalyst for additional combustion of secondary products.
Make it a rule to remove light deposits immediately after the fireplace has gone out and cooled down. Daily cleaning is better than drastic action in case of contamination. After regular cleaning, apply a soap solution to the glass; there is no need to wash it. The next day, after lighting the fireplace, the glass will become transparent on its own. When constructing a firebox, a small gap is left at the top of the fireplace opening, through which some of the air enters the chamber. This part, by its flow, prevents soot from settling on the door.
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Pechnik (Moscow)
A heating installation with a closed combustion chamber is more demanding to maintain. This is due to various formations, which can be easily eliminated if you know what methods need to be used. A fireplace glass cleaner is an excellent opportunity to quickly and easily remove any dirt or debris from this surface.
Cleaning the glass of the fireplace from soot must be carried out according to certain rules. This will protect and preserve the glass surface. You can find out more about cleaning methods, the compositions used and the reasons for the frequent occurrence of this problem later in this article.
Causes of pollution
If you want to know why glass smokes in a fireplace, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the following possible prerequisites:
- When using gas equipment, the appearance of deposits and soot may indicate that the burners are clogged or the jets are installed in the wrong position. All this can subsequently lead not only to pollution, but also to improper supply of air and gas;
- If the main component of the furnace unit is propane, various deposits and other contaminants appear on its surfaces very often and quickly. The reason for this may be an incorrect ratio of each component (air, gas) or low quality fuel. Also, the reason may be that the regulator tank is faulty;
- The most problematic are classic wood-burning installations. Soot and soot can form if you use coniferous wood as a solid fuel. Also, the fuel itself may not burn completely, or the reason may be hidden in a clogged chimney pipe. You can learn how to clean a chimney from this article >>>
Regular maintenance allows you to quickly deal with emerging stains in the future.
Regular maintenance allows you to quickly deal with emerging stains in the future.
Important: if
the glass of the fireplace turns black or other contamination occurs more often than once every two weeks, this indicates the presence of internal malfunctions or violation of operating rules.
You can take a closer look at the different types of pollution by watching the video in this article.