A local mason and his crew built our chimney when we built our house twenty years ago. They had the best reputation in the area (Knox County Maine) and a lot of experience.
Anyway they installed an 8-inch square flue which serves a Vermont Castings Encore 2550 stove. At the time I asked him to sell me a chimney brush and poles for cleaning, he set me up with an 8-inch square brush. The first time I used it I noticed it wasn't a tight fit all the way up, which made me wonder whether I should have a bigger size. I asked the owner (a mason himself) and he said no, don't go any bigger than that.
I've always sort of wondered about that, as it seems like the brush might be leaving some creosote on the flue walls. As a former firefighter, I know the danger but my understanding is creosote can ignite when it starts to accumulate to 1/8" or more, but a very thin layer isn't an issue.
From shining a light up (or down) my chimney it doesn't look like I have much creosote in there and I generally get about 1/2-1 gallon of black loose soot in the cleanout after the annual brushing, so I haven't lost a lot of sleep over it, but it still seems like the brush should be a slight resistance fit. And to be honest I can't really see the middle part of the chimney all that well (it's 30 feet tall).
Would be curious to hear opinions.
For what it's worth, we burn seasoned hardwood and use the cat most of the time, stove is primary source of heat so runs often during winter.
Anyway they installed an 8-inch square flue which serves a Vermont Castings Encore 2550 stove. At the time I asked him to sell me a chimney brush and poles for cleaning, he set me up with an 8-inch square brush. The first time I used it I noticed it wasn't a tight fit all the way up, which made me wonder whether I should have a bigger size. I asked the owner (a mason himself) and he said no, don't go any bigger than that.
I've always sort of wondered about that, as it seems like the brush might be leaving some creosote on the flue walls. As a former firefighter, I know the danger but my understanding is creosote can ignite when it starts to accumulate to 1/8" or more, but a very thin layer isn't an issue.
From shining a light up (or down) my chimney it doesn't look like I have much creosote in there and I generally get about 1/2-1 gallon of black loose soot in the cleanout after the annual brushing, so I haven't lost a lot of sleep over it, but it still seems like the brush should be a slight resistance fit. And to be honest I can't really see the middle part of the chimney all that well (it's 30 feet tall).
Would be curious to hear opinions.
For what it's worth, we burn seasoned hardwood and use the cat most of the time, stove is primary source of heat so runs often during winter.
