200yr old unlined chimney, cleaning and liner install

[cruzer]

I have my stove (13-nch), going to be ordering up a stainless liner from rockford with insulation.

My next step is to sweep the chimney before the install. My question is what kind of brush should i use? I am concerned that the morter is loose inside the chimney and i will knock out a lot of it while cleaning. Should i get a Steel or poly brush? The opening is about 16x16 at the top of the chimney....

Also i have a 4 flue chimney, 1 is my oil burner, the other 3 each go to a seperate fire place. 2 are unused at the moment. Do i need to clean all 3 of them or just the one i am concerned with?

Thanks for the help.

Stew

 

[sapratt]

I would let a pro clean and inspect the chimeny. If its that old your better off spending the extra money to find out what condition the chimney is.

 

[webbie]

You can actually buy chimney brushes of that size - but given the size - and the fact that you will only have ONE time use for the brushes, having a pro do the job might be close the same price - at least when your time and trouble is figured in.

Yes, for now you only have to clean the one you are lining, but with an old chimney like that it would not hurt to have a pair of experienced eye check out your other flues.

A steel brush would do fine......some mortar flaking off should not be a big deal because you are lining it with an insulated liner system.