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i heard that a empty soda can works just as good as a kwikstick or creasto log to help dry up creasto in your pipes. the guy told me to do it once a month .is this true. i haven't tried it yet.
To be blunt - are you crazy?????? I'm kind of surprised how many people on this board don't seem to be concerned about starting a chimney fire. What on earth would be in a can that would clean your chimney and what if it explodes in your woodstove?
For starters, those creosote removing sticks and logs don't really clean your chimney and can actually start a chimney fire if the creosote build up is bad enough. You should either be paying a chimney sweep to come out AT LEAST once a year and clean it or do it yourself if you can get up on your roof. You'll need to see what size brush you need by looking down into the chimney to see the shape and size of your flue. The brushes aren't expensive - maybe $20-$30. You can find them at any woodstove supply store, a lot of hardware stores carry them too.
You know, I live out in the country. A lot of people here have wood and pellet stoves. There are several chimney fires out here every winter. If you get a chimney fire, at best your chimney and woodstove will be damaged. At worst you could lose your house and all your belongings or your life.
i wouldn't try it either...i have been burning wood in a wood stove for about 30 yrs in upstate n.y...never an out of control fire yet and i have always had the metal pipe chimney...basically prevention is the answer...i start out with a clean chimney (i have always had my own rod and appropriate size brush) burn seasoned wood...use a thermometer either on chimney or stove top and burn within the safe range and once a week i do burn it a bit hotter than recommended to cause the creosote if there is any formed to become crispy and fall or/and i use the rutland chimney cleaner two or three times a week as it also causes the creosote to change it's composition from gooey to crispy...i do tap on the chimney with a 2" x 1" thick wood to cause the crispy matter to fall...i then take the top off my jotul wood stove and vacuum it out...simple...
I have heard about the tin cans also the idea behind this is the can will splinter and send little chards up the chimmy to scrape off the buildup- Ive heard its works -dont know. Ive also heard to put potatoe peelings in the stove to remove creso but again never tried it, I have found nothing works better than bitting the bullet and cleaning it yourself then you know its done right.
I'm a bit skeptical about the whole tin can sending shards up the chimney thing...but even if it did you'd probably need thousands of cans to even come close to doing the job. And this is an area where it's not really advisable to take chances--it's fine to try homemade remedies for cleaning, taking care of pests on plants, etc since the impact if they don't work is fairly minimal, but here if it doesn't work you can end up burning down your house so I'd stay away from the homemade stuff. So I'm with you, definitely best to bite the bullet and do it properly.
RickyM ~ recycle those cans, sell the aluminum and hire a chimenysweep with that money! It will be the safest way out for you, your home and the environment! Also, burn only dry wood and little or no paper. That will serve to keep it burning cleanly.
the creosote sticks harden the creosote so it will fall off easily when you sweep out your chimney in the fall.
or summer, your choice. then, you take off the chimney inside or push it aside and vacuum out the
bazillions of pieces of creosote that have fallen down, and the other that has burnt to a grey ash on top of
the woodstove inside top fireplate. Good as new.
Re burning an aluminum can: you would need a VERY HOT furnace fire to make a dent in that aluminum
can to do anything. Old wives tales. Get some of those stick things and burn one a week and it turns
the black creosote goo into crusty hard clinkers that will brush off.
Sheri
