Chimley Cleaning - Line and Weight Method

[Mike Wilson]

So I am going to head up and clean my chimley this month before I start burning full time again, and want to try something different. My chimley is 6' by 3' with a 1.5" slate top over the top. There is a 6" liner running down the center of three flues (yes, that would be, of course, the hardest of the three flues to get to). Instead of getting someone else up there to help me move this giant slate, and then use a rod and brush to clean it, I thought about using the line and weight method. I have a large collection of 10 pound sash weights laying around from when I changed out all the windows on an old Queen Anne I owned. All I would need is a nylon brush with 2 rings on it... one for the line, and one for the weight. I can place the weight and brush into the flue between the chimley top and the slate, run it up and down a bunch of times until I see that it's clean. Note, I can see that it's not too bad as it is, and have a good view into the flue from below at the dampner. The rod and brush may be better, but this may be easier. Ever try to move a 3 by 6 piece of slate while on a ladder 25 feet in the air?

Opinions? Experiences?

-- Mike

 

[BrotherBart]

Be sure to use a bottom rope too Mike. Elk and I both stuck a brush this year for the first time and didn't have a rope dropped down into the stove to pull the brush down. First time I ever didn't drop that second rope and sure enough the first time a brush stuck.

Also it takes more weight than you would think to pull a brush down the thing.

 

[Mike Wilson]

Were you guys using the bottom rope to pull the brush down, or were you using it more as a safety in case the weights and brush got stuck?

I figured that 2 ten pound sash weights ought to be enough, think I need more?

-- Mike

 

[boostnut]

Mike, I cleaned mine in a similar way. Dropped a rope down from the top, tied it to the 6" brush and pulled it up from the top. I also tied a rope to the bottom side of the brush in case it got stuck. I think there is an advantage in cleaning from the bottom up. With the ropes tied and the brush in the firebox you can close the doors and eliminate any mess on your hearth. After pulling it up twice my liner looked very clean and ready for another year. Good luck, Aaron

By the way, do you have any tricks up your sleeve to get the fan to kick on earlier? It seems like mine takes waaaaay too long to start.

 

[BrotherBart]

I pull it down and then back up and am done. Back when I was cleaning the smooth clay tiles before lining the chimney it took twenty pounds of weight to get the sucker to pull the brush down. And sometimes I would have to pull it back up and let it dead drop to get all the way down.

 

[Mike Wilson]

Okay, I am going to do this then... get a brush with 2 rings on it, tie a line on top, tie a line on the bottom. I am going to go up to the top and drop a line down, securing the other end at the top of the chimley. Then I'll go back inside the house and tie the top loop of the brush on to the line I just dropped down the chimley. We'll call this the uphaul line. Then, I am going to tie a downhaul line to the bottom loop of the brush, throw it into the firebox, and close the door. I will go back to the top of the chimley, and pull the uphaul line until the brush gets to the top. Then, I go back into the house, and pull the downhaul line. Rinse, repeat, with care not to put soot into the house.

Alternatively, I could just haul the brush from the bottom up to the top, bring the brush back into the house, reattach it to another uphaul line, pull the brush up again, and keep this up until I am satisfied. This way, as Boostnut mentioned, the doors are closed, and the mess is minimized.

How many times have you needed to pull the brush all the way through?

Am I on the right track here?

-- Mike

 

[ozarkjeep]

I have a 6" poly brush, and a 6" liner, 25 feet long.

about 35 feet of rope on both ends of the brush.

climb up top, remove cap, I drop one of the free ends of rope, tied to a large bolt ( about a lb) down the flu.

then I shove the brush into the top few inches.

climb down off roof, go into house, reach up inside the firebox, and grab the bolt, and pull rope ( and brush) down

then, I climb back up, grab the other rope, and pull the brush back up.

total time is about 10 minutes.

 

[Gooserider]

I use rods (electrical conduit, not the over-priced "official" rods) and push up to clean from the bottom... I can't readily get to the top of my chimney, so this is far better. However I agree with the other suggestions of a "safety rope" - I even use one on my brush with the rods. If a rod snaps, I want to have the line to get it back down with.

BTW you can get adapters that put a ring on both sides of your brush, I've seen them on-line, seems most places that sell brushes carry them.

Gooserider

 

[boostnut]

"Alternatively, I could just haul the brush from the bottom up to the top, bring the brush back into the house, reattach it to another uphaul line, pull the brush up again, and keep this up until I am satisfied. This way, as Boostnut mentioned, the doors are closed, and the mess is minimized. ---- Mike, this is exactly what I did. No mess at all.

How many times have you needed to pull the brush all the way through? --- twice (with a 6" wire brush)

Am I on the right track here? ----- plan is in place, now get to work.

 

[BrotherBart]

Once down and up has always taken care of mine just fine.

 

[Mike Wilson]

Sounds good. I think I will go with a poly brush though, I don't like the idea of running a SS brush through my Ti liner... Plus, we've used a poly brush on rods before, and it worked fine.

Now... where to find a poly brush with 2 rings on it... Hmmmmm... Googletime.

-- Mike

 

[ozarkjeep]

mine was local, $16 I think, and the other end is threaded for the rod, and the adapter with a RING for it was like $3.

if you cant find one, Ill snag one and send it to you.

poly > stainless for liners.

the stainless might rough the surface up and make more surface area for the creosote to stick.

Sounds good. I think I will go with a poly brush though, I don't like the idea of running a SS brush through my Ti liner... Plus, we've used a poly brush on rods before, and it worked fine.

Now... where to find a poly brush with 2 rings on it... Hmmmmm... Googletime.

-- Mike

 

[BrotherBart]

ACE Hardware online is going to be the cheapest ya find on poly brushes and stuff and they will deliver it to your local store with no shipping charge. Brush cost me $13 there and the add on ring is like four bucks.

 

[Mike Wilson]

Okay, the ring on one side is an add on that screws into where the rod usually goes... got it... okay, we can do this.

-- Mike

 

[velvetfoot]

I can't imagine going on to the roof if you can do it from below.