Chimney brush, which one?

[Starcoaster]

Can anyone recommend to me (preferably with a link to buy from) a brush to clean my flue?

I understand that a normal house one won't do it but there seems to be so many types of brushes on ebay I don't know which one is right for mine... The flue is straight up and down, if that helps, and I know the baffle in the stove does not remove.

If you need any more info let me know!

[bottle]

A holly bush and a bit of string.

 

Seriously though the above does work if necessary.

 

I would have thought that any brush of the same diameter or slightly larger (better) would do.

 

Mine looks like a large bottle brush, wire handle could be longer though.

 

What stove do you have?

[bizzard]

Depends on what your burning.

Smokeless usually only needs a bristle flu brush. House coal if burned slowly will need something harsher as will damp or green wood,a steel bristle flu brush or i use a wire blush lashed to a broom handle and quite frequently.

As my cat Satchidanander is black i sometimes tie a line to his tail and use him.

he loves it,especially if the fires alight.The soot ''Fluoride''cleans his teeth too.

Edited November 2, 2011 by bizzard

[alan_fincher]

If you are in Braunston, you can get one for a 4" flue at Midland Chandlers......

 

Linky

 

It must match the flue diameter though, I would say. IMO one like this will not do an adequate job if the internal diameter of your flue is significantly larger than the brush.

[blodger]

Do you really need a brush and/or is a brush really effective?

 

I use a couple of drain boning rods with a solid disc on them (IIRC 3 or 3 1/2" in diameter and scrape it up and down the flue a bit and then riddle through the baffle from inside with a bent 6" nail.

 

The flue brush I originally had use to get stuck and then detached from it's handle.

 

I have a Villager Heron and keeping the top of the baffle plate clear and keeping the holes above into the flue clear with said nail seems to be the main imperative to having a non smoking fire.

Edited November 2, 2011 by blodger

[LoneWolf]

you could borrow a brush from one of your new helpful neighbours

 

remember,

put on your 'working on the engine' clothes

spread newspaper around the stove

remove the baffle plate (place it on those newspapers - phew! its very dirty)

marvel at dirty hands

put newspaper in stove to catch the crud neatly

SHUT STOVE DOOR

get on roof

remove chimney

shove brush down hole - push it ALL the way in until the brush head clears the flue (ie is in the stove) before pulling it out - this is important cos if you try and pull it out when the bristles are in the narrow flue they wont have enough room to turn and you may end up using enough force to pull the flue out of the collar or cracking the seal

repeat as necessary

tidy up

job done

have beer

[blodger]

I have not had a stove with a removable baffle plate yet.

 

It is baffling how the design I have was expected not to block up

[Bob18]

Or even take a look in the "shop" at Braunston, last I was in they had a couple, on the floor under the centre shelves by the windlasses...

[Starcoaster]

The baffle doesn't remove from my stove... I'm not even sure what it is! With it not removing, when I shove the brush down, does that mean that all the crud isn't going to fall out into the stove? And whats the thing with the bent nail?

[bizzard]

The baffle doesn't remove from my stove... I'm not even sure what it is! With it not removing, when I shove the brush down, does that mean that all the crud isn't going to fall out into the stove? And whats the thing with the bent nail?

Vacuum cleaner with a bent nozzle.

[Starcoaster]

Is there another way bar with a vacuum lol.

 

My flue is 4" diameter, will a 5" diameter brush be ok or should I get a 4" one?

Edited November 3, 2011 by Starcoaster

[Bob18]

Yes...

[Starcoaster]

Yes to which part!

[bottle]

Both.

[Bob18]

!"£$%^&*()_ you got there first Keith

[blodger]

The baffle doesn't remove from my stove... I'm not even sure what it is! With it not removing, when I shove the brush down, does that mean that all the crud isn't going to fall out into the stove? And whats the thing with the bent nail?

What I am calling a baffle is more of a deflector plate about an inch from the top underside of the stove. My guess is the top of the stove in way of the flue spigot or connector is the real baffle being drilled/having cut-outs in it. Having got the crud on top of this when brushing the flue you have to riddle it through with the nail on to the 'deflector' plate then off of it. That's where the ben 6" nail comes in as the best implement I have found to date!

 

I was unable to clear it that way once and sacrificed an old hoover by using it down the chimney then tipping it rather than cleaning it up.

[alan_fincher]

Is there another way bar with a vacuum lol.

 

My flue is 4" diameter, will a 5" diameter brush be ok or should I get a 4" one?

Personally, I disagree with some of the answers.

 

If your flue is definitely 4", buy a brush for a 4" flue, (which Midland Chandlers have), not one for a bigger flue.

 

It will be a perfect fit, without you risking disturbing the flue yanking something too large through.

 

Our Villager Heron stove has an inbuilt back boiler, which itself forms a "Vee" gulley under the chimney, so it is impossible to remove anything to allow the brush to be pushed right through. Therefore you have to be able to pull the brush back, when all the bristles are angled the "wrong" way, and need to "reverse" themselves. With a smart tug I can do this with a 4" brush, but certainly wouldn't even want to try with one that was already a too tight fit.

 

If you do have something like a permanently fitted back boiler, then loads of the chimney crud will get caught down the back of it. You do need to scoop this out, (probably not that easy). On ours if you tried to vacuum it, you would need some sort of very curved, (almost U shaped) nozzle, which I doubt many people would have!

[Higgs]

If you can find old fenders, cut the old chain off these and tie and bunch bits of chain together. Tie two pieces of rope to this, one each side, and long enough to reach bottom of flue. See-saw this arrangement up and down the flue. This will do a good job of clouting the soot and crap from inside the flue.

 

You will need some kind of vac to really clean behind a back boiler. In the last year I've found 3 vacs in the bins. Two worked, it saves my domestic vac.

Edited November 3, 2011 by Higgs

[LEO]

Personally, I disagree with some of the answers.

 

If your flue is definitely 4", buy a brush for a 4" flue, (which Midland Chandlers have), not one for a bigger flue.

 

It will be a perfect fit, without you risking disturbing the flue yanking something too large through.

 

If you do have something like a permanently fitted back boiler, then loads of the chimney crud will get caught down the back of it. You do need to scoop this out, (probably not that easy). On ours if you tried to vacuum it, you would need some sort of very curved, (almost U shaped) nozzle, which I doubt many people would have!

 

Agree about the brush size comments Alan, I made up a purpose made pipe from 15mm copper pipe suitably bent and fixed this temporarily to the suction pipe with ever useful Duct tape.

 

Make sure you claen the Hoover and wash the suction pipe well after removing all the soot otherwise it leaves black rings on furniture etc.

 

Leo.

[WotEver]

... fixed this temporarily to the suction pipe with ever useful Duct tape.

If it's only a temporary fix or worse still, doesn't fix it, then you've not used enough duct tape.

 

Tony

[Christian]

using the search tool at the top may help you but I imagine posting on here is quicker seeing the amount of male responses you get in a such short time

[Starcoaster]

Really, thanks for that tip. Did you find anything specifically related to working out what size and type of chimney brush to get by using the search tool, because I didn't.

Or did you assume I didn't look, but just posted and then sat drying my nail varnish while waiting for my minions to do it for me...

Edited November 4, 2011 by Starcoaster

[Albion]

using the search tool at the top may help you but I imagine posting on here is quicker seeing the amount of male responses you get in a such short time

As it's November the 5th tomorrow, you must like fireworks I guess, as in 'Light blue touch paper and stand back'?

Roger