FREE STANDING WOOD STOVE
Metro Chimney is your go-to for all your wood stove cleaning and maintenance needs. We handle both free-standing and inserted wood stoves, with or without a liner. In many Oregon homes, wood stove units serve as the primary source of heat, with free-standing wood stoves being the most common type.
Additionally, we work with Wood Stove Inserts and Pellet Stoves (see below). To ensure the safe and efficient operation of a wood stove, it’s essential to perform an annual chimney cleaning to remove creosote deposits and conduct regular inspections of the installation and ash handling.
Wood stove pipes have a smaller diameter compared to standard chimney flues, which leads to quicker accumulation of soot and creosote. Creosote, a by-product of burning wood, forms when wood smoke condenses inside a cool chimney. Most wood stove pipes have a diameter of no more than 8 inches. As smoke rises through the pipe, it adheres to the inner walls and builds up, narrowing the passage and impeding proper venting flow. Cleaning the pipe is crucial to ensure that smoke flows out of the chimney and not back into your house.
One of the advantages of a wood stove over a standard fireplace is its superior air control for efficiency. However, this efficiency is achieved through air passages that can become clogged with regular use. To maintain optimal efficiency, these passages require annual cleaning to ensure proper airflow.
A fundamental guideline for safe and effective wood stove usage is to clean both the stove and its flue at least once a year, or after burning every 2 cords of wood in it.
WOOD STOVE INSERTS
Wood stove inserts, which do not include zero clearance fireplaces (click here to see one) are wood stoves that are designed to fit into existing masonry fireplaces. They have to be pulled out to be cleaned. WE CLEAN INSERT WITHOUT LINERS ONLY IF IT’S A ONE-STORY EASY TO GET ON TO THE ROOF.
PELLET STOVES
A pellet stove is designed to burn compressed wood, generating heat by gradually feeding fuel from a storage container (hopper) into a burn-pot area. These stoves maintain a consistent flame with minimal manual adjustments required. Pellet stoves used during the winter months typically require more frequent cleaning compared to standard wood stoves.
WOOD STOVE LINER CLEANING
Our cleanings effectively remove soot and creosote from the interior of your wood stove liner flue. Soot has a magnetic attraction to itself, leading to the accumulation of layers that gradually close down the dimensions of the flue. In the mechanical workings of a wood stove, each dimension relies on the others. When soot buildup causes the flue size to narrow, it significantly affects the draft capability.
The images below illustrate the appearance of a dirty wood stove flue and how soot gradually accumulates, obstructing the flue. Regular cleaning is essential not only to maintain proper draft but also to prevent soot buildup from corroding or rusting the flue’s interior metal. Carbon, if left unchecked, can corrode materials at a molecular level. To extend the lifespan of your flue and avoid costly replacement, it’s advisable to have your wood stove cleaned annually if in use.
FIREPLACE AND CHIMNEY SAFETY INSPECTION
During your wood stove cleaning, we conduct a comprehensive inspection of your system, providing you with a Safety Inspection Report detailing your fireplace and chimney’s condition. Any identified problem areas and repair recommendations are included in this inspection, which is also documented on your receipt.
We meticulously check your wood stove installation to ensure it poses no hazards due to improper placement and that clearances from combustible surfaces are maintained. Our examination also includes verifying the stove’s connections to ensure there is no visible smoke when it operates correctly. This ensures that all smoke is efficiently burned within the wood stove, preventing condensation in the chimney.
Wood stove pipe is exposed to high temperatures and can corrode over time. Therefore, it requires periodic inspection and replacement at the first signs of corrosion exceeding safe limits. If any repairs are needed, we will notify you during the inspection, allowing you to contact a Wood Stove Installer for the repair. The Oregon Construction Contractors Board has distinct regulations separating Chimney Contractors from performing wood stove repairs.
If you just need us to come out to inspect your chimney, but it does not need a cleaning, there is still a service call charge for this.
Cancelled appointments will be subject to a cancellation fee. Once you schedule the chimney cleaning, at that point you are authorizing the terms of the cancellation fee. Cancellation fee applies to people who cancel the chimney cleaning or call in to say they need to reschedule but are not actually rescheduling the appointment at that time. To not get the cancelation fee, you actually need to call up and physically reschedule the appointment time to another day/time. The charges do not apply to people who call in and actually reschedule the time.
Metro Chimney reserves the right to walk away from a job even there is signed bid before the work is initiated. If we sense there will a problem or ongoing issue between us and the customer. This is the Oregon CCB’s position. The customer can call another contractor or chimney company.