On Wed, 22 Dec 2010 00:14:52 -0500, mm
wrote:


Well, who ever installed that chinmey was a cheapskate in your
parlance.

My parlance?

As there is no cleaning door it makes it neccessary to do it from the
roof and from inside the furnace.

I talked to another chimney sweep company today**, and made an
appointment with them for next Wednesday, and she said it was almost
standard around here that the stove pipe bends and points up and meets
the bottom of the metal chimney in line, and that there is no
cleanout.

There is more than one way to do; things.

**I had to mention the lack of a cleanout to know whether to remove
things so the sweep could get around the back of the furnace to the
bottom of the chimney, because I thought he might do all the basement
vacuuming via the stove pipe, which is already accessible.

I guess besides brushing it from the roof, he's going to disconnect
the stove pipe from the chimney to clean it. The soot falls to the
bottom?

I talked to a couple chimney sweeps today, and they clean from the
roof regardless, it seems. Also from the basement regardless, since
they clean the stove pipe. This is there busy season, but I have one
coming next week.

I t may be possible to have one
retro-.fitted if you can find the chimney manufacturer. It's quite
dangerous not having the flue checked out regularly.
Re chimneys and children, check out the "Water Babies" and Charles
Kingsley.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wat...or_a_Land_Baby

Thanks