Flue Free Cleaner - Any good?

[Stereo]

We have an Esse W23 in the kitchen with a slightly complex flue. It has 2 x 45's in it and even though I have the super flexy rods and the brush with the ball on the end, I can't get around the second bend from the bottom. The only way to clean the top vertical bit is to get up on the roof and stick a brush down it. A bit of a pain as I like to give it a quick sweep every month through the winter for best performance.

 

As the Esse tends to burn a little slower than a standard stove it can gum up, especially if we are pushed to burn wood which isn't perfectly dry.

 

So I saw this powder you can bung in once a week or so and it is supposed to make creosote build up brittle so that it doesn't cause a problem.

 

Anyone used it, is it any good?

[Robert_S]

ive just got some last week and will be trying it out next week, i will let you know how it fairs

[County4x4]

Opinions are varied on these products. An American manufacturer of a similar product was fined heavily and forced to change it's advertising as it was making claims that didn't stand up.

 

The main thing to remember is that none of these type of products are intended to be a replacement for chimney sweeping - they are just supposed to make it easier.

 

What sort of brush are you using with your rods? A proper chimney sweep should be able to sort you out without going up on the roof.

 

Andy

 

Edited to ask if your Esse heats the water as well? If you're having problems with the stove tarring up it might be worth looking at the temperature the return stat is set at - upping it by a few degrees could make a huge difference

Edited August 22, 2010 by County4x4

[skyhuck]

I was told burning your potato peelings on a hot fire has the same affect.

[Robert_S]

I was told burning your potato peelings on a hot fire has the same affect.

 

Really? thats ironic as the stuff i bought was cheap as chips. boom boom.............ill get my coat

 

I will try that as well instead of putting them in the compost bin.

[Stereo]

I've tried various brushes. The standard type which I've always used for our old Villager with a straight up and down 6m flue. 10 minutes to sweep once a month with no mess.

 

I bought some expensive flexi rods with a special brush which has a ball sticking out of it. The intention being that the ball will find it's way around the bend. The flue is 4' up, then a 45 to the lright, a 4' diagonal and then a 45 to the left and the rest is straight up to the top. I think the issue is that just after the second 45, the flue changes to insulated stuff as this is where it goes through the roof. I just can't get the brush to go around the second 45. I think it's the fact that the rod is bowed downwards after the first turn and I'm asking it to bend the opposite way.

 

Maybe I should hire a sweep and see what he uses.

[rapidlee]

have you tried to twist it past the second 45 or have you got a rod with a bit of a bend in it and have this one first. the twist with the bent rod may help it slip past

[woodrascal]

Another option would be to replace the second 45 with a 45 fitted with an inspection door - not a simple job, but it would surely beat getting up on the roof in the winter!

 

As an aside, we've had a W23 for 3 years and service it 3 times a year (including sweeping the chimney system). We've never had any 'gumming up' in any of the flueways. All we get out of it is fine, powdery soot and some ash. Mind you, we only burn dry wood on it.

[Stereo]

I thought about fitting a cover here but as you say, bit of a pain. Would need to take the whole thing down more or less.

 

On another note, how do you get on with yours? We have underfloor heating with a heatstore and find that this takes a lot of heat out of the stove. Boiling a kettle can take 15 minutes unless we put the door on the catch. I do love the thing but sometimes thing we are not getting the best out of it. Kind of wish we'd just gone for a cooking only one as it warms up the whole downstairs anyway with ambient heat.

[woodrascal]

The boiler fitted one's do take out a lot of heat to drive the water side of things and they really do require a lot more fuel than the cook only versions (which is fair enough I suppose). We've found that when running in 'summer baffle' mode, the cooker does respond a lot quicker.

 

15 minutes to boil a kettle sounds like a very long time, however it's configured - who installed it?