close the doors and have KFC 30 mins later!I heard that story a few times. The problem is catching the hen before if flys out of the fire greate
Diy chimney sweeping
- Thread starter Jamouk
- Start date
If the external diameter of my Flue liner is 5 inches and its twin walled do I need a 5 inch brush ? Been looking at the Bailey lockfast set but the 5 inch kit seems to be out of stock everywhere ! Round me the sweeps are quoting £100 a Flue and I've got 4 to do 
Norfolk Horn
Well-Known Member
Cant you cut the brush down to the size you want assume all the central block are the same size
If the external diameter of my Flue liner is 5 inches and its twin walled do I need a 5 inch brush ? Been looking at the Bailey lockfast set but the 5 inch kit seems to be out of stock everywhere ! Round me the sweeps are quoting £100 a Flue and I've got 4 to do
if your house burned down I would have thought it would take any certificate with it
I use the old half inch twist draining rod ones. As log as you always keep twisting the rods 'on' they are fine. I have three sizes of brush - 4, 6 and 14 inches. The bigger ones are good to the lower sections then I reduce size the higher up I sweep. I clamp two overlapping sheets to the mantlepiece to contain the dust and slip the rods between them. Having a hoover running next to you makes a big difference. I get all the fireplaces professionally cleaned once a year (the insurers ask for the certificate) but then I sweep the open fireplace again myself in December. Stove seem to burn very clean. It is a good skill to have, you can cure a smoking fireplace or jackdaw nest very quickly. Plus it keeps the sweeps on their toes, I sacked one after he did a poor job and I removed many bucket loads of soot after he had gone!
4 inches will be fine. You are 'brushing' up and down, the brush rattles about and will hit both sides. Actually I get nervous with a tight fitting brush, you might be stretching the liner (if you have one), damaging the pot or some other damage. Lots of chimneys have weird corners, shelves or changes in size - a loose fit gives you much more feel for what you are doing.If the external diameter of my Flue liner is 5 inches and its twin walled do I need a 5 inch brush ? Been looking at the Bailey lockfast set but the 5 inch kit seems to be out of stock everywhere ! Round me the sweeps are quoting £100 a Flue and I've got 4 to do
Used to do our chimney with a few pages of newspaper & a few grains of recovered powder
Put a trainer/running shoe on the fire. With all the chemical fumes they give off, that'll clear your chimney and it'll make your eyes water. The fire brigade person said that's a new one to him. Don't ask how I know.
Please don't. Maybe the posts were said in jest but a chimney fire is pretty bad news. Yes, it can clean out the tar a creosote, but you can also crack and damage the original liner (brick or sections of clay pipe with mortar between them). If you have multiple flues in one stack, the bridges (thin sections of brick between them) can crumble. You can end up with smoke leaking into bedrooms, attics or coming down disused chimneys. The cost can range from a new metal liner, rebuilding a chimney stack even to having to rebuild a chimney through several rooms, with subsequent disruption and redecorating cost.
I know this from personal experience. I simply stopped using the fire because of the cost. Clean chimneys and if you suspect creasote deposits (or have burned wet wood in the past) there is a powder you can put on a dying fire that breaks these down.
Any idea what the powder is ?
CFC - Chimney & Flue Cleaner
Vitcas CFC Chimney and Flue Cleaner is a high-performance cleaning agent designed to eliminate creosote, soot, and tar deposits from chimneys and flue linings, including stainless steel flexible liners. Regular use not only ensures internal cleanliness but also helps to prevent chimney fires...
shop.vitcas.com
Swedish
Well-Known Member
I think its this rebadged...CFC - Chimney & Flue Cleaner
Vitcas CFC Chimney and Flue Cleaner is a high-performance cleaning agent designed to eliminate creosote, soot, and tar deposits from chimneys and flue linings, including stainless steel flexible liners. Regular use not only ensures internal cleanliness but also helps to prevent chimney fires...
Sorry I have no idea what is in it, nor do the instructions reveal any ingredients. When you put it on hot ashes, it fizzles gently. I apply it last thing at night.
Yes it could well be snake oil, other than I was recommended it by a sweep who used a high tech chimney camera thing to inspect flues and says he has seen it make a difference.
Ordered a couple of the powders !
The old ways are the best
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Swedish
Well-Known Member
It's just my sense of humour muddy, that's a tub of black powder in my picture
Smellydog
Well-Known Member
Don't burn wet wood, waste of time.
Did do when I was younger and did have a chimney fire.
One guy I know cuts green wood in winter to burn, year in year out, always complains how he can't get his stove hot
. Lord give me strength....over in berkshire ,the local housing association has to sweep their properties with open fire /log burners or multifuel stoves once a year.as the landlord id responsible for the condition of the flue,if you have it done more than once a year its £65 plus vat so not too bad ,some of my friends burn green wood <unseasoned> and it tars the flues but he pays the extra to keep it cleanish. its not a good idea to burn green wood but as he says its not his house !<he has been in the house for 30 years!!>
Ah that makes sense, sorry didn't get that!It's just my sense of humour muddy, that's a tub of black powder in my picture
Unbelievable isn't it. I bumped into an someone who was buying coal at the time, he said he needed coal to make his wood to burn!Don't burn wet wood, waste of time.
Did do when I was younger and did have a chimney fire.
One guy I know cuts green wood in winter to burn, year in year out, always complains how he can't get his stove hot
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