Wood Stove, Pellet Stove and Insert Cleaning

Stoves are the hardest-working appliances we clean. One that runs most evenings from November into March in Anoka or Andover sees a heating load of about 8,300 degree days a year in NOAA's normals, compared with roughly 7,400 at MSP. All that burning pushes smoke through a six or eight inch pipe, and a slow overnight fire cools it right where it can condense. Pellet stoves add fine ash that settles in the venting and the heat exchanger.

We clean the stove itself, the connector pipe, the chimney or liner and the cap, and for pellet units the burn pot, ash traps and vent. Inserts often have to be pulled forward so we can reach the liner connection behind them. We tell you at the free inspection whether yours does, and the cleaning price reflects it.

Signs you need this

• The glass blackens within one or two fires
• The stove is slow to catch and the draft feels weak
• Smoke leaks when you open the door to add wood
• A pellet stove shuts down, alarms or burns with a lazy orange flame
• Gaskets around the door are flattened or frayed

How we do it

1. Inspect the whole systemStove, gaskets, connector, chimney and cap, free of charge.
2. Price the cleaningWe write the price down, including whether an insert has to be pulled out.
3. Clean stove and ventingBaffle, firebox, connector pipe and flue, or the pellet burn pot, exhaust path and vent.
4. Reset and testEverything goes back together and we check the draft before leaving.

When stoves should be cleaned

Plan on once a year for a stove you use regularly, ideally after the season ends so the deposits do not sit through a humid summer. A stove that burned more than usual, or burned wet wood, may need a mid-winter check as well. Pellet stoves also need their burn pot and ash traps emptied often by the owner, per the manufacturer's manual.

• Annually for any stove or insert in regular use
• Mid-season if the glass blackens fast or the draft weakens
• Before the first fire in a house you just bought
• After switching wood supply or burning a load of wet wood

Stoves, permits and the next step

Cleaning needs no permit. Installing or replacing a stove is different: St. Paul treats wood stoves as mechanical-permit work, and Brooklyn Park lists "Wood stove" and "Chimney / Chimney liner" on its homeowner permit list. If your stove is near the end of its life, we check what your city requires before quoting a replacement.