Hi, we're in the PNW, too!
Our QuadraFire wood stove set-up sounds the same as you describe in your home.
We do it ourselves. We have a wire chimney brush (it
must be the correct size for your stove pipe!). Dh goes up on the roof, removes the chimney cap (we clean it, too) and then drops a rope down inside the pipe. I am inside the house, lift the pipe where it attaches to the stove and attach the brush to the rope. He pulls the brush up through the pipe and I have a bag wrapped around the bottom of the pipe to catch the soot and debris that is loosened from the brushing. We do this 6-7 times each time we clean the stove. We clean the entire stove & pipe once per month during the burning season (as we use it as our primary heat source, though we have an electric furnace,too).
We also remove the asbestos blanket (inside the "ceiling" of the fire box) and clean all the residue/ash/soot in that area, too.
A neighbor of ours had a bad stove pipe fire last Spring. She hadn't cleaned her stove OR pipe for
years, other than just basic ash removal!
If your stove/pipe has never been cleaned before, you might want a professional to do it once. Have them explain what they are doing. You should be good on your own from then on.
If your pipe has any bends in it, I think a professional is the way to go. But, if it is a straight shot, and you are zealous on your cleaning of
all parts of the stove, I think DIY is safe. Our fire chief friend says the same!
Good luck!
