Stainless steel or galvanized steel cable for chimney cleaner setup

[mpilihp]

So many years ago I built and installed a chimney cleaner that uses a brush on a cable and pully at the top of the chimney and a crank at the bottom. Its worked good over the years but would fail occasionaly at the worst times of course. Ive made changes and its improved but the cable still seams to be a problem.

I have tried both stainless and galvanized (I think) and both fail eventually but Id like to know which one is the better one to resist heat and creosote so I get the longest used before it fails.

It looks like it gets skinny and then fails like its being eaten away, that's why I think its the creosote.

Reading online it sounds like stainless is better against corrosive items but I don't know how heat would affect it.

ANy help would be appreciated.

Thanks

~ Phil

 

[bholler]

You want stainless but the allow matters. 304 or 316 are common alloys that will hold up ok. But if it is in the chimney it will take allot of the heat at the crock and fail eventually.

 

[mpilihp]

OK thanks I will give stainless a try again. Its gone for many years in the past and probably I had stainless back them, I don't remember. I am thinking the last couple times Ive used galvanized. I have a wood boiler non gasifier type and I need to clean the chimney often, we do it weekly with the cleaner now to be safe.

~ Phil

 

[Mech e]

Not quit sure I understand your setup, but another possibility might be Kevlar rope. Here is a link to information on that product: http://www.pelicanrope.com/fireandescape-rope.html#KEVLAR AP

 

[mpilihp]

Thanks but I think it can get higher temps in the flue than that rope can handle. The setup is a standard flue brush with steel cable on both ends with a pulley at the top and crank handles at the bottom (on the outside of chimney) So the cable needs to be able to handle high heat and corrosion from creosote. Cable usually lasts a couple to three years but want to try and improve it to last longer.

~ Phil

 

[bholler]

Thanks but I think it can get higher temps in the flue than that rope can handle. The setup is a standard flue brush with steel cable on both ends with a pulley at the top and crank handles at the bottom (on the outside of chimney) So the cable needs to be able to handle high heat and corrosion from creosote. Cable usually lasts a couple to three years but want to try and improve it to last longer.

~ Phil

You could also improve your wood and setup so you don't have to clean weekly.

 

[xman23]

It might be an issue with the cable diameter vers the sheave diameter. Normally it should be 40 to 1. The smaller the ratio the quicker the cable fatigues. There are higher wire count and construction designs that maybe more durable. That said the flue heat is the method to temper metal. It may not be the precise temps required but I guess after time the cable will become brittle.

 

[Bad LP]

Type 316 ss is much more acid resistant than any other type. There are a ton of wire rope options but as mentioned weekly cleanings should not be needed with good wood.

 

[mpilihp]

Hi we don't HAVE to clean weekly but we do have to clean more than once a season. With a conventional wood boiler and our small and tall chimney it cools off at the top beyond the roof line and creosote builds up in that area. I prefer to not have to climb the roof in the winter so I built this. Its worked well for many years but after my modification it isn't lasting as long.

I think Xman23 is onto something as the change I made was to add pulley wheels at the bottom to allow the cable to exit the chimney to winch cranks for the brush up and cranking it down. Before the setup was a shaft when into the chimney with a larger pully wheel and the wire was wrapped around it a couple times and was tensioned so that turning the handle attached to this shaft would crank the brush up and down. Worked well but the cable would slack and require taking apart to tighten it. That was a pain but the cable lasted a lot longer.

Im thinking maybe the 90 degree turns at the pulleys are the issue as they are much smaller in diameter, had to be to fit in the flue.

Thanks for your help, Im gonna change it to stainless first and see what happens.

~ Phil

 

[mpilihp]

Hi we don't HAVE to clean weekly but we do have to clean more than once a season. With a conventional wood boiler and our small and tall chimney it cools off at the top beyond the roof line and creosote builds up in that area. I prefer to not have to climb the roof in the winter so I built this. Its worked well for many years but after my modification it isn't lasting as long.

I think Xman23 is onto something as the change I made was to add pulley wheels at the bottom to allow the cable to exit the chimney to winch cranks for the brush up and cranking it down. Before the setup was a shaft when into the chimney with a larger pully wheel and the wire was wrapped around it a couple times and was tensioned so that turning the handle attached to this shaft would crank the brush up and down. Worked well but the cable would slack and require taking apart to tighten it. That was a pain but the cable lasted a lot longer.

Im thinking maybe the 90 degree turns at the pulleys are the issue as they are much smaller in diameter, had to be to fit in the flue.

Thanks for your help, Im gonna change it to stainless first and see what happens.

~ Phil

So I went 1/8in stainless steel cable. Im not sure its the pulleys as where the cable failed is about where the boiler pipe enters the chimney when the cleaner is in the stationary storage location at the bottom. I will try to clean the chimney with two people in the future as there is some resistance put on by the opposite direction winch handle and having someone turn that one to reduce resistance should help things.

~ Phil