Hi, I have a regency I2400 insert and am going to sweep it myself as it is designed to be swept from in the house. The stove manual says the flue is 6", so I assume that the SS flex liner is 6". Question: Do I buy a round a 6" brush or a 7" brush? I am looking on www.fireplaceessentials.com and they have the round poly brushes. I just need to know what size to use in a 6" liner? Does the 7" press better against the sides and clean better? Thanks in advance.
Sweep brush questions
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6" as above. Choice of whether to go poly or steel is up to you. I have heard some say that a steel brush will cause more wear and tear over time, especially with a flex liner, but don't know if this is true or not. Maybe some of the pro sweeps on here can comment.
Regarding being "able to clean from the house", unless there is a specific reason why you need to do this, my opinion anyway, is that you are better to do this from the top. You can keep the doors of the stove/insert closed so that the dust doesn't get all over and then just clean the unit out after. You can usually get a better push by coming top down. A brush doesn't weigh much, but add 25' of rods, and then try and push that up the liner a few times and you'll see what I mean. And speaking of rods, depending on the design and location of your flue and stove connector, feeding the brush rods up through the stove can be a real chore. Unless you use the rope method, but then this requires going up on the roof anyway.
Willhound
Regarding being "able to clean from the house", unless there is a specific reason why you need to do this, my opinion anyway, is that you are better to do this from the top. You can keep the doors of the stove/insert closed so that the dust doesn't get all over and then just clean the unit out after. You can usually get a better push by coming top down. A brush doesn't weigh much, but add 25' of rods, and then try and push that up the liner a few times and you'll see what I mean. And speaking of rods, depending on the design and location of your flue and stove connector, feeding the brush rods up through the stove can be a real chore. Unless you use the rope method, but then this requires going up on the roof anyway.
Willhound
I have a straight 15' run of SS flex liner and it comes down to a slight elbow to the flue connector. I wanted to stay off the roof simply because I hate heights! I just picked up the round poly 6" brush, adapter, and 15' of flex rods. I will give the inside cleaning method a shot, but if worse comes to worse I can try and get on my roof. The local sweep charges $150 to clean it, so at $103 for the whole kit I ordered I am already ahead of the game.
What is the website? Mine are 7/8" poly, in 5' sections. I also needed an adapter for the brush. I got free shipping which is why I paid $103 (free shipping is always worked into the price)!
- Nov 18, 2005
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I was looking there and the fiberglass rods wouldn't bend enough to clean the liner from in the house, so I had to go with the poly ones. Even at $103 for everything, it already paid for itself. Thanks
So I did this today from the bottom up method. I got about a regular coffee can worth of fine brown powder out of my liner. I have been burning since the first week of October, everyday after work until 10pm and all weekend long. Does this sound about right for soot buildup?
Yah, that's not bad at all. I run into frighteningly dirty stoves all the time. Old box inserts crammed in open fireplaces with no liners (not even to the first flue tile) that haven't been cleaned in years. I went a cleaned an un-lined insert the other day said they had it cleaned the year before. When I brought in the insert puller the customer got a confused look and asked what I was doing I explained that all of the soot that I just swept down was on the smoke shelf and the top and sides of the insert and that it had to be pulled so I could remove the soot and clean the corbel/smokeshelf properly. Well teh last guy and obviously everyone before him had failed to do so. I have a 20 gal. garbage can in the back of my van, it was 3/4 full when I was done on top of my vac being around 1/4 full. Amazing and not one speck of 3rd degree. And you might be wondering why I clean these units even though they are blatantly in violation of modern applicable codes and standards. The answer is that our AHJ feels that they should be grandfathered if original manufacturers instruction allowed installation in such a manner. Did you know you can still install a Lopi like that by manufacturers instruction? Amazing huh?
Yea, thats what was in my fireplace before I got my Regency insert. It was a 30 year old Phoenix America, no liner, no chimney cap- nothing. When the stove installer pulled it out, there was a glad kitchen bag's worth of Oak leaves all around it from the large oak tree above my house! The company that sold it to the previous homeowner didn't even install a chimney cap! There was also all the years worth of chimney cleanings piled around it like you described in your post.
All that has since been taken care of as I now have a cage style chimney cap installed with 17 feet of 1 piece SS flex liner attached to my new stove. Much safer and piece of mind too!
All that has since been taken care of as I now have a cage style chimney cap installed with 17 feet of 1 piece SS flex liner attached to my new stove. Much safer and piece of mind too!
Shane said:
Hey Shane. I am one of those neadrathals too. The beast gets drug out on the hearth every year for the annual ritual. At least till spring. Finally found a way to attach a liner to the top of the sucker. Where can ya get insert pullers? I saw one years ago but haven't been able to find one since.
Do it by hand every year and those years have piled up. Not behind the stove, on me. Seven hundred pounds seems to have turned into a thousand in the last three or four years.
I wouldn't go as far as to say neanderthal. So long as unlined stoves are cleaned properly and draw well there really are not issues. It's just strange that you see a stove that can be put in like that anymore. You should be able to purchase an insert puller from about any hearth shop or chimney sweep. I doubt they'd have one in stock but they can order one. They're not cheap but worth every penny if you ask me.
Hey Paul, I think the biggest thing about going to the roof and cleaning from up there first and then cleaning from the bottom is two reasons. first you can shine a falshlight down the flue and see exactly how dirty or clean it is. Second if you have a cap it's a good idea to take a wire brush and clean the small holes on the sides also. This will affect your draft if it gets too plugged. Be safe.
Jared said:
Paid right around $60 for 20 feet of rod and the same 6" brush at
ACEhardware.com
I was suprised too
Internet browsing for a 6" poly brush and one hit was ACE
It shipped from NY and was at my house in 2 days
If it were me I would go stainless
The wire brushes are hardened and will score the stainless liners/pre-fab chimneys
I like having the t-fitting outside
I dont even need a ladder to clean the chimney
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