Tools That Simplify Cleaning Your Outdoor Wood Boiler

Ultimate Summer Shutdown Checklist - Part 2 of 10: Tools That Simplify Cleaning Your Outdoor Boiler

Quiz: Which Parts of Your Outdoor Boiler MUST Be Cleaned With a Brush?

Do you take good care of your home? How about your car?  

Do you want your things to last?

Your outdoor wood boiler system is a big investment. Take good care of it! It can last for up to 40 years if you do a few simple maintenance tasks! Our goal at OutdoorBoiler.com is to help you realize the best return on your investment. We make this simple for you, with our checklists!

NOTE: This checklist is limited to brushing the inside of your boiler, and does not replace the complete instructions.

This article is about the parts of your outdoor furnace that must be cleaned with brushes or other cleaning tools. These parts must be cleaned and inspected periodically.

So, which parts of the outdoor boiler need to be cleaned with a brush or other cleaning tool? ALL INSIDE SURFACES!

This may sound harder than it is - and we make it even easier.

1. First, you need to make sure you have the right tools to do the job - you have two creosote sticks, a "D-Plate Brush" (which is a special brush to clean off the dirt that accumulates on the top of the railway), a wire brush, and a shovel.

Creosote Sticks are available HERE, and

D-Plate Brushes are available HERE

2. Three days before you shut down your boiler, put both creosote sticks in the fire.

3.  On the day you shut down your wood furnace for the summer season, allow the fire to burn out completely. This will dry the boiler. Do not add more wood to the fire. Let the fire burn down to embers, and let the embers burn out. See Dry Burn instructions for more info.)

4. Remove all ash and coals.

5. Scrape out the inside of the boiler with your shovel or any tool that allows you to make the steel surfaces clean.

6. Remove the Chimney cap. (If you have not done this in a while, it may be difficult, but it is MANDATORY.)

7. Using a wire brush, brush out the inside of the chimney.

8. Push the wooden handle of the D-Plate Brush down the chimney and towards the front of the furnace. Open the firebox door and reach up to pull the handle, so that the brush passes through the Deflector Plate Channel. Repeat this process three times or until the area is clean.

9. Climb on top of the furnace roof and vacuum out the deflector plate and chimney using a shop vac. This is an ESSENTIAL, but often OVERLOOKED, maintenance item. Overlooking this step is FATAL to your boiler.

NOTE TO GX Series Furnace Owners: GX furnaces do not have a deflector plate and do not need a D-Plate Brush. However, a tube cleaning brush or cleaning tool is required. Those GX Cleaning Tools can be found HERE.

Remember that this essential maintenance piece will keep your boiler in tip top shape and save you a lot of money for decades to come!