Chimney cleaning logs?

[crazypoohbear]

Has anyone ever used one of these logs to clean your chimney?
Does it work?
How often do you need to burn one of these logs.
We just used our wood stove for the first time last year and didn't have the chimney cleaned this fall so I really don't think we have much build up yet but wanted to keep it clean and thought maybe the log would help with this.
Opinions????
Thanks

[faline]

If you regularly use a wood stove, you likely need to clean your chimney twice per season (at the beginning an mid-season). I wouldn't trust those chimney cleaning logs. You don't want to mess around with a chimney fire - that can be very dangerous and quite scary!

[MickeyMousse]

Don't use them!!! We have a wood burning stove and used one and during a lovely, roaring fire we noticed smoke dribbling out of the seams of our chimney stack, then looked at our fire...there was a huge, gloppy pile of black soot laying on top of our fire! It was the crud that the "chimney cleaning log" was supposed to take care of. When we mentioned it to our neighbor, who also has a stove and is a fireman, he shook his head and said to never use them...they can cause more damage than good!

[garymacd]

Don't rely on those cleaning logs. Don't neglect cleaning your chimney. And don't neglect chimney and fire box maintenance! I have seen too many chimney fires. The last one took the entire roof off the house. These fires don't stay in the fireplace or chimney, they actually pass through the bricks and into the walls or attics. Many insurance companies (in Canada, and I am certain in the US) insist on proper maintenance, and they are actually getting really sticky on steel fabricated chimneys. They must be inspected and replaced as required or abandoned and your undertaking in writing that you will not use it, or no insurance!

I don't know about in the US, but in Canada we have chimney sweeps who have W.E.T.T. certifications. It stands for Wood Energy Technology Transfer. If you are looking for a chimney sweep, check their yellow pages ad for this certification. It means the sweep is a professional and has the training to back it up.

[crazypoohbear]

thanks for the feedback. I will not be purchasing one of these logs!
I thought I had heard before not to use them but DH asked about them and I didn't want to purchase it without inquiring.
Now does anyone have a wood stove and can you answer a few questions.
1) we used it about 25 times last year, before that the chimney was inspected and the fireman said he had never seen such a clean chimney. So How do we know when it needs cleaning?
2) how much should we expect to pay for the cleaning?
Thanks again everyone!

[MickeyMousse]

We have our wood burning stove chimney cleaned every year- regardless of how many times it was used- usually in November before "the season" gets underway! We combine it with the cleaning of our furnace and it runs us about $125.