Cleaning a tall chimney

[PaulF]

I have cleaned a round metal chimney flue that was only about 16 feet tall. I used a brush and fiberglass rods.

In a new location, I need to clean a couple of masonry flues in a brick chimney that is about 35 feet high. The previous owner used fiberglass poles attached to a brush. I was wondering if it might be easier to clean the tall flues with a rope attached to the brush and weight attached to the bottom of the brush. I see they make pull rings to allow rope attachment. I want to work only from the top. Is this a feasible idea? If so, how much weight is usually required? I will be using a 7x7 square brush.

PaulF

 

[BrotherBart]

On my 30 and 35 foot 12 X 7 flues I had thought Rutland was BSing about a minimum 20 pound weight with a rope. They weren't. I tried several weights and ended up at 20 pounds for it to work well with a new brush.

Be sure you attach a rope to the bottom of the brush too in case it gets stuck and won't pull back up. Sometimes you can get the weight jammed in something instead of the brush and need to pull from below. When you do, stay out of the way. 20 pounds on the head or in the face has just gotta hurt.