[canfossi]

I am planning on getting a chimney brush and 5 rods to clean my own chimney. There is a 30 degree angle to go around way up the chimney, so what kind of chimney rod should I be looking for? What should they be made out of so that they're the most flexible, fiberglass, aluminum? Thanks Chris

 

[Cabin Fever]

What you need are nylon rods, I believe they are 1/4" diameter. The nylon rods are super flexible.

You can use the rods, or you can use the "two person method" with one person on the roof and the other in the house. A rope is attached to both ends of the chimney brush. The two of you take turns pushing and pulling the brush up and down.

If you use the rod, you'll want to also buy a ball that attaches to the opposite end of the brush from the rod. The ball helps the brush navigate the angles.

If you have a metal chimney, only use the poly brushes. Do not use a steel brush on a steel chimney.

 

[topside1]

I've seen them at Lowes...They are flexible, 30 degrees flexible? Maybe.

 

[MELOC]

i should sell you mine, lol. (probably not...pack rat syndrome) i bought enough from lowes to do my whole chimney which is 2.5 stories...maybe 3 since it goes to ground level for the furnace in the basement. they are too flexible and one person cannot push a brush with them. it is really a two person job. i decided try brushes instead of the traditional chicken wire basket and rocks, hoping to do a better job. i even tried weight attached to the brush...i still needed a helper. i have steel pipe that threads together for a smaller chimney i have, the fiiberglass (i assume) poles i bought for $4.50 each at lowes were a waste of money. they did a good job of cleaning a small section from the clean out door to the 1st floor flue. i think they would bend 30 degrees for you.

 

[sugarbush]

If the rods are too flexable they will not beable to push the brush down the chimney. A chimney with a 30 deg angle in it sounds like an old one and probably should not be used. If you have a cleanout door at the bottom of the chimney you can use a rope twice the length of the chimney with the brush in the middle; one person pulls the brush down the chimney through the cleanout and then the other pulls it back up.

 

[canfossi]

The chimney pipe is a steel circular pipe, 1 year old. Why shouldn't I use a steel brush on a steel chimney pipe? Thanks Chris

 

[GrannyG]

DH made one to clean our stove pipes. He used a wire brush 6" I think, that goes on a grinder, screwed it to a piece of wood, and then put it inside PVC 1" pipe and inserted the wood inside and screwed it in, and it works great for us.

 

[Cabin Fever]

A steel brush will scratch a stainless steel chimney....use a poly brush! A poly brush will not give you the friction that a steel brush will either and move up and down the pipe easier. Really, creosote does not stick to the smooth interior of a stainless steel chimney all that much. Creosote will stick to a scratched stainless steel chimney, tho.....so don't scratch it with a steel brush.

I'm willing to bet that some of the negative posts in this thread are from people having a clay flue chimney or from those using a steel brush in a stainless steel chimney.

Use a nylon rod, a poly brush, a ball on the downward end of the brush, and you will have no problem cleaning a stainless steel chimney.