Product Manual

HeatPack Furnace Installation and Operation Manual

11.2 Chimney and chimney connector maintenance

11.2.1 Why chimney cleaning is necessary

Wood smoke can condense inside the chimney connector and chimney, forming a

combustible deposit called creosote. If creosote is allowed to build up in the venting

system it can ignite when a hot fire is burned in the furnace and a very hot fire can

progress to the top of the chimney. Severe chimney fires can damage even the best

chimneys. Smouldering, smoky fires can quickly cause a thick layer of creosote to form.

When you avoid smouldering so the exhaust from the chimney is mostly clear, creosote

builds up more slowly. Your new furnace has the right characteristics to help you to burn

clean fires with little or no smoke, resulting in less creosote in the chimney.

11.2.2 How often should you clean the chimney?

It is not possible to predict how much or how quickly creosote will form in your chimney. It

is important, therefore, to check the build-up in your chimney monthly when getting used to

the new furnace until you determine the rate of creosote formation. Even if creosote forms

slowly in your system, the chimney should be cleaned and inspected at least once each

year.

Contact your local municipal or provincial fire authority for information on how to handle a

chimney fire. Have a clearly understood plan to handle a chimney fire.

CAUTION

CAUTION: IT IS RECOMMENDED TO CLEAN THE HEAT EXCHANGERS, FLUE

PIPE AND CHIMNEY THOROUGHLY AT THE END OF THE HEATING SEASON IN

ORDER TO PREVENT CORROSION DURING THE SUMMER MONTHS, CAUSED BY

ACCUMULATED ASH.

11.2.3 Cleaning the chimney

Chimney cleaning can be a difficult and dangerous job. If you don’t have experience

cleaning chimneys, you might want to hire a professional chimney sweep to clean and

inspect the system for the first time. After having seen the cleaning process, you can

decide if it is a job you would like to take on.

The most common equipment used are fibreglass rods with threaded fittings and stiff

plastic brushes. The brush is forced up and down inside the chimney flue to scrub off the

creosote.

The chimney connector assembly should always be cleaned at the same time the chimney

is cleaned.

CAUTION

OPERATION OF YOUR FURNACE WITHOUT THE BAFFLE MAY CAUSE UNSAFE

AND HAZARDOUS TEMPERATURE CONDITIONS AND WILL VOID THE

WARRANTY.