Chinmey (stovepipe) sweeping help/tips

omnicat · #1 09/27/06, 05:15 PM

Bought a 6" poly brush & rods to sweep my pipe.

Can I assume that the brush is supposed to be wider than the pipe so the bristles make good contact? I had a heck of a time getting it into the pipe. And it's a much stiffer proposition than I was expecting. I'm standing on the roof, with my arm above my head trying to push this thing down, and I just can't get the leverage for the amount of focre that seems to be required.

I'm planning on rigging up some ropes & stuff so I can hop up and SIT on the chinmey stack (plenty of room on it, and it'd be no problems if it was 4 feet off the ground - but as it's 25-30' off the ground on one side - it makes me nervous)

So....before I go back up there and try again....

Is it SUPPOSED to be this hard/require this much strength?

Highground · #2 09/27/06, 05:48 PM

The brush should be a little bigger than the pipe, but not so big you have that much trouble. Is the chimney made of brick? If so, rig a small step ladder tied to the chimney for added leverage.

jross · #3 09/27/06, 08:13 PM

Try pushing and pulling a little at a time working the brush back and forth down the pipe. That is the only way I can get my brush down to the cleanout. I pull it back up the same way, back and forth, removing each section of rod as it clears the chimney. Can anyone recommend a good vacuum to use for the stove besides one of those $600 jobs?

tinknal · #4 09/27/06, 08:18 PM

Twist as you move the brush (remember to twist to the right or you will unscrew the rod)this will make the overall diameter smaller.

The Paw · #5 09/27/06, 08:51 PM

I have the same kind of deal, and it almost impossible to do it with your arms raised above your head like that. I had to build a little platform to give me an additional 18" of height. Then it was quite workable.

With proper leverage, it should go down with a reasonable amount of force. the sides of the chimney will bend the bristles back towards you, so when you get to the bottom and want to bring it up, you need an extra hard tug to SNAP those bristles around to point down.

Also, pay attention to that tip about twisting in the proper direction. I unscrewed the brush in the middle of the stovepipe once, and it took a loonnng time to get it out...

omnicat · #6 09/27/06, 08:54 PM

Thanks for the tips. I think twisting would be easier if the rods weren't so slender. We're supposed to get rain tomorrow. I'll have to try again after it stops. Hopefully it won't get too cold before then.

And yes, the chimney stack is brick, but the roof right there is pretty steep. I'm not phobic, but the height is giving me pause. I'd put a ladder right up the side of the chimney, rather than attacking from the roof - but I don't have a ladder that tall. Even my extension ladder is not good for anything about 20 feet...

tinknal · #7 09/27/06, 09:08 PM

Be carefull about leaning a ladder against a tall chimney. Old ones tend to get fragile, and can break off.

omnicat · #8 09/27/06, 09:49 PM

Don't worry, we're not leaning a ladder aginst the chimney. It's about 25 feet high, and our tallest ladder is about 5 feet too short...

And of course, the roof is too steeply pitched to put one on the roof, where the chimney's only about 4 1/2 feet high. maybe building a stand to fit the slope on the roof, as suggested, is a good plan. Wish I were handier with my carpentry skills...

Highground · #9 09/27/06, 10:31 PM

After you screw the rods together, drill a small hole through the threaded section. Take it apart and clean off the burrs. Put it back together and put a cotter pin through the hole. Now you don't have to worry about it coming apart in the pipe.

MELOC · #10 09/27/06, 11:04 PM

you can try tying a heavy object on the end of the brush but be careful not to knock it against the sides of the chimney and crack the flue.

Shepherd · #11 09/27/06, 11:31 PM

I measured before I went and got the brush and rods to clean ours; it seems like a perfect fit without any problems getting it in. It IS very hard to do that job with your hands above your head most of the time. To be on a tall, steep roof makes it that much more uncomfortable. I'm lucky, we have a berm home so the area where the chimney is - is only a few feet off the ground. But it's still a tough job (I'm short). LOL.

PATRICE IN IL · #12 09/28/06, 05:38 AM

We have a bend in our chimney pipe (we can't use the rods) so we tied heavy rope to each end of the brush. We have a heavy old lock tied to one end of the rope to weight the end---to be able to pull the rope through the stove pipe. Hubby goes up on the roof and drops the weighted end into the chimney and I fish it out inside the stove in the house. I leave the slide plate off of the stove but close the door to contain as much soot as possible. Then I pull on the rope until I here the brush hit the damper, then he pulls it back up. We usually do this 20 to 25 times to make sure we are getting all of the soot out of the bend. Then we just clean out the stove to get rid of the pile of soot. I put down an old sheet on the floor around the stove so that I have someplace to put the rope as I am pulling it out of the stove. We both wear respitory masks and gloves so that we don't breath in any of the fine particles of soot.

Patrice

WisJim · #13 09/28/06, 09:19 AM

We have a brick chimney on a steep roofed house (12/12 pitch) and I made a small platform of treated wood, solidly screwed together, that sits over the ridge of the roof and gives me a small (2x2 feet) platform at the side of the chimney). I also made a permanent ladder on the roof, again of treated lumber, held at the ridge by a small extension that fits over the ridge, with the bottom of this ladder accessible from the ground by a regular ladder. This way I can have access to the chimney top in any weather or conditions, and a safe level place to sit/stand.

Shepherd · #14 09/28/06, 04:23 PM

Oh and I forgot to add - the first time I tried cleaning the chimney, my stupid brush came unscrewed and fell down in there! Of course, I was rushing before a storm hit and it was chilly so I wanted to build a fire. I had to wait to DH got home to fish it out with some barbed wire. SIGH.

BetsyK in Mich · #15 09/28/06, 04:44 PM

We hire a chimneysweep to do ours. The chimney is 40 ft. from the cleanout in the basement to the top above the roof. I want no part of being up on the metal roof trying to keep my footing, etc. and don't even suggest it to my husband. The last time he came he cleaned from the bottom. Went in thru the cleanout door at the bottom of the chimney, pushed it up, added the next piece of fiberglass rod and pushed it up until he pushed the cap off the top of the chimney and then pulled it back down, undoing the rod as he went. The guys son went up on the roof and put the cap back on, kid is like a monkey. I just write the check, some things are better done by a professional in my mind.

omnicat · #16 09/28/06, 05:25 PM

WisJim - that's a great idea! Hooking it over the ridgeline. I'll have to make it about 6 feet long, but that sounds like the way to secure it so it doesn't slip.

Thanks for the tip!!

and BetsyK - if money weren't an issue, I'd pay a sweep. But generally, I have more time than money...

topside1 · #17 09/28/06, 05:32 PM

Omnicat, you have a PM...

omnicat · #18 09/28/06, 11:54 PM

THANK YOU!!

I didn't know the bristles could/should be trimmed to fit. I'm such a greenhorn. It did seem AWFUL dang tight...