Moth balls as chimney cleaner?

[jwaldin]

I want to clean the soot from inside the chimney of my diesel boat heater. Has anyone used moth balls? Apparently you just throw a few into the fire box and the fumes dislodge the build up and burn off the soot. There are different kinds of moth balls. Which type is the right one?

[Donn]

I read that in Mother Earth long long ago, and tried it in a woodstove. It had no effect whatever.

[Jack Heinlen]

Don't they make chimney brushes that size?

[jwaldin]

The chimney takes a couple of 22 degree bends so I was hoping not to have to remove it. Other wise the brush.

[NormMessinger]

The one napthalene moth ball I burned for the heck of it a long time ago smoked like crazy. I would have guessed that it would add carbon rather than remove it.

Oh, and there are two types. napthalene and para dicholorbenzene. ...last I knew anything about it.

[ 11-30-2003, 11:31 AM: Message edited by: NormMessinger ]

[Meerkat]

It requires too many moths to be effective - and how do you sex a moth? ;)

[skuthorp]

At home a couple of trapped passums did a great job. How about a raccoon? :rolleyes:

[jwaldin]

Salt is supposed to work. I tried it last weekend. It seemed to work.

[Frank E. Price]

Best way to clean a stove pipe, wood or diesel, is the messy way. I've always tried to avoid burning salted wood in my woodstoves for corrosion reasons. Once you develop a technique for your own installation that minimizes the mess, using a wire chimney brush works great and small bends shouldn't be a problem with a flexible fiberglass shaft.

Frank