Semi blocked fire flue.

[Nightwatch]

A very sincere plea for flue help.

 

We have Nightwatch one of the above. This has been going on now for a year or more. We have 'survived' by removing the build up of 'stuff' inside the flue with a heavy duty spike. We have now found that it's almost impossible to do this as the crud has set nice and hard.

 

Therefore it has been have decided, after a intense and severe meeting of the onboard committee, to attempt to replace the flue, the bit between fire top to roof collar. New territory for the Nightwatches.

 

The two bolts securing the roof collar to the roof are not accessable from inside without taking down the tongue and grove deckhead (ceiling). A job with is undesirable. 1991 built boat. (It just won't go back the same. Well not if I'm doing it.)

 

So,  my query. Does the roof collar have an internal band that the flue butts up against, I ask as I 'assume' it has, otherwise the flue could be extracted by sliding the whole flue upwards through the roof and collar. I'm hoping it hasn't, so it can.

 

We are nowhere near a chandlers to have a shufty.

 

(As a footnote, returning to school after a week or so of having missed school, I met an English teacher on the stairs. He asked where I have been and I said 'I had flu sir'. As we passed each other on the next flight he shouted 'you had flown, boy, you had flown!!')

 

He was one of the type of teachers that had a cane in his desk and wasn't reluctant to use it. The thing also had a name for goodness sake, so the about interaction was most unusual for him. 

 

 

[rusty69]

None of the flue collars I have seen has a step. Leave the collar in place if it isn't leaking.Dig out as much as the old sealant and fire rope as you can by whatever means, scraper, sawblade, screwdriver etc. Remove sealant at stove collar too. If you are lucky you can wiggle the whole lot up and out.

 

If you are unlucky, you may be able to (depending on what stove you have), remove the feet from the stove and drop the whole lot out (after disconnecting boiler pipes). The other alternative is to cut the old pipe in half to help with removal.

 

Good luck

Edited November 5, 2018 by rusty69

[bizzard]

4 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

A very sincere plea for flue help.

 

We have Nightwatch one of the above. This has been going on now for a year or more. We have 'survived' by removing the build up of 'stuff' inside the flue with a heavy duty spike. We have now found that it's almost impossible to do this as the crud has set nice and hard.

 

Therefore it has been have decided, after a intense and severe meeting of the onboard committee, to attempt to replace the flue, the bit between fire top to roof collar. New territory for the Nightwatches.

 

The two bolts securing the roof collar to the roof are not accessable from inside without taking down the tongue and grove deckhead (ceiling). A job with is undesirable. 1991 built boat. (It just won't go back the same. Well not if I'm doing it.)

 

So,  my query. Does the roof collar have an internal band that the flue butts up against, I ask as I 'assume' it has, otherwise the flue could be extracted by sliding the whole flue upwards through the roof and collar. I'm hoping it hasn't, so it can.

 

We are nowhere near a chandlers to have a shufty.

 

(As a footnote, returning to school after a week or so of having missed school, I met an English teacher on the stairs. He asked where I have been and I said 'I had flu sir'. As we passed each other on the next flight he shouted 'you had flown, boy, you had flown!!')

 

He was one of the type of teachers that had a cane in his desk and wasn't reluctant to use it. The thing also had a name for goodness sake, so the about interaction was most unusual for him. 

 

 

The roof collar would normally have a spigot below the roof level where the flue pipe pokes up into.  This solid concrete type blockage is usually caused by loading wet or damp fuel on the fire, coal, smokeless or wood. and just having the stove ticking over slowly.  I had this trouble last January. I had to flatten the end of a long steel water pipe, poke it down from the top  and turn it with 2' long stil;sons like an auger, eventually it broke through and broke it all away. I now never feed wet or damp fuel on, and make sure its perfectly dry first.  Apart from that its wise to really get the stove roaring hot once a day to clean the flue.

[Nightwatch]

2 minutes ago, bizzard said:

The roof collar would normally have a spigot below the roof level where the flue pipe pokes up into.  This solid concrete type blockage is usually caused by loading wet or damp fuel on the fire, coal, smokeless or wood. and just having the stove ticking over slowly.  I had this trouble last January. I had to flatten the end of a long steel water pipe, poke it down from the top  and turn it with 2' long stil;sons like an auger, eventually it broke through and broke it all away. I now never feed wet or damp fuel on, and make sure its perfectly dry first.  Apart from that its wise to really get the stove roaring hot once a day to clean the flue.

Thanks once again! We only burn 'coal' on the fire, never wood but must confess I don't know if we have burnt wet coal off the roof. Maybe we have. Excellent theory. As I said estlier, we have been using a long spike that we borrowed off CRT that was holding up some defray rash. There were far too many in use anyway. I think we have used a small scraper strapped to the end of the spike, I'd forgotten that and your flattened pipe reminded me. Would this work?

 

Would the flue lift up through the roof collar without removal of the collar, if we can loosen it by clearing packing, cement and mastic, at both ends?

[WotEver]

2 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

Would the flue lift up through the roof collar without removal of the collar, if we can loosen it by clearing packing, cement and mastic, at both ends?

Yes. 

[bizzard]

8 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

Thanks once again! We only burn 'coal' on the fire, never wood but must confess I don't know if we have burnt wet coal off the roof. Maybe we have. Excellent theory. As I said estlier, we have been using a long spike that we borrowed off CRT that was holding up some defray rash. There were far too many in use anyway. I think we have used a small scraper strapped to the end of the spike, I'd forgotten that and your flattened pipe reminded me. Would this work?

 

Would the flue lift up through the roof collar without removal of the collar, if we can loosen it by clearing packing, cement and mastic, at both ends?

Tain't a theory, its true. Your bound to have, coal is stored outside in open staithes before they bag it, its almost always damp or wet, especially in the winter.  If smokeless fuel looks jet black, its wet or damp, if dry it looks sort of dark grey.  If you have your stove glowing almost flat out it wouldn't matter if its damp, but most folk don't especially over night.

Edited November 5, 2018 by bizzard

[mrsmelly]

3 minutes ago, Nightwatch said:

Thanks once again! We only burn 'coal' on the fire, never wood but must confess I don't know if we have burnt wet coal off the roof. Maybe we have. Excellent theory. As I said estlier, we have been using a long spike that we borrowed off CRT that was holding up some defray rash. There were far too many in use anyway. I think we have used a small scraper strapped to the end of the spike, I'd forgotten that and your flattened pipe reminded me. Would this work?

 

Would the flue lift up through the roof collar without removal of the collar, if we can loosen it by clearing packing, cement and mastic, at both ends?

Yes it will. You need to jiggle it and break any seal at the top in the collar then it will push up a little to clear the stove then usualy drop down inside the boat is easiest. Be careful it may well be paper thin at some points due to internal rust. Is it a straight pipe?

[Boater Sam]

Is the flue pipe straight or has bends?

 

I would try to clear it if it is in good condition rather than have the hassle of changing it. With a lot of patience and a few odd shaped bits of steel bar/strip you should be able to hammer it away.

 

I don't use a brush to sweep our flue anymore, found them to be a waste of time.

I have a length of blue plastic water pipe with 3"  stainless steel screws driven half way through all round like a crown of thorns, that rips out the clinkers well.

 

Sam.

Edited November 5, 2018 by Boater Sam
smellings

[bizzard]

5 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Tain't a theory, its true. Your bound to have, coal is stored outside in open staithes before they bag it, its almost always damp or wet, especially in the winter.  If smokeless fuel looks jet black, its wet or damp, if dry it looks sort of dark grey.  If you have your stove glowing almost flat out it wouldn't matter if its damp, but most folk don't especially over night.

Once you've broken through the blockage with the flattened ended pipe by turning it. Then bend the pipe a little close to the flattened bit and run it up and down all around to scrape the side walls.

[bizzard]

Since the trouble I had last January I dry my smokeless fuel first before using it, on my homemade Meccano trivet. Fluepipe now keeps as clean as a whistle.

[WotEver]

1 hour ago, bizzard said:

 

You’re doing it wrong. The coal is supposed to go on the INSIDE. Where are you going to put your Ecofan?

[rusty69]

15 minutes ago, WotEver said:

You’re doing it wrong. The coal is supposed to go on the INSIDE. Where are you going to put your Ecofan?

He's on something here, the coal will last much longer this way.If he angles the fan it down a bit, it will help in the drying process

Edited November 5, 2018 by rusty69
The man has vision and the rest wear bifocals

[BWM]

We had this some years ago, the solution we used was a steel scaffold pole that had been ground to a sharp bevel on the inside edge of the tube, resulting in a tubular scraper.

[Nightwatch]

3 hours ago, mrsmelly said:

Yes it will. You need to jiggle it and break any seal at the top in the collar then it will push up a little to clear the stove then usualy drop down inside the boat is easiest. Be careful it may well be paper thin at some points due to internal rust. Is it a straight pipe?

It's a straight pipe.

[Nightwatch]

2 hours ago, bizzard said:

Since the trouble I had last January I dry my smokeless fuel first before using it, on my homemade Meccano trivet. Fluepipe now keeps as clean as a whistle.

I believe you. That's a good idea. I'll attempt to build a stove sized trivet.

[Nightwatch]

Sorry I didn't reply earlier but we were on the move. 8 locks and two or three miles. We are moored up now.

[Arthur Marshall]

I bolted a hole cutter of the same diameter as the flue onto a long handle that used to open conservatory roof windows.  The flue on mine was down to about an inch wide, if that.  The hole cutter cleared it, though it did take a few hours of cursing.  I mostly get the coal dry before it goes on the fire, but not always.  Hadn't realised that's what caused it.

[bizzard]

3 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I bolted a hole cutter of the same diameter as the flue onto a long handle that used to open conservatory roof windows.  The flue on mine was down to about an inch wide, if that.  The hole cutter cleared it, though it did take a few hours of cursing.  I mostly get the coal dry before it goes on the fire, but not always.  Hadn't realised that's what caused it.

House coal and anthracite are pretty dense and won't absorb much moisture, if any.  Its the smokeless ovoids, they're pretty porous like a sponge and soak it up. The moisture mixes with the binding agent and causes the cement like clag.

[Boater Sam]

42 minutes ago, Arthur Marshall said:

I bolted a hole cutter of the same diameter as the flue onto a long handle that used to open conservatory roof windows.  The flue on mine was down to about an inch wide, if that.  The hole cutter cleared it, though it did take a few hours of cursing.  I mostly get the coal dry before it goes on the fire, but not always.  Hadn't realised that's what caused it.

I like it! Shame mine has 2 bends in the flue. Maybe I could get a smaller cutter through. Good idea Arthur.

[Mad Harold]

I use a wire brush held firmly on the end of a brush handle with gaffer tape. Shoved up and down the flue every couple of months,keeps it clear.

Make sure your stove door and the air controls are closed !

[peterboat]

I use wood and anthracite spring and autumn, anthracite only in the winter. Winter flue stays clean rest of the time it gets clagged up, I have a Rayburn Royal which does spend a lot of time on idle rather than full blast

[Cheshire cat]

What you guys are describing sounds scary! I hope you've all got working CO alarms.

[Ex Brummie]

If your flue pipe is rusted to the collar, you will need to cut it inside the boat, and then 'wiggle' the pipe as much as possible to break the rust. When you replace it, pack the collar round the pipe so that there is no metal to metal contact. This will allow for expansion as the fire temperature varies.

[MtB]

11 hours ago, bizzard said:

The roof collar would normally have a spigot below the roof level where the flue pipe pokes up into.  This solid concrete type blockage is usually caused by loading wet or damp fuel on the fire, coal, smokeless or wood. and just having the stove ticking over slowly.  I had this trouble last January. I had to flatten the end of a long steel water pipe, poke it down from the top  and turn it with 2' long stil;sons like an auger, eventually it broke through and broke it all away. I now never feed wet or damp fuel on, and make sure its perfectly dry first.  Apart from that its wise to really get the stove roaring hot once a day to clean the flue.

 

 

This is all most curious. 

 

For years I have burned damp smokeless fuel in firstly my Squirrel than my Boatman with none of the effects described. 

 

I lightly brush my flue once every few years (whether it needs it or not) and and today it is as clear as the day it was installed.

 

 

[Arthur Marshall]

7 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

 

This is all most curious. 

 

For years I have burned damp smokeless fuel in firstly my Squirrel than my Boatman with none of the effects described. 

 

I lightly brush my flue once every few years (whether it needs it or not) and and today it is as clear as the day it was installed.

 

 

Chimney height? Mine's fairly short and double skinned, so presumably any crud runs down back to the stove.