1/4" vs 3/8" Rods?

[daveswoodhauler]

Ok, going to do some homework, and I am looking to get a poly brush and some rods:

http://www.fireplaceessentials.com/Metal-Chimney-Cleaning-Homeowner-Professional-c93.html

So, I have a pretty straight shot from bottom to top, and I would say the run from the stove to the top is appx 25 feet.

Am I better of going with the 3/8ths rods over the 1/4 inch? (Seems like its worth the few extra bucks)

What do you bottom cleaners use?

 

[iskiatomic]

3/8 here. The 1/4s seem a bit flimsy/


KC

 

[JustWood]

I have broke 3/8 before. The heavier the better.

 

[daveswoodhauler]

Thanks atomic and lee. You guys go with the threaded kids, or the quick connectors....I was thinking the quick connectors might be good if I wanted to attach the rods to a cordless drill to give the bruch a good spin when cleaning the liner.

 

[LLigetfa]

I have threaded couplers and they are a PITA. I doubt a cordless drill could spin the brush. It should be too snug a fit to do that.

 

[Hogwildz]

Best I can tell 1/4" is for pellet stove cleaning, 3/8" for wood & coal stoves.

 

[blades]

During the winter I run a brush up the the flue bottom up. the access door is at the base of the flue meaning I have to flex the rods almost 90 deg. to accomplish my goal. the fiberglass rods , while somewhat flexible are fracturing. Are the poly rods capable of this abuse?

 

[burntime]

3/8 of an inch all the way...

 

[Brian VT]

Make your own from PVC electrical conduit. To heck with those rods.

 

[Steamer]

I searched all over to find rods that I can use from my clean out in the basement. the clean out is two feet off the ground and the rods would need to bend 90 degrees and then push a 8 inch round brush up 33 feet of chimney. Anyone have any suggestions. I only clean my chimney once a year and get about 2-4 coffee cans of soot/ creosote.
Thanks

 

[Gooserider]

Do the search for details, I've described several times in the past... Short answer is you can get enough grey pvc electrical conduit and associated parts to do the entire length for about what ONE of those fancy rods will cost you... I clean from the bottom and bend my conduit 90* in the 18" space between the floor and the bottom of the Tee at the back of the stove... Only tough part is getting the brush started.

Gooserider

 

[Green Energy]

I have the same question about rods. I have to change from my 11" by 11" wire brush to a 6" poly brush for my SS new liner. The rods that I have are 6' long heavy duty yellow fiberglass. The fitting are larger than the lighter duty 1/4". When I measure the diameter, it is 5/8" from the outside of the threads. I think this was the standard heavy duty rod fittings when I bought the rods and brush 20 years ago. My 11" square brush is made by Imperial Sheet Metal, Ltd., New Brunswick, Canada, and the rod just screws right onto the male end of the brush fitting. So is this the same as the 3/8" fittings that come on the heavy duty rods today? If so, I can just get a 6" poly brush with the 3/8" fitting, or a 1/4" fitting with a 1/4 - 3/8 adapter.

Second question is whether these heavy duty rods have enough flex to go down the smoke shelve offset without putting too much pressure on the liner wall? The offset is a standard masonry fireplace smoke shelve, about a foot - 18", that I was able to flex the liner down and around.

If I can use my old rods, I will also need to get another rod or two to add another 6' to 8'. I have 3 rods giving me 18', but to go the chimney liner length, pass the smoke shelve, will require 25'.

Thanks for the replies. I need to do a mid winter check of my new setup and non-cat stove which I am using without the dryest wood. I know better for next winter.

 

[Gooserider]

Far as I'm concerned - same answer - do the grey poly electrical conduit plus plumbing adapters... It has good flex, and seems much stronger than the "official" rods, plus is MUCH less expensive... Only problem I've seen is if cleaning from the top on a wobbly ladder, the 10' lengths can be a bit awkward... If I had to deal with that, I'd get some couplers and cut the rods to 5' or so. However cleaning from the bottom, I'll stick with the 10' lengths.

Gooserider

 

[Green Energy]

Goose,

I saw your earlier post on the grey conduit. I already have the old rods. So I am interested in making use of them if they are the appropriate system for my new liner. But I am considering your suggestion. How to you couple the sections of pvc conduit to achieve the 25' length? I want to make sure that I have a extremely strong coupling that is fail safe. I would hate to get a brush and section of conduit stuck.

Thanks!

 

[webby3650]

Goose,

I saw your earlier post on the grey conduit. I already have the old rods. So I am interested in making use of them if they are the appropriate system for my new liner. But I am considering your suggestion. How to you couple the sections of pvc conduit to achieve the 25' length? I want to make sure that I have a extremely strong coupling that is fail safe. I would hate to get a brush and section of conduit stuck.

Thanks!

I assume you would want to use pressure couplings to get more strength. Can't imagine doing this though, I'm not saying to run out and buy a set of poly-rods, but come on, this stuff is not that expensive. 3/8 Fiberglass rods will be fine for the average homeowner application. Think of how much money you are saving by not only using wood to heat with, but by cleaning the flue yourself. Get the adapter's that will make you current system work. After using Poly-rods I can't imagine using anything else, but they are pricey.

 

[Gooserider]

Goose,

I saw your earlier post on the grey conduit. I already have the old rods. So I am interested in making use of them if they are the appropriate system for my new liner. But I am considering your suggestion. How to you couple the sections of pvc conduit to achieve the 25' length? I want to make sure that I have a extremely strong coupling that is fail safe. I would hate to get a brush and section of conduit stuck.

Thanks!

You mentioned needing to extend your existing rods, and from what I've seen for prices - averaging $5-10 per 3' length, it would be less expensive to buy the conduit setup... IIRC, I paid around $2 each for the 10' conduit sections (3) and another dollar or two each for the two plumbing fittings I used... CraigsList off the existing rods and you'll end up making a profit on the deal...

The way I made my connections between the sections was to sand down the small ends a bit so that they would slide easily into the "Bell" of the large ends, just like I was going to solvent weld them as one normally would. However instead of gluing them, I drilled a small hole straight through the assembled joint and stuck a bolt and nut into it. Another user did something similar using hitch pins and hair-pin clips which would be easier to put together... At the brush end, I solvent welded a white PVC plastic pipe - NPT Female adapter, and then screwed a reducer bushing to go from the adapter (1/2"NPT) to the 1/4" NPT threads on the brush I was using... As "insurance", which I advise doing no matter what kind of setup you use, I tie a light line to the brush and let it dangle - if anything DOES break, the line will let me pull the brush and any attached rods out...

Gooserider

 

[kevin j]

I use the snap together aluminum sections from my snow roof rake, mainly so I have less things to store. Very stiff, easy to use. Would not work where it has to bend of course.
(3) 8 foot sections with push button connectors inside each joint. Since my brushes have 1/4 NPT threads on them, and the roof rake blade is held on with 1/2 inch NC bolt, I welded a 1/4 inch pipe coupling to another 1/2 inch bolt. Remove the rake blade with one bolt, install the modified bolt, thread in the brush, and head up the roof.

 

[LLigetfa]

If you could find a source for those push button connectors used on the roof rake, they could be used on PVC conduit in place of bolts. You would want to have a backup safety line though as I've had those push button connectors release in use.

 

[kevin j]

connector source: garage sales, goodwill, snow rakes, tent poles, etc. Ithink it was $5 for the second or third rakes I bought.
snap conenctors plus the pvc pipe would give the flex tha the OP needed.
second line. good idea, I could get it out but would be a pain and take an hour. I will add a 1/8 nylon line next time for pulling back if necessary.

 

[RustyShackleford]

It's there some reason people ar etalking about using PVC electrical conduit
instead of plain ole' PVC piping ? I had a look at the stuff Lowe's, and the 1/2"
seems a little flimsy though - I'm tempted to go with 3/4".

 

[LLigetfa]

The electrical conduit is flared out at one end to act as a coupling.

 

[RustyShackleford]

The electrical conduit is flared out at one end to act as a coupling.

Ok. I was just gonna glue a "male adapter" to one piece and a "female adapter" to the
other, and screw 'em together. I need 20ft total, so I'd do it with two 10ft pieces. Then
a female adapter and a 1/2 to 1/4" bushing at the end of the whole thing. I clean from
the top, so I don't care the pieces are 10ft long. I'll store 'em in the crawlspace.

 

[Gooserider]

It's there some reason people ar etalking about using PVC electrical conduit
instead of plain ole' PVC piping ? I had a look at the stuff Lowe's, and the 1/2"
seems a little flimsy though - I'm tempted to go with 3/4".

Last time I checked the electrical conduit was cheaper, and it's also more flexible, which is critical for those of us that are cleaning from the bottom and have to make a tight bend to get into the chimney, or possibly for those with a bend in the flue to get past... The half inch is "flimsy" feeling, but it's plenty strong enough for the job, and it's important if going around a bend to be flexible. Once you get it into the flue, the walls of the flue keep it from flexing to far...

As mentioned the bell on one end of the electrical stuff also saves the cost of fittings - instead you just need any kind of scrap bolt or equivalent to act as a pin to hold the lengths together....

Gooserider