Chimney Brush

[Mnwoodman]

I figure summer is a good time to get some pre season maintenance done on my fireplace. Until now I have always had a chimney sweep clean my masonry flue on my fireplace, but he's since gotten out of the business. So, I went and bought the rods and brush to tackle the project myself. I bought the brush that was the closest fit to my flue, (varies an eighth inch at most). I went to test it out and I only pushed the brush down the flue a foot or so and had one heck of a time reversing it!! For those who clean their own masonry chimney flues how hard should the brush reverse? The last thing I need is a broken plug in my flue.

 

[HD2010]

I figure summer is a good time to get some pre season maintenance done on my fireplace. Until now I have always had a chimney sweep clean my masonry flue on my fireplace, but he's since gotten out of the business. So, I went and bought the rods and brush to tackle the project myself. I bought the brush that was the closest fit to my flue, (varies an eighth inch at most). I went to test it out and I only pushed the brush down the flue a foot or so and had one heck of a time reversing it!! For those who clean their own masonry chimney flues how hard should the brush reverse? The last thing I need is a broken plug in my flue.

Mine was not real hard. I felt resistance but nothing scary. When I've done mine (twice now) I have went till brush went all the way through and then pulled back. Can you look inside with a flashlight, maybe it reduces to 6" or 7"?

 

[olyman]

the real que is,,what rods did you buy?? there are some,,that aren't worth buying!!! they will flex like nothing,,and you will think youll never pull the brush out!! the ones I bought many years ago,,are 1/2 dia fiberglass..i needed two more,,and had one h of a time finding the same ones!!!!

 

[UpOnTheHill]

1/2" emt conduit works great for rods and its cheap (at least for me). I once trimmed a metal brush for my masonry chimney to make it fit better. Worked like a charm. Otherwise it would have gotten wedged in there. The brush shouldn't be so tight that you can't back it out without running it all the way down.

 

[chuckwood]

I bought the brush that was the closest fit to my flue, (varies an eighth inch at most). I went to test it out and I only pushed the brush down the flue a foot or so and had one heck of a time reversing it!! For those who clean their own masonry chimney flues how hard should the brush reverse? The last thing I need is a broken plug in my flue.

I've never tried reversing a brush. The way I do mine is with a rope, not a rod. But I have to be able to pull the brush down the flue and all the way down into the firebox of the heater. Once the brush pops out the bottom, you repeat the procedure. You should see a small loop of steel on the bottom of your brush where you can tie on some cord. If there are any elbos to negotiate, tie a weight on the end of the cord as you drop it down into the flue from the top. It's easier to have a helper on the bottom of the flue pulling the brush down. Needless to say, use strong and new nylon cord for this. Tie it securely onto your brush. If the cord breaks or comes off and leaves the brush in the middle of the flue, you've got a real problem. After two or three runs, you flue should be very clean and you won't have to do any brush reversals. I have cord tied on both ends of my brush so that if I do have to do a reversal before it pops out of the bottom of the flue, I have that option. I can control the brush that way from both directions.

 

[milkman]

I have an 8" double wall insulated stainless chimney and have the same problem pulling the brush back up the chimney unless I shove it all the way through and then pull it back up. I have a cathedral ceiling with a chimney base mount and 5' of stainless. I had what I thought was a good idea, chimney brush and about a 4' section of fiberglass rod screwed on the brush. I took the 2' section off the top and put the brush and rod in my cordless drill started it up, pushing the brush down into the chimney, all of a sudden the brush stopped and the drill kept running. The fiberglass rod has great strength pushing and pulling but I found out it has lousy torsional strength. I let off the trigger and the drill slipped out of my hand and slapped me two or three times as the fiberglass rod unwound. I'll come up with another good idea.

 

[regulate34]

My chimney is a 8" insulated. I have no issues reversing. I usial go down in 2ft increments doing about 4-5 up and down strokes every 2 ft. (if that makes sense).
my pipe reduces to 7" at the stove top. If I get a little aggressive in cleaning and have jammed the 8" brush into the 7" pipe. not the easiest thing to get out.

 

[Deleted member 83629]

no problems from mine i got 8'' 1/2 thick steel drain pipe going down my brick chimney and i ran a standard round 8'' brush up and down the pipe never had a problem.

 

[UpOnTheHill]

I have an 8" double wall insulated stainless chimney and have the same problem pulling the brush back up the chimney unless I shove it all the way through and then pull it back up. I have a cathedral ceiling with a chimney base mount and 5' of stainless. I had what I thought was a good idea, chimney brush and about a 4' section of fiberglass rod screwed on the brush. I took the 2' section off the top and put the brush and rod in my cordless drill started it up, pushing the brush down into the chimney, all of a sudden the brush stopped and the drill kept running. The fiberglass rod has great strength pushing and pulling but I found out it has lousy torsional strength. I let off the trigger and the drill slipped out of my hand and slapped me two or three times as the fiberglass rod unwound. I'll come up with another good idea.

You shouldn't have issues with a ss flue and the brush not fitting properly. Are you using a metal brush or poly?

 

[milkman]

Metal, the brush fits, just too stiff to pull back up without going all the way through then it comes back up just fine.

 

[Deleted member 83629]

if you got a SS liner you need to use a poly brush, the metal brush can damage a SS lin.

 

[milkman]

Thanks, I can see the poly brush wouldn't be so stiff and abrasive.

 

[UpOnTheHill]

That's why I asked. Your liner is probably scratched like a son-of-a-gun using a metal brush. When you scratch the liner, it gives all the "bad stuff" a much better surface to adhere to, making it that much harder to keep clean. I believe metal brushes are for masonry flues only. It will easily become stuck in a ss flue and possibly ruin it.

 

[Marine5068]

Metal brushes can be used for both types of flues, masonry or stainless steel prefab. insulated pipes.
Stainless steel liners however are for retrofitting into existing masonry flues to bring them up to fire code for new appliances. You should use recommended brushes always.
I have the best flue on the market called a Superflue. It's a double pipe with double insulation separating the pipes. 8" inside diameter and 12" outside diameter.
I have always used a metal flue brush with six, five-foot, 1/2" fibreglass rods and my flue is about 25 feet straight up.
Never had a problem pushing or pulling the rods through.
Do you have a SS liner? If so, they are not straight and stiff like a manufactured SS chimney. they curve and bend a little inside a masonry chimney. That may be the issue.
Maybe a poly brush is better for your application. Try one out and trim it if you have to.

 

[Stan Heldt]

Once I tried to clean the chimney myself. But it seemed very difficult to me. Actually the chimney gets filled with leaves and debris. Then I called professionals and they did a great job. They not only cleaned, but also repaired it. Cleaning of chimney is must before the winter.

 

[flotek]

Get a sooteater kit

 

[Heavy26R]

I use a metal brush on my terracotta flue. The brush I got is slightly over-sized. I didn't want it to not scrap the sides enough to remove creosote. It definitely provides resistance when I reverse it. It is more difficult once 15 or 20 feet down. I just brace myself on the top of the chimney and pull with continued force until it reverses. I inspected with a flashlight and it is not damaging the flue. If your flue is terracotta I wouldn't worry about it. Like others said though, a stainless steel liner you may wish to find a better fitting brush. I also use a wire brush to clean the fire-shelf and inside of the firebox. You might find that the brush diameter can be altered by just bending the bristles down or up at a slight angle. You can also trim them if needed.