Ways and tips on how to clean the chimney in the bath

Outside the city, a favorite place for many people is a bathhouse. During the combustion of some materials, soot and soot accumulate on the walls. If you heat the bath with wood or coal, then the precipitate forms on the inside of the pipe quickly enough. Against this background, the lumen of the pipe decreases, which can cause a fire. There are several ways to clean the chimney and remove the blockage in the furnace channel in the bath.

Types of blockages in the chimney pipe

When wood burns, carbon monoxide and smoke are released. The black tint is the result of soot, coal and creosote.

Pipes in the bath can become clogged for several reasons:

• the formation of soot and soot;
• accumulation of condensate;
• ingress of foreign objects;
• resin deposition;
• accumulation of ash.

All wood contains resin. When heated, they decompose and volatilize. In the future, they settle on the walls of the pipe. With frequent use of the bath, deposits are layered on top of each other and there is a high probability of complete blocking of the through hole. The thickness of the layer depends on the structure of the surface.

The formation of blockages can be affected by a violation of the rules for laying the chimney, as well as poor-quality material from which the channel is made.

The chimney can become clogged when burning garbage: plastic bottles, plywood, firewood with paint, etc. As a result, the oxide from the garbage will settle faster.

The rate of heating of the bath, the activity of burning products will depend on how the chimney pipe is cleaned.

If you do not clean the chimney, then the smoke will not be able to go outside, which means it will accumulate inside the room. In the future, this can provoke suffocation. Over time, the walls will begin to collapse due to high temperature and chemical reactions. In addition, there may be poor draft and a large amount of ash can lead to fire or fire.

When and how often to clean the chimney

The main signs that indicate that it’s time to clean the chimney:

1. Poor draft from the furnace during combustion;
2. Black smoke from the chimney;
3. Flakes of soot fly from the chimney;
4. Smoke enters the room;
5. You have to open the lower damper more strongly so that the firewood burns;
6. Arbitrary attenuation of the flame;
7. There was an unpleasant odor while burning.

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If the layer of plaque is thick enough, then during the firebox it can catch fire from sparks. This may contribute to the destruction of the chimney system.

If the design is of a simple type, then the chimney can be cleaned independently. Work should be carried out from the inside and from the outside of the building.

The stove chimney is cleaned regularly every six months. However, the procedure can be carried out earlier if characteristic signs of clogging are observed.

Cleaning methods

Depending on the length of the chimney, the material of the pipe, cleaning can be done in several ways: mechanical and chemical. There are also folk methods that were used by our ancestors. If you do the work using one of these methods, then the sauna stove will become clogged much less often.

You can clean the pipe with your own hands, and if you have any questions, seek help from specialists.

In order to avoid problems when cleaning the smoke channel, all methods should be considered, as well as additional factors should be taken into account: access to the pipe, clogging, the material from which the chimney is made.

mechanical method

This is the easiest and most popular chimney cleaning method. It is important to know how to clean the channel so as not to damage the entire system.

When using this method, it is desirable to assess how clogged and narrowed the lumen. To clean this way, you should purchase a special brush. Thanks to it, you can remove the resulting layer of soot or soot. This brush has a flexible handle that allows you to thoroughly clean the pipe. You can use a special flexible stick, which is screwed into each other.

If the chimney is metal, then you can not use a brush or brush with a metal base, as this can damage the structure. It is recommended to use a polymer brush made of plastic.

When choosing a cleaning tool, it is important that it matches the size of the pipe. The device moves up and down.

Some masters attach a load to the bottom of the brush, which they put on the cable. It is advisable to take a cable that is designed for cleaning sewers. It rolls well and doesn’t bend. This method is used when a congestion has formed and the ruff does not go further.

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Before you start cleaning, you should close all openings that lead into the house. This will prevent soot from getting inside. An open fireplace should be hung with a damp cloth. Mechanical cleaning is recommended when the soot layer is more than 1.5 mm thick. You can do the cleaning on your own, without involving other specialists.

chemical method

You can get rid of soot and soot with the help of chemicals. Substances destroy the formed deposits and do not harm health.

The most popular means for removing soot and soot are:

• «Kominichek»;
• «Chimney sweep»;
• Anti-staining chemical composition.

These are convenient and safe tools that allow you to clean the chimney without physical effort and cost.

In construction and hardware stores you can find a wide variety of different chimney cleaners in the form of tablets, briquettes, logs. The principle of operation is as follows: the chemical decomposes combustion products, which prevents the formation of soot. Under the influence of high temperature, the granules will melt and a substance that dissolves soot is released. This happens by a catalytic reaction — soot burns without the formation of a flame.

The tool is placed in the oven and burned with firewood. In case of severe clogging, several packs can be used. Although these chemicals are harmless, at high concentrations they can be dangerous to the skin and mucous membranes. To avoid this, it is not necessary to remove the protective sheath. After cleaning, ventilate the room.

This method is not recommended to be used more than twice a month. After the procedure, heat transfer will increase and the consumption of solid fuel will decrease.

Folk ways

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One of the methods for cleaning the chimney from accumulated soot is the use of aspen firewood. Wood differs from other species in the absence of resins and low density.

First you need to prepare firewood. They must be dry and clean. First, start a fire using birch or other traditional wood. Then load aspen logs into the firebox. The oven door and damper must be opened. Firewood should flare up strongly and the formed flame will penetrate into the chimney. The soot will then ignite on the walls of the chimney. In the process of kindling, you can hear the hum of the stove, orange smoke above the chimney, and white flakes on the ground around the bath. These signs indicate that the process has reached a certain phase.

If the soot blockage is strong, then you can break through it with boiling water. Before melting the stove, you need to pour a few liters of hot water into the pipe from above. Steep boiling water softens growths and promotes the destruction of hot combustion products. As a result, the plaque will fly out along with the smoke.

In order to prevent the formation of soot, table salt should be used. During the firebox, a small amount of sodium chloride should be poured into the firewood.

Effective remedies for the accumulation of soot are potato peelings and naphthalene.

Recommendations from experienced professionals

• Before you start cleaning, you need to cool the stove and clean the firebox, as well as remove the dampers. Work should be carried out using protective equipment. During the procedure, harmful substances can scatter and get on the mucous membranes.
• It is desirable to combine methods for cleaning the chimney for preventive purposes.
• Soot may appear again in a cleaned pipe over time, therefore, for the purposes of prevention, it is recommended to perform work at least 1-2 times every six months.
• It is impossible to carry out work in rainy and windy weather. With a carbon deposit thickness of more than 2 mm, major cleaning will be required.
• When cleaning the chimney on the roof, a safety device must be prepared.
• It is recommended to prevent excessive accumulation of soot and not to allow it at all, since cleaning requires a lot of time and effort.
• It is undesirable to use resinous rocks for the firebox.
• If the clogging is severe, then two methods can be combined: first clean it using chemicals, and then mechanically.
• When using chemicals, read the instructions. Some of them can be applied in different ways, so it is important to know all the nuances: whether or not to remove the wrapper, whether it is necessary to ventilate the room, etc.
• If objects with a displaced center of gravity are used during mechanical cleaning, then there is a high probability that they will get stuck in the pipe. To remove it, you will need to completely disassemble the chimney.

These tips are useful to know not only for beginners, but also for experienced craftsmen.