Wood Stove Chimney Cleaning in Whitney Point, NY

How Creosote Builds in a Stove Chimney

Every wood fire sends some unburned smoke up the chimney. When that smoke cools before it gets out, it sticks to the flue as creosote. The cooler the smoke, the faster it builds. Banking the stove down for an all-night burn, burning green wood and running a stove on an oversized or outside chimney all cool the smoke and speed it up.

Creosote comes in three stages. First it's dry, flaky soot that a brush clears easily. Then it turns crunchy and tar-like. Left alone, it bakes into a shiny glaze that a brush slides right over. That third stage is the dangerous one, because it burns hot when it catches, and it takes rotary tools or a chemical treatment to remove.

When to Sweep

The usual rule is to sweep when creosote reaches 1/8 inch, about two credit cards thick. A stove burning every day can get there in two or three months. That's why we suggest a fall sweep plus a midwinter check for anyone heating mainly with wood. After a season or two, you'll know how fast your setup builds up.

Types of Chimney Service We Offer in Whitney Point

Wood Stove Chimney Cleaning

We sweep the stovepipe and chimney, clean the stove's baffle and smoke shelf when it's reachable, vacuum everything and inspect the system. Our price is $250 for the first flue plus the $20 trip charge. More detail is on our wood stove chimney cleaning page.

Creosote Removal

For glazed creosote we use rotary cutting tools or a treatment that turns the glaze back into something a brush can remove. It's priced before we start.

Stove Chimney Installation

For a stove in a house without a usable chimney, we install insulated metal chimney listed for wood stoves, with proper clearances, a ceiling or wall support and a weather-tight roof flashing.

Liners and Caps

A stainless liner fixes a cracked flue under a stove. A cap with mesh keeps rain and animals out.

Fireplace Sweeps

Not everyone up here burns a stove. We sweep and inspect fireplaces and furnace flues on the same visit.

Older Stove Setups Worth a Second Look

Farmhouse stove setups tend to grow over the years: a stove added in the 1970s, a pipe rerouted when the kitchen was redone, a second stove tied into the same flue. Every one of those changes is a chance for something to end up too close to wood framing or for two appliances to share a flue that should serve one. On a first visit we check the stovepipe clearances, the thimble where the pipe enters the chimney, the joints and supports on any metal chimney, and the flashing where it goes through the roof. If something isn't right, we'll show you and write it down. It's not about selling a new chimney. It's about the stove you already have running safely all winter.

Burning Smart in Farm Country

Whitney Point has deep winters, with snow coming down off the hills and the lake keeping the valley damp. Plenty of people cut their own wood from their own lot, and the biggest mistake we see is burning it the same year. Wood straight from the tree can be 40% or more water. It hisses, smokes and lays down creosote fast.

• Split and stack wood at least six months ahead, a year for oak and maple
• Stack it off the ground with the top covered and the sides open to the wind
• Check it with a moisture meter: 20% or less is ready
• Burn hot for 20 minutes after loading before you turn the air down

We've seen the same stove go from a heavy glaze one season to a light dusting of soot the next, just because the owner switched to wood that had dried a full year. Dry wood is the cheapest chimney maintenance there is.

Back down toward the city, the Square Deal houses of Johnson City keep us busy with furnace flues and fireplaces. Our page on chimney sweep service in Johnson City covers that village.