What’s with the threads on the sweep rods?

[Jerry_NJ]

I have seven 4' long sweep rods and a 6" poly round brush to clean my 6" stainless steel chimney... which is about 30' long. No, I have not yet had my first fire of the season, and yes, this is my first attempt to sweep my own (new, only one season's use) chimney.

Question: are the connecting threads between the rods and to the brush a force-type thread, e.g., pipe thread, which I understand is slightly out of match to get a tighter water(gas) proof union? I have tested several rods to the brush and several rods to another rod and in each case I fine I can get about one turn before my hand starts to slip, can no longer turn/tighten. The threaded section looks to have about 8+ threads, so it is just barely started. I can tighten another turn with the use of pliers.

Question: the "bristles" on the poly brush are really course, must be about 1/16th of an inch in diameter, and very stiff. Sound right?

Thanks

 

[LLigetfa]

The threads on my rods are not tapered like pipe threads and they have the same relative resistance until they bottom out. It sounds like maybe a quality control issue with your rods. Maybe there is a plating that was applied after the threads were formed. A thread file is a good friend to have.

 

[Pagey]

That sounds odd. I can tighten my 3' rods together all the way down the thread by hand alone. The brush would require the use of a tool to fully secure, but I can easily get it halfway down the threads by hand alone.

 

[Fsappo]

Having cleaned chimneys in the past, some of those threads were really hard to get past a turn or two. So the thread cleaner idea worked, or two pairs of channel locks

 

[Hogwildz]

Are the rods from same manufacturer? Could you have cross threaded them? Not really a big deal, grab a tap & die set and re-thread them. Easy enough.

 

[grommal]

I have seven 4' long sweep rods and a 6" poly round brush to clean my 6" stainless steel chimney... which is about 30' long. No, I have not yet had my first fire of the season, and yes, this is my first attempt to sweep my own (new, only one season's use) chimney.

Question: are the connecting threads between the rods and to the brush a force-type thread, e.g., pipe thread, which I understand is slightly out of match to get a tighter water(gas) proof union? I have tested several rods to the brush and several rods to another rod and in each case I fine I can get about one turn before my hand starts to slip, can no longer turn/tighten. The threaded section looks to have about 8+ threads, so it is just barely started. I can tighten another turn with the use of pliers.

Question: the "bristles" on the poly brush are really course, must be about 1/16th of an inch in diameter, and very stiff. Sound right?

Thanks

My fiberglass rods and steel-bristled brush DO have tapered threads like pipe thread, but they fit together for about 3 threads before the resistance gets too much to tighten by hand. They do not bottom out because of the taper.

Excessive plating thickness or burrs might be responsible for your problem, whether the threads are tapered or not. Try screwing the parts together using the best tools you can (my rods have little flat spots so wrenches can be used, which is better than vise grips or similar), as far as you can, and with some lubrication on the threads. This might "retap" the threads enough so that you can get a decent tightening by hand later.

Having to use tools to tighten the joints would be a deal-breaker for me. I sweep from the top, and I assemble the rod-to-rod joints as I push them in, and disassemble them again as I pull them out. Since I usually make 4 to 6 passes down and up, that would be a lot of rigmarole with tools that I'd be likely to drop from the top of my big extension ladder!

 

[gpcollen1]

Did you try spraying a bit of lube on them? Then hold one with pliers and turn the other with another set of pliers...

...simple as that...

 

[LLigetfa]

My rods have flats on them but I'd stop short of calling them wrench flats. They are just where the metal was crimped to the glass rod. A wrench would likely slip and round it off more so I take two vise grips up with me in case the threads get stubborn. Threaded rods are a PITA and I wished they would have made them with an unthreaded leader to help line up the threads. Ideally I would like quick connect rods but for how often I use them these will have to do.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Thanks, I think I read some support for what I have is "normal", not sure why, but normal.

One set of 5 rods are in fact a set, came for a price of 5 rods in one box. The other two rods were purchased at Lowes, and I tired several on the shelf to see if I could fine two that screwed together easily. None I tested did. Could it be me? I am a old guy, maybe I just can't operate a nut and bolt anymore.

No one commented on the poly brush. I'd say it looks more like a scraper than a brush, that is the bristles are really heavy and stiff. But, being poly I suppose it will not scratch the pipe.

 

[savageactor7]

Jerry if you are using fiberglass rods and cleaning from the bottom up I recommend a good pair of rubber gloves. They will keep the fiber glass slivers from getting in your hands and you can still get a good grip. For whatever reason there is no worry of slivers cleaning from the top down...that's an easy take except for the risk of breaking your neck. Good luck.

 

['bert]

Jerry, I bought my chimney cleaning rig 2 days ago and cleaned the chimney for the first time. I too bought a 6" poly brush for a SS chimney. The brush fit perfectly in the chimney but was so tight that I could not turn it around like others have suggested, so I pushed it in and pulled it out a few times and thought it looked pretty good. Sounds like the same brush that you describe, I think mine was imperial brand???

the rods that I bought were by them also, and had larger brass ends, but mine fit together very nice. Here is a link to my before and after photo's if it helps...

https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/43912/

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Thanks, very helpful.

I did burn well seasoned hard wood, mostly, with some well seasoned cedar and white pine. I burned no more than 2 cords, so I'd think the chimney isn't very dirty, may not need much with only the recommended one season of use before cleaning.

I am working from the house up, so I' will have to remove the overhead air feeder to gain access to the chimney. That is the only point at which pipe make any real bend, so once above that the brush/rods are straight up/down.

 

[ROBERT F]

When I picked up my cleaning setup from my local BigR, threads on the rods were all boogered up (they were taped together and shipped to the store ups with no protection). So when i went to clean them up, it was a 1/4" npt die that fit perfectly. The threads were not tapered however. Usually see the taper on the female threads of the fitting, more so than on the male threads.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

I will likely get to the job on the weekend. Not so cold here in NJ yet that I am in a hurry. I usually don't have any fires before Thanksgiving. I am heating, yes, but use my central air system.

I will make more tests, but I am pretty sure all thread interfaces are the same, difficult.

 

[Gooserider]

My Rutland brand, 6" poly brush has 1/4" NPT male threads on it for whatever that is worth... The bristles are very thick and stiff, and do offer a great deal of friction on the fit - this is intentional in order to ensure that the brush does a really good job of scraping the crap off the pipe...

I don't waste my money on the "official" chimney sweeping rods, instead I use 3 ten foot lengths of 1/2" grey poly non-metalic electrical conduit, fastened together with a cross bolt at each joint, and with a 1/2" PVC pipe coupling and a 1/2-1/4" steel reducer bushing on one end... Works great and I built the rod for my 25'+ chimney for less than it would have cost me for ONE 3' section of "official" rod...

The only challenge is getting the brush started up the pipe, and that's just because I clean from the bottom and have to make a 90* turn in about 12" of space between the hearth and the bottom of the Tee that goes into the stove... However the conduit is plenty flexible enough to deal with the bend once I get the brush started.

Gooserider

 

[geardoc]

I bought a set of rods from Lowes and they do the same thing. The threads are tapered for some stupid reason.

 

[wendell]

I've never had problem putting them together. Now, taking them apart, that's a whole different story.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

Right on the Lowes, I purchased two rods there, to use with a set of 5 rods purchased over the Internet. The Internet interface was Amazon, but the Brush came from (or is) Rutland, and the rods were shipped from some fireplace specialty store.

Now I am worried, I had about decided to take channel-locks (trade brand name) or vice grips (same here I think) and really screw them together. That should make sure I'll have trouble getting them apart.

I suppose as long as I twist the rods only clockwise when in the chimney I don't have to have them tight, they will not unscrew.

 

[Gooserider]

One of the things I've always reccomended, and seen others do so as well, is to use a "recovery line"... I tie a reasonably stout nylon or poly line to the brush, (~1/4" or so) most brushes have an eye on them just for that purpose. I attach the line to the eye with a bowline, then work it to the threaded end of the brush and tie a couple half hitches around the brush shaft in order to keep it out of the sweeping area. Then when sweeping I run the line along side the rod that I'm actually pushing the brush with. Cleaning from the bottom it isn't in the way at all, if I was cleaning from the top I'd probably use the line to pull the brush up with in order to keep it from getting tangled... Normally I just ignore the line, but if something comes unscrewed, or a rod breaks (which some have a habit of doing) the line will let you pull the brush and attached bits back out with no problem... :coolsmile:

Gooserider

 

[Thrash44047]

OK Im confused. You cant the the new to old rods to hook together or the brush to the rods?

I just got a new brush and its 1/4" NPT or National Pipe Thread. This is a slighly tapered thread. Use Teflon tape or some pipe dope on them so they don't get funked up. The other problem you run into with NPT stuff is if the guy threading it didnt put the tap in the female deep enough or far enough on the male your in for a hard time. Could get a pipe die and clean all the threads up. You may have a friend that has a tap and die set that would help ya out.

There are so many reducers, couplers for diffrent thread that you could probably take the stuff to a good hardware store and get the proper fitting so put them all together if they are different threads

Im cheap. Im using 1/2" PVC conduit from the electrial section with a glued on 1/4" NPT fitting on the end. And hitch pins to hold the separate sections together for easy assembly on the roof top. Cost $.85 for 10' of the PVC $.50 for the pins and the 1/4" NPT fitting was .75. I saw this on another thread here and had to try it and it works great.

 

[Jerry_NJ]

The safety line sounds like a good idea....I'll do that.

Regardless of how much one can save $$ using make-shift electrical or plumbing conduit, I'm already invested in "standard" sweep hardware...so I plan to use it. I'm surprised too by the prices of hardware, in NE Ohio, I assume.

I had not planned on using any plumber's dope or Teflon tape - plan to just screw the sections together "pliers tight" and use a clockwise turn as I shove the brush up/down... I'd assume back-and-forth as the brush is advanced up the pipe is a good method.

 

[crazy_dan]

I am able to leave 2 rods connected, because of where I use and store my cleaning stuff. this may be an option for you as well that way you only got 1/2 the joints to take apart and put together each time you clean.

Yes it you apply a right hand twist to your rods when you are cleaning your chimney they will not unscrew and come apart.

 

[wolfram]

I did a hearth.com search and I am still not exactly sure who discovered using 1/2" plastic electrical conduit, but I wanted to say THANK YOU!

Around here, a ten foot section costs $0.99. The 1/2" plastic NPT fitting was $0.39. The only 1/2" NPT to 1/4" NPT reducer available was galvanized and it cost a whopping $2.99. Out the door with 40 feet for $8. I did not use any PVC cement (too expensive!), just 1/4x20 bolts/washers/nuts. Done with a minor cleaning from the bottom to the top in minutes. Didn't break a sweat!

Thanks to the creative minds on this forum!

 

[EL DRIFTO]

awesome info !

i use electrical conduit on all kinds of things, like sc cars

always good to hear someone else suggest something