Boiler tube brush for EKO 25?

[Nofossil]

Since I don't have the infinitely cool semi-automatic HX cleaner on my EKO, I need a round wire brush with a long handle. They must make them, but I can't find anyone who sells to the general public.

The inside diameter of my HX tubes is about 1.9". Any suggestions/sources are welcome.

 

[velvetfoot]

I wanted to clean my own oil fired boiler, but alas never got around to it before the oil guy came around to get it.
Anyway, I just did a search, and there are places like this one:
(broken link removed to http://www.tanisinc.com/tb_flue.php?ex=cxly0g-s0t4x2-5ae7wm&kc=tNl4oHJYJ7OvjJ4FZRCx9chl7mXz3Ke0kjdevPdi&OVRAW=furnace%20brush&OVKEY=boiler%20brush&OVMTC=advanced&OVADID=1154253521&OVKWID=8833850021)

 

[BrotherBart]

Call Loretta at Hart's Hearth. These ought to get the job done but you would need to attach a piece of PVC tubing to it to get the length.

(broken link removed to http://www.hartshearth.com/productcart/pc/viewPrd.asp?idcategory=217&idproduct=4548)

 

[Nofossil]

Arghh! Two near-misses. Tanic (I can't see the link now, but I thank that's it) has a $50 minimum order. All of the brush sources that I've found online are set up for industrial accounts.

The Hart brush is too big, and it has fiber bristles. I'll call anyway, but no joy yet. My local plumbing supply house doesn't have anything in the right diameter.

 

[Eric Johnson]

I hate to point the finger of blame at the new guy, the the threads you participate in tend not to wrap, nofossil. What's up with that?

Can't Zenon get you the brushes? I assume they're still available through Orlan, one way or another.

 

[begreen]

Here's a few suppliers. There are lots of them. Search for boiler tube brush.

http://www.solobrushes.com/WebCatg2.asp?Cat2ID=7&Cat1ID=4

(broken link removed to http://www.schaeferbrush.com/FlueProducts.html)

(broken link removed to http://www.torringtonbrush.com/index.phtml?menu=other_page&menu2=48&data;=&data2;=&username;=&password;=&userhelp=off&cart;=)

 

[Nofossil]

I don't want to be ungrateful, but I really do know how to use Google. My problem is not finding a manufacturer / distributor - it's finding one that sells to end users.

Solo Brushes has a minimum $30 order. Shaefer Brush has minimum shipping and handling charges that are much more than the cost of a single brush. Torrington is just starting to play with online sales - their site doesn't calculate shipping, and it's not secure. When I called them, they gave up and sent me my brush as a sample.

My problem is hopefully solved, but I still haven't found a source that is set up to sell boiler tube brushes to civilians.

Torrington may get there they're working on their web site. I'll report on how well the brush works for my purposes.

Here's a few suppliers. There are lots of them. Search for boiler tube brush.

http://www.solobrushes.com/WebCatg2.asp?Cat2ID=7&Cat1ID=4

(broken link removed to http://www.schaeferbrush.com/FlueProducts.html)

(broken link removed to http://www.torringtonbrush.com/index.phtml?menu=other_page&menu2=48&data;=&data2;=&username;=&password;=&userhelp=off&cart;=)

 

[Nofossil]

I had noticed the wrap thing - I'm using FireFox 2.0.0.6 on Linux as my primary browser, and I'm simply typing my posts in the form on the Forum web page. I'm letting the website entry form wrap where it wants - I'm not using carriage returns except when I want a paragraph break. I'm not doing anything OS-specific - no cut-and-paste, no funky UNIX style editors or any such. Can our website guru guy shed any light on this? I do run a kind of wide browser window - maybe 1200 pixels or so. I'm set up with dual 1600x1200 monitors (I spoil myself sometimes).

Zenon sent me a set of tools with the boiler that included a lame 'metal disk on a rod' that would work great if you had 1/4" buildup, bit it is undersized and difficult to really clean the tube with.

I hate to point the finger of blame at the new guy, the the threads you participate in tend not to wrap, nofossil. What's up with that?

Can't Zenon get you the brushes? I assume they're still available through Orlan, one way or another.

 

[Nofossil]

More data - wrapping for the same thread looks different depending on the browser / OS:

Domino / XP: Wraps fine.
Firefox / Linux: Doesn't wrap.
IE/ XP: wraps fine
Firefox / XP: Doesn't wrap.
Konqueror / Linux: Doesn't wrap.

It seems like the failure is that the browser creates a page wider than the window. Anyone have any ideas?

I hate to point the finger of blame at the new guy, the the threads you participate in tend not to wrap, nofossil. What's up with that?

 

[Eric Johnson]

I haven't quite figured out how to use my tools, either. I'm still using my old 6' long poker with the big loop handle that was used on the original coal boiler in the basement. The little hoe is for scraping out the firebox, I guess, but doesn't do much for scooping ashes forward. Something shaped like the inside of the lower refractory bricks would be better, I think.

Do you have a technique for cleaning out the ash pit, nofossil? Seems to me some kind of a shallow pan or flexible tray would work best. Just park it under the lower door and pull the ashes out with a hoe or some other kind of scoop.

 

[Nofossil]

I haven't quite figured out how to use my tools, either. I'm still using my old 6' long poker with the big loop handle that was used on the original coal boiler in the basement. The little hoe is for scraping out the firebox, I guess, but doesn't do much for scooping ashes forward. Something shaped like the inside of the lower refractory bricks would be better, I think.

Do you have a technique for cleaning out the ash pit, nofossil? Seems to me some kind of a shallow pan or flexible tray would work best. Just park it under the lower door and pull the ashes out with a hoe or some other kind of scoop.

Keep in mind that mine is smaller than yours (my boiler - let's keep it clean here). I only burn 4 cords in a season, so my ash removal is less demanding than yours.

About once a week, I take a steel dustpan and scoop out most of the ashes from the upper chamber. At the same time, I use the hoe tool to drag the ashes from the bottom chamber into the dustpan. I have another thread on my combustion chamber baffle, but the short version is that part of the reason I replaced the original was to simplify ash removal. My new baffle / combustion chamber is essentially an 'H' beam about 9" wide. This gives me three parallel channels to drag ashes from.

I also clean the ash dust from the walls of the lower chamber weekly, and clean the HX tubes 2 or 3 times per season. I'll knock off the big carbon 'klingons' from the upper chamber every week, but I've never really tried to scrape it clean.

 

[Gooserider]

Always seems to me like when all else fails, try McMaster-Carr - they have an excellent website with a several thousand page catalog, and sell to anyone that has money.... :cheese:

They aren't the cheapest place in the world, but they aren't that bad either, and they seem to have an incredible range of stuff. They will also sell in "user friendly" quantities as well. A while back I was looking at Tygon tubing for another project. All the other vendors I found wanted you to purchase entire rolls (at $2+/foot) McMaster was a bit higher per foot, but was willing to sell in 10 foot increments...

Gooserider

 

[Nofossil]

Always seems to me like when all else fails, try McMaster-Carr

Good call - I think I had forgotten them. I've also had good luck with Grainger, who seems to have a similar business model (and a local retail outlet). Both of them carry a much wider range of goodies than I think - I'm always surprised. You'd think I'd learn, but maybe that's one of the benefits of growing older - you can be pleasantly surprised by the same thing, over and over...

I tend to do much more electronics these days, and Digi-Key is absolutely wonderful for that. You pay a $5 handling surcharge if your order is less than $25, but there are no other restrictions.

 

[Gooserider]

Digi-key is a good source for electronic stuff for sure. Mouser is also good - they have less stuff, but prices are real good. They seem to fit in between the giant, carry everything model, and the surplus house... Been a while since I've done anything with them.

Grainger has a wonderful catalog, but I've usually found them a problem to do business with, as they only want to sell to "businesses" - They are pretty liberal in defining the term, but it seems they want you to have some sort of commercial identity, not just being a "civilian".

Gooserider

 

[Nofossil]

I have my brush - a thing of rare beauty and exactly the tool for the job. Many thanks to Torrington Brush Company, who sent it as a free sample. They're working on getting their web site set up for online orders, but at present they're not really set up to deal with small orders.

 

[velvetfoot]

is that stainless?

 

[Nofossil]

is that stainless?

No, but I think they make stainless. For this application, it's just removing dry dust - no creosote, no moisture. I'm a big stainless fan, but even I thought it would be overkill for this application.

 

[Nofossil]

By the way, I think their price for this was under $6. It has a handle about 3' long.