Chimney Cleaning - Rods or Rope?

[timfromohio]

OK guys, I've decided not to pay $80 anymore to watch the chimney sweep show up, brush out the chimney, shop vac out the debris, and be gone in about 20 minutes. I've checked out a couple of the recommended sites from which I can purchase cleaning supplies.

Here's my question - what's the concensus on using rods vs. rope or cable? There are kits that include a brush and a bunch of rods and then there are kits that include some sort of rope or cable that you're supposed to pull the brush through with. What works best?

Thanks for any opinions.

 

[Pagey]

Describe your setup: steep roof or not? Straight shot from the cap to the stove top or do you have offsets? I have about 18' straight shot on an easy to navigate roof, and I have rods and a poly brush. About 15 minutes on the roof and I'm done.

 

[pelletizer]

When I was a kid my brother and I used a rope, and him or I were on the roof or on bottom and one of us first hauled it down and then one of us hauled it back up. I was on the roof most of the time with no fear of being up high.

 

[BrotherBart]

I use a two ropes. Go up and drop one rope down through the liner and stuff the brush in with the other rope coiled on top of it and tied off. Go down and pull the brush through and then go up and pull it back through. Toss the rig off the roof, close the caps and then go down and put the baffle back in one stove and the pipe back on the one in the basement. The one through the wall into the thimble can get a little messy. I tape a large trash bag over the thimble and use the bag like gloves to pull the rope down for that one to keep the crud in the bag, not on me, the floor and the stove.

 

[LLigetfa]

I do top down with rods. My chimney has a 30 degree offset.

 

[tradergordo]

I'd say if your setup allows it, cleaning from the top using rods is ideal.

I just swept mine TODAY. I use two PVC pipes (cuz they cost $2) with the bristle brush Lowes sells, and it works great. I put a double plastic grocery bag over the bottom of the flue held on with a bungie cord. Push the brush/rod down and up twice and its done. Very easy job, hardest part is just disconnecting the flue from the stove and pushing it up (slide joint flue) but that isn't too bad.

 

[webby3650]

WOW! You are getting your flue cleaned for about half the going price, I hope they are doing the whole job. If you are going to do it yourself make sure you get a system with positive connections, the last thing you want is to lose a brush half way down.

 

[crazy_dan]

I use rods from the bottom I just slide the telescopic double wall up and have at it. vacuum off the baffle in the summit.
My cap has no screen so I do not have to clean it since it will not plug up.
hell this spring I went and slid the pipe up looked inside it and slid it back together as it only had a light film about as thick as a piece of paper of powdery stuff.

 

[tradergordo]

WOW! You are getting your flue cleaned for about half the going price, I hope they are doing the whole job. If you are going to do it yourself make sure you get a system with positive connections, the last thing you want is to lose a brush half way down.

I have an "emergency backup" rope that I tie to the brush, haven't had to use it yet though.

 

[webby3650]

WOW! You are getting your flue cleaned for about half the going price, I hope they are doing the whole job. If you are going to do it yourself make sure you get a system with positive connections, the last thing you want is to lose a brush half way down.

I have an "emergency backup" rope that I tie to the brush, haven't had to use it yet though.

Good thinkin!

 

[greythorn3]

i like that idea of cleaning from the bottom up! i might try that as i will have a short 13 foot chuimeny on a non cat blaze king, i can just send it up thu the firebox of that rod is flexable enough.. not even take the chimeny cap off! hehehe

Ray

 

[timfromohio]

I have two chimneys to clean. One is a liner hooked up to a PE insert. It runs through an existing masonry chimney, is about 20-25 feet in length, and a straight shot. The other is hooked to a Napolean free-standing stove. This chimney is almost a straight shot too - just has a couple of elbows in the stove pipe section to accomodate an offset required to place the chimney between two ceiling joists. Both are 6" diameter. Roof pitch is not steep at all. Based on my reading, I've decided to use the heavy duty nylon brush, but am still undecided on rods vs. rope.

I have had three different sweeps out to clean the insert chimney (last year was stove's first year, so this year will be its first cleaning). Each time, they spent less than half an hour. Wouldn't have told me anything about the condition of the chimney were it not for my pestering them with questions. They show up, set up a canvas tarp in front of the insert, clean from the bottom, shop vac out the insert, and put out their hands for the money. Each time took less than half an hour. No detailed inspection, nothing. Last year I had about a gallon of dust come down and the guy said I probably had a chimney fire. How he could tell that I have no idea. The main reason I asked him out to the house was to get an estimate to install my other stove. He took no measurements, told me I looked like a handy guy, and would be happy to sell me the parts required so that I could install the stove. He never called me back. Also told me he routinely ran coal in his woodburner? I wasn't sure what to think of his chimney fire comment based on my entire experience with him. Never saw any signs of a chimney fire, insert was never over-fired. The other two guys never said anything.

I did wind up putting in the new stove myself and figure if I did that, cleaning/inspecting the chimney can't be all that hard.

 

[LLigetfa]

My flue exits on the top so anything that falls, lands in the stove. No Tees or hard 90's. No pipes to dismantle and the stove door stays closed so no mess in the house. All I do is pull out the baffle so that I don't hit and break it with the brush. Any creosote that flakes off and falls back in the stove simply gets burned.

As for the threaded rods coming apart, I rotate them clockwise as I'm brushing so it's not going to happen.

 

[smabon]

I clean mine from the top with rods. My roof isn't that bad to get up and down from. I like using the rods because you can do a scrubbing technique with them. What I mean is i put the brush in the liner scrub up and down, lower the brush some more, scrub in that area up and down a couple of times and just keep moving down the liner a little at a time. I have one very flexable rod that I attach to the brush and then all of the other rods that I attach to the flexable one are a bit more rigid. This way the flexable rod can bend as the liner bends into the stove. I like to clean from the top down because I think it is cleaner then from the bottom up. Just remove the baffle plates in the stove. Close up the stove and start cleaning the pipe. When your done sweeping wait a couple of minutes for the dust in the stove to settle. Open the door, shovel out what came down, a little light vaccuuming and your done.

 

[bren582]

Since I extended my Chimney my top down days are over.. The top is now out off reach for me from a safety perspective.. I used the rope method for my top down cleaning and it worked great but my draft level was sub-par so now I will have to go bottom up with rods..

Can anyone recommend a good set of rods to purchase? A set that will not come apart in the flue? I imagine it would be a nightmare to clear a stuck brush or rod/brush from the stack..

Thanks!!

 

[LLigetfa]

Since I extended my Chimney my top down days are over...

Put a pulley at the top and keep a loop on cable in the chimney.

(broken link removed to http://www.chimneyscrubber.com/old_way.php)

Threaded rods won't come apart if you continually turn them clockwise while sweeping. Positive locking quick connects would be nice when working from a ladder but threaded rods are adequate.

 

[firefighterjake]

Rods or brushes? This is a no-brainer for me since I clean from the bottom . . . rods.

 

[firefighterjake]

Since I extended my Chimney my top down days are over.. The top is now out off reach for me from a safety perspective.. I used the rope method for my top down cleaning and it worked great but my draft level was sub-par so now I will have to go bottom up with rods..

Can anyone recommend a good set of rods to purchase? A set that will not come apart in the flue? I imagine it would be a nightmare to clear a stuck brush or rod/brush from the stack..

Thanks!!

As LL mentioned this isn't a problem as long as you aren't spinning the brush around . . . or if you insist on spinning the brush (I actually do I will admit) just make sure you're spinning counter-clockwise so you're always "tightening" the rods and brush vs. loosening them.

 

[LLigetfa]

As LL mentioned this isn't a problem as long as you aren't spinning the brush around . . . or if you insist on spinning the brush (I actually do I will admit) just make sure you're spinning counter-clockwise so you're always "tightening" the rods and brush vs. loosening them.

Your rods have a left hand thread? Mine turn clockwise to tighten. Righty - tighty, lefty - loosey.

 

[Drumaz]

Thanks for all the great info. The wife and I were just talking last night about buying a cleaning rig. I plan on cleaning from the bottom up via the clean-out in the bottom of the T. I have a Class A set-up out-side the house with an offset to pass the eve and gutter. The 90 deg pipe in the house will be removed and cleaned outside. Here are a couple questions I was going to post today. As far as equipment..
- Nylon Brush? and how big for a standard (6"?) chimney.
- Will the standard rods make the two 130'ish degree bends at the offset ?
- What do I do when I get to the top/cap? I obviously don't want to pop it off as there is NO WAY I'll be able to get it back on!!

Thanks for the valuable advice. I figure I can get a rig for the price of a chimney cleaning. Tractor Supply and my local Tru Value sells them. Anyother places I should be looking?
Thanks!

 

[fullbore]

Lowes can special order a 6" poly brush and has the rods in stock. I have a 26' class A chimney with two 30* elbows. The rods will flex just enough to clean from the bottom. I actually "popped" the cap off while cleaning this summer. It was balancing on the poly brush at 40+ feet in the air. My 40' ladder just made it to the eaves from the backyard to fix the cap. Needless to say, I marked the rod with tape to avoid another circus act...

 

[firefighterjake]

As LL mentioned this isn't a problem as long as you aren't spinning the brush around . . . or if you insist on spinning the brush (I actually do I will admit) just make sure you're spinning counter-clockwise so you're always "tightening" the rods and brush vs. loosening them.

Your rods have a left hand thread? Mine turn clockwise to tighten. Righty - tighty, lefty - loosey.

Oops . . . must be having a dyslexic day here . . . so yeah, go the right way, not the way I suggested originally!

 

[Later]

I have a 6 inch class A chimney and have a wire brush. Is this the appropriate one or should I get a nylon/poly brush.

 

[BrotherBart]

If it wasn't for that darn cap I have always wanted to try large bottle rockets with a brush tied to them. :coolgrin:

 

[waynek]

i like that idea of cleaning from the bottom up! i might try that as i will have a short 13 foot chuimeny on a non cat blaze king, i can just send it up thu the firebox of that rod is flexable enough.. not even take the chimeny cap off! hehehe

Ray

+ 1 I clean my two chimneys from the bottom up. On the masonry chimney the rod and brush goes up the through the cleanout. On the stainless steel chimney, I disconnect the black pipe from the stove and run rod and brush up through. It sure beats climbing around on the roof.
jackpine