Chimney Cleaning?

[Bedlam]

Seeing as we all talk about lots of subjects I was wondering if people could share thoughts ideas and experiences about chimney cleaning.
Especially this time of year when we should get the first cleaning done NOW.
Mine I made and easy way to get to and clean from the top down with a brush on a pole.(conduit). It works well but can only go one way the brush is so snug.
Ive had grand ideas of having a brush mounted on a small tripod of sorts ON he top and then a cable that would run down inside .Some sort of loop would be good, could add a HF 50 dollar winch to it to make it electric.
This may sound wacko and idea but there are a few around here with a tripod and brush and hand cable . The brush is weighted with window weights . Not sure how good it works.
My chimney goes through the house so It would be difficult to get a pulley and loop on the lower half.
Hope this thread brings some ideas.
But mostly its time to think about cleaning it.Chill is in the air.

 

[cowboy357]

Good topic Bedlam . I had a chimney sweep do ours the first few years , I was impressed that he cleaned it from the bottom . Was done in less then an hour & did not leave one spec of dust in the house .

He had a retractable cable on a spool that the brush screwed onto that he could just real out & up the flue pipe . It had a hook on it as well that a vacume hose clipped on that followed the brush to remove the dust & ash .

Outside the front door he had a good shop vac with about a 100 foot hose he just ran it in the house , hooked it on his cable deal & Just ran it up & down the chimney untill it was clean . We were visiting the whole time , the noise of the vacume was outside & there was no mess whatsoever .


Anyway , I kind of Juryrigged a deal like that out of a reel type sewer cable & a real good shop vac works perty slick & I dont have to get on the roof to clean it . Heres a link to what I found online thats similiar to his setup , Its perty pricey but gives you an idea of how simple it is . I doubt it would work for everyone , but it works great for me . Bob

Viper GFK Extra Large Chimney and Vent Cleaning System - EliteDeals.com

 

[wjoerob]

I always cleaned our chimney myself for 20 yrs. or so. Fastened a rope to both ends of the brush, also tried the kind with fiberglass poles in 4 ft. sections that screw together. This is something you can do yourself and save a bundle. But I can tell you, once you've had a chimney fire, it will put the fear into you, and you'll make sure to do it twice a year from then on!

 

[MossRoad]

We had a wood burning stove installed last year. It has a 6" I.D. pipe. So I went to Lowes, bought a 6" brush and enough 4' sections of that fiberglass rod and cleaned it myself. It is very easy to do from the top if your roof is not steep. I did not buy enough rod the first time to get all the way down, and I had to remove the section from the stove to the pipe anyway, so I finished it from the bottom. One thing I noticed though, is that even if you can clean it all the way from the bottom, if you have a screen at the top, you still have to get on the roof to take it off and clean that if it gets build up on it. So, if you are up there, you might as well do it from the top.

I just removed the section from the stove to the pipe, then hung a garbage bag on the pipe. Then I went on the roof, removed the cap and screen and started brushing. Kept it up until it was clean. A good light to inspect the pipe is a must.

 

[forgeblast]

My roof is an a-frame so going up on it is not too fun. I take off the pipe from the inside of the house and take the two sections from the inside out to clean. I then put the brush and fiberglass pole into the opening and put a big contractor garbage bag over the handle and the opening. I then clean the heck out of it. also checking with a flashlight. The garbage bag collects everything, I use dyson to clean up a bit and put the pipes back on. I also use one of the csr logs during my first burn of the season. I try to only burn seasoned wood and i have a temp gauge on my flue pipe so that i know when cresoet is being made.

 

[rus_geek]

Both my chimneys will need their first brushing (ever) before this fall's burning season starts. I have my dad's fiberglass pole with a 9" brush. Since my chimneys are 6" and 8" I will need at least one new brush, if not two, along with a few more pole sections to clean the 2-story chimney.

Since I know both chimneys have offsets in them, would I be better off doing the double-rope cleaning method, or will the fiberglass pole be flexible enough to make its way around the offsets?

-rus-

 

[20 20]

Mine takes less then 15min to clean and very little effort. My main chimney is on the outside so I can run my brush from the bottom up{very simple, and safer then climbing on a roof}. The inside I put a T in so that I can clean it without disassembling everything. My setup works great and I don't mind running a brush through the chimney once a month during heating season.

Wjoerob; Your very correct about having a chimeny fire. That's why I don't mind cleaning mine way more then needed. I'd rather lose 15min a month then lose a house that I've worked hard to build for years.

 

[Lloyd_E]

I do mine as well - 6" stainless steel liner. My brush is snug and will only pass one way - down.

After the first pass I unthread the brush, climb back up and pull out all the rods together, rethread and pass the brush down again. I usually do 4-5 times and generally get no more than 1/2 quart of creosote. I did it last week and will do it again in February if we have a bit of a warm spell.

There is a local guy that sold a system for pulling the brush up and down. Essentially it was a cable on a pulley that you attached your bush to. The pulley was attached up top and you just cranked it up and down.

lloyd

 

[schmism]

when we do both my dads and my uncles clay lined chimney we have a brush that fits the linning (snug) with 2 ropes one on either end. one guy pulls up the other pulls down.

you always have to draw straws for the bottom job.

 

[scott_vt]

We had a wood burning stove installed last year. It has a 6" I.D. pipe. So I went to Lowes, bought a 6" brush and enough 4' sections of that fiberglass rod and cleaned it myself. It is very easy to do from the top if your roof is not steep. I did not buy enough rod the first time to get all the way down, and I had to remove the section from the stove to the pipe anyway, so I finished it from the bottom. One thing I noticed though, is that even if you can clean it all the way from the bottom, if you have a screen at the top, you still have to get on the roof to take it off and clean that if it gets build up on it. So, if you are up there, you might as well do it from the top.

I just removed the section from the stove to the pipe, then hung a garbage bag on the pipe. Then I went on the roof, removed the cap and screen and started brushing. Kept it up until it was clean. A good light to inspect the pipe is a must.

Good Afternoon Bedlam,
Im with Moss on this one !

I have been cleaning my own chimney for many years ! I put the ladder up against the chimney, and have a small U shaped bracket that bolts to the ladder so it wont slip off the side of the chimney face !

My flue is 8 x 12 , so I use the rectangular brush with the fiberglass rods from the top, and just keep working the brush up and down until its clean. I have a cleanout door in the basement where the stove is located.

As Moss states, more than likely you will have to clean the mesh on the cap once a year !