It's a dirty job but an essential one. Cleaning your wood pellet stove vent pipe removes deadly creosote and helps you spot other problems before they worsen. Creosote is the technical name for the unburned energy released from any wood product. As it hits the cooler air inside the pipe, it gathers moisture and turns to a sticky, tarlike substance that sticks to the interior. Unused energy is, of course, a waste of fuel. What's worse, it's a fire hazard as well. While a pellet stove is more energy-efficient than regular fireplaces or wood stoves, it isn't completely creosote-free. Cleaning your stove's vent pipe regularly will protect your family and your home.
Unplug your pellet stove on a day when the stove has not operated for at least 24 hours to prevent a seemingly cold ember from flaring to life during the cleaning. Choose a calm day when the wind will not create a downdraft, which reverses the air flow through the vent pipe. Open a room window to create negative pressure, which counteracts slight downdrafts.
Locate the pellet stove's clean-out tee, a T-shaped section of pipe that not only signals a change from a horizontally running pipe to a vertically climbing pipe, but also allows easy cleaning access. The tee may be outside the home, but typically is inside, directly behind the stove. Spread an old sheet or similar protection over the floor under the interior portion of the stove's vent pipe. Remove the clean-out tee's cover, which may screw off, pry off or twist free instead.
Find a good place to separate two sections of the pipe behind the unit if your pellet stove pipe doesn't have a clean-out tee. Use either a screwdriver to separate two pieces that are screwed together to attach, or cut through tape or sealant for sections that friction-fit together instead. Grab the pipe and twist loose -- it may tend to stick stubbornly.
Dampen an old sheet or blanket lightly. Either drape it over the end of a vent pipe or loop it over the open end of the tee and the adjacent horizontal pipe. Set a 5-gallon bucket under the opening and arrange the sheet to ensure any ash or creosote you knock loose during cleaning will fall into the bucket or remain in the sheeting. This helps prevent excess mess in your home.
Climb up to the roof, if the vent terminates there, or go to the vent opening on the side of your house, alternatively. Remove the vent chimney cap and any screening present. The cap may be attached with screws, glued in place or twist together for a friction fit. Once the assembly is gone you should be able to see down the pipe a distance using a flashlight.
Clean the vent pipe, from the outside opening, using either a 3- or 4-inch (the size of a pellet vent pipe) plastic- or flexible steel-bristled brush. Avoid stiff-bristled brushes that may damage the vent pipe lining. Use a swirling motion as you sweep down the pipe, then reverse the swirl as you pull it back up the pipe. Repeat until you notice the soot and debris that emerges with the brush is growing less. Shine a flashlight down the pipe interior to double-check.
Lengthen the pipe brush as needed with rods. Alternatively, tie a long rope to either end of the brush and lower the brush, one rope first, to the bottom of the open vent inside the house. Have a helper grab the rope and work the brush back and forth between you. A one-person job, if you can get the brush through the whole pipe by yourself, does a better job with less mess.
Replace the chimney cap and any screening once the brushing is complete. Carry your tools with you as you move back into the house. Wait 15 to 20 minutes before proceeding, if you did the job by yourself, to allow the creosote and fly ash to settle on the other end of the pipe.
Unwrap the clean-out tee opening or pipe end. Gather the sheet up as you work to contain as much ash and creosote inside the material as possible. Allow the rest to fall into the bucket. Gently sweep the end of the pipe to finish the debris removal. Recap the tee or rejoin the pipe sections and cover with a high-temperature silicone sealant designed for the purpose before cleaning up the mess.
Things You Will Need
- Old sheet or blanket
- 5-gallon bucket
- 3- or 4-inch vent pipe brushes
- High-temperature silicone sealant
- Garbage bag
- Dump the contents of your sheet into a garbage bag outside. Shake the sheet to remove clinging debris. Avoid breathing the soot and creosote, which is unhealthy for your lungs.
- Clean your pellet stove vent pipe as often as necessary to prevent dangerous buildup. The hotter your stove burns, the less buildup you will experience. Wet fuel, low fires and clogged vent pipes will not only lower your burning efficiency but encourage greater buildup. Never allow a layer of buildup deeper than 1/4 inch to coat any vent pipe.
- Perform other maintenance tasks during chimney cleaning. Dump the ashes, clean other portions and check your pipe connections to ensure everything is sealed properly.
- Creosote has three stages. At stage one, it's flaky, dry and black or gray. At this point it's easy to brush free. Stage-two creosote is brittle, rather than dry like stage one. It's shiny and thicker. It will be more difficult to scrub out of the pipe than stage one. Stage three is the worst. It's glazed, hard, sticky and tarlike. It has a strong odor and is highly flammable. Stage three creosote generally requires professional removal.
- Wear protective gloves and a face mask during chimney cleaning.
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