How to Cleaning a Woodstove Pipe

Overview:

Knowing how to clean a woodstove pipe is an essential routine maintenance requirement to maintain stove burning efficiency and reduce the risk of a chimney fire. How often you clean your stove pipe and chimney depends upon the quantity and quality of wood you burn. Ones a year is adequate if you are burning dry hardwood in your wood burning stove, however, if you are burning more than three cord of wood a year or you wood is softwood and the wood is not dried to less than 20% moisture by weight, you probably should clean your pipe more often.

The best time of year for cleaning a stove pipe is right after the wood burning season. This will give the pipe all summer to dry and will reduce any odor that can emit from the pipe during the summer season. Use of a wood stove requires regular attention to a few maintenance procedures and proper cleaning of the chimney and stove pipe to remove creosote deposits. Creosote is an inevitable by-product of burning wood.

A more specific rule to follow for how to clean the woodstove pipe and chimney is whenever there is a 1/4 inch or more creosote buildup on the walls. This is an easy DIY homeowner task that can be performed by using a stiff wire brush designed for the purpose.

Cleaning a woodstove pipe and the chimney can be a messy task because of the creosote deposits that are scraped out of the pipe and chimney. Take care to prevent dust and creosote from settling in the house. Wear a face mask when cleaning the woodstove pipe to avoid inhaling the creosote particles.

Check the wood stove installation at least once a year to be sure that there is no hazard created by the stove and that clearances from combustible surfaces are maintained.  The stove pipe is subjected to high temperatures and will corrode in time. It must be checked periodically and replaced when it appears to be corroding beyond safe limits. Cracks or holes in woodstove pipes and chimneys can cause a house fire.  

The pipe should be thoroughly inspection for corrosion and holes while you have the pipe disassembled for cleaning. If there are any suspect areas of damage the pipe should be replaced before the next burning season. Keep in mind that the pipe is constantly going through expansion and contraction cycles during the burning season. These heat cycles will cause wear in the joints and screw holes.

Unfortunately cleaning the pipe is a messy job. With a little bit of precaution the mess can become manageable. Refer to our EBook section for detailed instruction for how to clean a woodstove pipe and inspection of the pipe.

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Chimney Sweeping | How to Clean a Chimney

Wood Burning Stoves

Fireplace and Woodstove Safety

Fireplace Efficiency

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