Causes of pollution of chimneys and methods for making brushes for cleaning them. Chimney brush with convenient immersion device Chimney brush

Good day to you, readers and DIYers.
The author of the following homemade product very often clogs the chimney in his garage stove. That's why he decided to make a homemade brush for cleaning the chimney. Of course, such brushes can be purchased at a hardware store or bought online, but why buy something that can be relatively easy to do with your own hands. And the price tag of such a homemade product will be ten times less than a fixture bought in a store.

After some use of his homemade product, having identified all the pros and cons, he came up with a device for more convenient cleaning of the chimney.

I propose to read about the manufacture in this article.

Necessary materials and tools.
-dumbbell
- Cable - length 0.5-0.6 meters (diameter 5 mm)
-Cable - length depends on the height of the duct (diameter 2mm)
-Nuts M10 2pcs
- Clips for a cable 3 pieces.
- Profile pipe 20x20mm
- welding electrode 3mm
-Welding machine
-Bulgarian
-A hammer
-Vise

Manufacturing process part one.
The brush device itself will be based on an old rusty dumbbell, which I purchased at the nearest scrap metal collection point, at a very reasonable price. The author uses a dumbbell with a total weight of 5 kg, the diameter of the dumbbell balls should be less than the diameter of the pipe being cleaned. To adapt, you only need one half of a dumbbell, so two brushes can be made from one dumbbell at once.

First of all, he clamps the dumbbell in a vise and cuts off with a grinder, one dumbbell ball.

The M10 nut is welded to the cut off part of the dumbbell, on this the load of the brush is ready, isn't it easy?

Now you should start making the brush itself.
To do this, he will use a piece of cable with a diameter of 5mm. You can use a cable with a large diameter, since the thicker the cable, the thicker and stronger the veins in it.

The author cuts the cable into 10 cm segments. The length of the pieces must match the diameter of the chimney pipe.

Now the cut pieces need to be dissolved into separate fibers. This procedure is best done with gloves, as the likelihood of injuring your hands is very high.

The cable is loose, now you should make a frame for the brush.
For the frame will use a 3mm electrode.
The coating from the electrode is beaten with a hammer.

Since the core of the electrode is made of a rather rigid wire, it does not bend well and break. To soften the wire, it must be heated to red and allowed to cool, in other words, let go. You can heat it in the coals of a sang, with a gas burner, but the author will heat it with a welding machine.

We clamp the electrode in a vice to which the mass of the welding machine is connected. We connect the clamp from the welding machine to the free end of the electrode and heat the wire to red. The heating procedure lasts about 15-20 seconds. Now let the wire cool down on its own.

After cooling, the wire became soft, now you can continue to work with it. The author bends the wire in the center, a small eye should appear at the place of the bend.

Now in this bracket you need to place the previously prepared cable fibers. You should get a similar design, the edge of which must then be clamped in a vice, stepping back from the edge 2cm.

Then, inserting a large nail or screwdriver into the eye, you need to tighten this design.

Then you need to make another eye, on the opposite side of the brush. To do this, he clamps the nail between the two ends of the wire, clamps the ends in a vise and tightens the structure with the inserted nail.

The result is a pretty decent brush with a diameter of 100mm with two rings at the ends.

Now you need to connect the brush with the load. Connects them with a small piece of cable (diameter 2mm) Clamps the ends of the cable with a screw clamp.

To the second ear of the brush, you also need to attach a cable. The length of the cable should be 2-2.5 times longer than the height of the chimney.
Here is such a brush turned out by the author and, in joy, he ran to test his product as soon as possible.

And here is the soot in the chimney pipe.

Now you should install a ladder, climb it to the top of the chimney and begin this time-consuming, inconvenient and, one might say, dangerous cleaning process. Hard? Hard.

Realizing that in this way it is inconvenient to clean the chimney, to put it mildly, I came up with another device. This is a device for immersing a brush in a chimney.

Manufacturing process part two.
It is very difficult to call this a manufacturing process, but still. For the manufacture of fixtures, the author bought a profile pipe 20x20mm, 3.5 m long. Of course, the length of the pipe should depend on the height and location of your chimney.

A piece of pipe bent in a semicircle was welded to the edge of the pipe, the tube has a diameter of 10mm. I passed a cable with a connected brush inside the pipe.

At first, the author wanted to make a descent mechanism using rollers, but he did not manage to weld them. And the design itself would have turned out to be too complicated and unreliable.

Even lower, a kind of hook was welded onto the pipe. The hook must be welded lower than the bottom of the brush when raised.

Furnace soot is removed from chimneys as follows:

• burning carbon-rich plaque with the help of a rather complex technology and an expensive tool;
• dissolving the settled crust with the help of chemicals introduced into the furnace during the combustion of fuel;
• scraping from the inner surface and removing from the outlet channel through pre-arranged hatches for cleaning.

At the same time, the first method of struggle is extremely dangerous and is practiced only in the case of cleaning the chimneys of industrial heat-generating units. The second technique involves the destruction of the body of the outlet pipe, which survived the impact of chemically active drugs.

The third technology - mechanical cleaning - guarantees a high level of safety, while ensuring the safety of the chimney itself. Therefore, most household flue gas outlets are cleaned only with their own hands mechanically.

Why is a ruff needed and how is it used?

This tool works like a scraper or brush, breaking up the soot crust and "sweeping" the combustion products to the cleaning hatch, for subsequent removal of the collected deposits. That is, the mechanical cleaning of the channel is carried out precisely with its help.

The chimney sweep introduces the ruff into the outlet channel from the side of the roof and, making reciprocating movements, knocks soot off the inner walls.

Having finished processing the vertical channel, the chimney sweep proceeds to cleaning the horizontal sections, introducing the ruff into special hatches and making reciprocating movements already in the horizontal plane.

The mass accumulated at the hatch is removed from the channel using a scraper and a scoop.

How is the main tool of a chimney sweep arranged?

A typical oven brush consists of such structural elements as:

• flexible cable - a spring with a minimum gap between the turns;
• a spherical or cylindrical brush - a brush - with "working elements" protruding 360 °;
• suspension - a removable weight at the end of the cable, located behind the brush.

When working in a horizontal plane, the suspension is dismantled - in this case, we need the flexibility of the spring cable. Do-it-yourself cleaning of the vertical channel involves working with a rigid structure. Therefore, in this case, a suspension is fixed at the end of the cable, which levels the flexibility of the spring due to the influence of gravity.

In addition, for a professional tool, the brush is removed by twisting it from the cable, because the diameters of the chimneys can be different.

How to make a ruff for cleaning with your own hands?

To do this, we need the following tools and supplies:

• A plumbing cable is the basis for a future brush. However, if only a vertical channel is to be processed, then the spring cable can be replaced with a wire analogue or a fine mesh chain.
• A coil of soft wire - a cleaning nozzle will be made from it. If there is no wire, then you can use a cord from a tire, having previously burned out the rubber. Another version of the "building" material for the nozzle is a plastic bottle.
• Any small-sized cargo is a heavy nut, a cast lead ingot. A coffee can filled with sand or shot.
• Steel stud 8-10 mm, two nuts, two carabiner fasteners, copper tube.
• Two tiles with dimensions of 5x5 centimeters made of plywood or metal with a thickness of at least 2 mm

The very process of making a brush for a chimney sweep with your own hands is as follows:

1. At the intersection point of the diagonals of 5 cm tiles, we drill a through hole with a diameter like that of a hairpin.
2. We cut the cord or wire into measured segments, the length of which is equal to 2-2.5 chimney diameters.
3. We take a hairpin, fix it in a vice and bend the free end into a loop or weld washers with a large inner diameter to it.
4. Next, turn the stud in a vice with the threaded end up, screw the first nut on this side and put on the first tile.
5. We bend the measured segments of the cord or wire in half, around the hairpin, forming a ruff. In this case, the wire bristles should be evenly spaced around the entire circumference for maximum cleaning area.
6. We put the second tile on the hairpin and wind the second nut, fixing the wire sticking out in different directions.
7. By welding, we fix a second washer on the free end of the stud or make a loop.
8. We pass carbine fasteners into loops or vertically fixed washers, getting a removable nozzle on a ruff for cleaning.
9. We weld or solder the mounting ring to the load. If a nut is selected as a suspension, then this operation can be omitted.
10. We fasten the load to one of the carabiners of the assembled nozzle.
11. We put a copper tube 4-5 centimeters long on the free end of the spring or weeding cable. The tube diameter is equal to 2-2.5 cable diameters.
12. We form a loop at the end of the cable, passing a free section into the tube.
13. We rivet the copper tube, fixing the loop for hanging the nozzle with a weight.
14. We fix the cleaning nozzle on the loop with the help of a free carabiner.

That's all. You have made a ruff for cleaning the vertical channel of a chimney or chimney with your own hands, and it is ready for use.

But for processing horizontal or inclined channels, you will need a completely different nozzle, which you can also handle with your own hands:

• Take a plastic bottle of 1.5-2 liters and cut off the bottom of this container.
• Dissolve the body of the bottle into strips 3-4 mm wide, cutting them along the vertical axis from the remote bottom to the neck of the container.
• Punch a hole in the lid, the diameter of which matches the diameter of the cable.

After that, you will have to string a perforated lid onto the cable and, having previously removed the “vertical” nozzle from the loop, wind the bottle turned into a scraper onto it. Moreover, for rigid fixation of the nozzle on the ruff, it is necessary to pierce the neck and cork with a self-tapping screw, passing it through the loop on the cable.

When making parts with your own hands, you should consider:

• The brush diameter is 0.8-1.2 of the chimney diameter.
• The diameter of the load is 0.3-0.35 of the diameter of the channel being cleaned.
• The length of the spring or wire rope = the length of the channel to be cleaned + 10-15 percent.

Living in a private house means having the necessary tools that should be at hand at any time to carry out repairs. Especially when it comes to such an issue as the removal of exhaust gases during stove or gas heating.

Causes of clogged chimneys

The main cause of clogging is the deposition of soot and soot on the inner walls of the pipe. Soot is formed from combustion products - flue gases. As a result, draft becomes weaker, exhaust ventilation starts to work poorly, combustion products are not removed to the street, but remain indoors, which can lead to poisoning of the body.

Untimely care of the chimney can lead not only to its complete clogging, but also to the failure of the home smoke exhaust system.

To avoid this, it is recommended to clean the chimney at least once every six months - and this applies not only to stove heating, but also to country houses with a fireplace inside. Cleaning can be entrusted to professionals, or you can try to remove soot on your own. To do this, you need the most ordinary brush for cleaning chimneys, which you can make yourself.

How is ruff used

Its function is to scrape off soot build-up from the walls of the chimney. The principle of operation of any brush is quite simple: the scraper is pushed into the chimney, then deposits are scraped off with it - combustion products are swept down to the hatch to collect pollution.

When cleaning work on the roof, it is necessary to use insurance

The simplest stove brush is a construction of a cable (or rod), brushes and a suspension (or load). The suspension is required only in cases where vertical cleaning of pipes is implied - to adjust the gravity of the cleaning element. For work in a horizontal position, the suspension sinker can not be used.

A long rod with bristles at the end is the simplest brush design.

The technology for using a brush in general terms is as follows:

As weights, you can use ordinary weights that have compact dimensions and sufficient weight for cleaning.

Ruff materials

Cleaning brushes can be made of steel or plastic, and you can make both of them with your own hands.

Table: advantages and disadvantages of metal and plastic brushes

None of the materials can be used simultaneously for vertical and horizontal sediment cleaning. Therefore, experts recommend using both metal and plastic brushes for both methods, respectively.

Making your own chimney brush

Two options are being considered: from metal (metal bar) and plastic, each of which has its own nuances.

Made of plastic

The set of necessary tools and materials includes:

• steel cable (the length of which must be greater than the length of the chimney);
• a pair of plastic bottles with caps with a volume of 1 to 2 liters;
• steel wire with a cross section of 1–2 mm;
• load - it is recommended to pick up a load of such a mass that would easily pass into the chimney hole, being suspended from the cable.

Manufacturing technology

1. Remove the bottom from plastic bottles.
2. Cut the walls of the bottles vertically to the neck from the bottom into strips like Chinese lanterns. The width of one strip is 3–5 mm.
3. Punch a hole in the covers, the size is the same as the diameter of the cable.
4. String the resulting caps with holes on the cable, screw the bottles cut into slices to them. The cut bottles are inserted into one another with caps in one direction, blossoming in the manner of a hedgehog. For reliable fastening of a homemade brush, the lid is fixed with a bottom with a self-tapping screw.
5. The free end of the cable can be attached to a large handle - one that will be convenient to operate in the chimney.

Step-by-step images will help you make a light brush for cleaning the chimney yourself; the brush is attached not to the covers, but to the wire

The tool is ready, now you can start the cleaning procedure.

metal

Some owners of private houses use disc brushes for grinders as a cleaning tool. This method is much simpler - you do not need to make the brush itself, you only need to secure the load well on the cable.

However, this option is not suitable for those who use the grinder constantly. In this case, you can try to make a metal ruff yourself.

For him you will need:

• coil of steel wire;
• a large bolt for the rod and a washer for fixing the brush;
• pliers.

Manufacturing technology

Making a metal brush is even easier than a plastic one, and is as follows:

1. First, a coil of wire is taken, unwound (or unclenched) into separate threads.

   The coiled wire is cut into equal pieces

2. Steel threads are cut into equal segments. The length of one segment should be such that the future brush crawls into the chimney hole.

   For good cleaning, it is required that the brush occupies at least 80% of the internal volume of the chimney

3. The wire is wound onto a bolt, fixed with washers. Wire segments are wound almost along the entire length of the bolt.

   The open end of the bolt is designed to secure the cable of the required length to it.

When manufacturing, it is desirable to take into account the following points:

1. It will be better if several brushes are used to clean the chimney. So, the average diameter should be 80-120% of the inner diameter of the chimney. In the first case, it will be convenient to use a brush to break through thick layers of growths and deposits, in the second case, to scrape off small contaminants.
2. The size of the load can lie in the range of 0.3 - 0.35 of the diameter of the chimney. This value is average, loads with such a diameter are well suited for both punching and cleaning operations.
3. The length of the cable should be 10-15% longer than the length of the chimney. This is necessary so that in case of penetration of solid deposits on the pipe walls, the cable passes to the hatch, collecting all the pollution in its path.

Video: how to quickly make a chimney brush with your own hands

A chimney brush is an essential tool in every home. With its help, the condition of the walls of the chimney pipe is significantly improved, and this automatically increases the draft for the removal of exhaust gases. Do-it-yourself brushes are in no way inferior to store-bought ones - it is important to follow the recommendations in manufacturing technology in order to get a solid material that will last for many years.

When raw firewood and household waste are burned in the oven, a large amount of soot is released, which. Because of this, traction decreases and the intensity of fuel combustion decreases. The result of this phenomenon can be poisoning of people with carbon monoxide, which ceases to be removed from the premises. A chimney brush can solve the draft problem. This device is considered the most effective means to eliminate such problems. Consider what it is, device, varieties, advantages and disadvantages.

Boilers and stoves are installed in almost all private houses and cottages, baths and garages. As a rule, firewood or coal is used for their firebox. But, quite often, the foci are used to dispose of old tires, household items and construction debris. These objects emit thick smoke, which settles in the form of solid particles on the inner walls of the exhaust pipe. Gradually thickening, soot completely blocks the exhaust channel.

In addition, chimneys become clogged for the following reasons:

• falling branches, leaves, small animals and bird nests;
• partial or complete destruction of the channel due to wear or improper assembly;
• , which, upon contact with combustion products, forms a viscous and sticky substance.

Signs of clogging of the chimney are the fallout of soot fragments into the furnace during boiler cleaning, poor combustion of fuel with an open blower, poor draft and strong soot when burning fuel.

How to clean a chimney

In order to clean the pipe coming from the boiler, stove and fireplace, there are many ways and means.

They fall into the following categories:

1. Thermal. The essence of this method is the destruction of clogging by high temperature. An object is placed in the furnace or directly into the chimney that emits intense heat during combustion. Good results are given by termite checkers, anthracite and aspen firewood. Manually carbon deposits are burned out with a gas burner.
2. Chemical. They are available in the form of tablets, granules and powders. Means are stacked on smoldering coals. Under the influence of heat, ingredients are released that turn the soot into dust, which completely crumbles into the firebox within a few days.
3. Mechanical. Scrapers, brooms and brushes are used to remove blockages. Foreign objects are removed with a hook or crowbar. Flexible garden hoses, choppers, logs and weights on a rope, poles and telescopic fishing rods, and other improvised means are used as an auxiliary tool.

There are also folk remedies for cleaning chimneys. Soot is removed by burning potato peelings in a furnace, pouring water over it, immersing compacted snow in a heated pipe.

Advantages and disadvantages of a brush

The most difficult thing is to remove soot, which filled almost the entire volume of the channel. In addition, the length of the chimney also plays a role. In some buildings, it can be ten meters or more. It is simply impossible to work with poles of this length.

The wire brush has the following advantages:

• light and compact, easy to carry and transport;
• no restrictions on the height of the pipe, the shape and size of the section;
• the ability to adjust the weight of the load and, accordingly, the applied force.

The disadvantages of this device include its inability to break through solid blockages, remove condensate and remove foreign objects.

How the ruff works

The brush for cleaning chimney pipes consists of the following parts:

1. Head. It is a rigid pile fixed at the base, made of metal or plastic.
2. Weighting agent. It is made in the form of a ball or cylinder, from iron or lead.
3. Cable. It is the basis for fastening all parts. Made from iron or synthetic fiber.
4. Hook. Located on a cable between the head and the load.
5. Tubes. They are mounted on a cable, designed to create a dynamic force when pushing the ruff down.
6. Replaceable nozzles. Performed in the form of peaks or gaffs. Designed for breaking through obstacles and extracting dense objects.

To clean pipes of certain shapes, ruffs with different parameters are used.

Types of ruffs

The choice of these devices is made according to the following criteria:

1. Diameter. It can be small (up to 100 mm), medium (100-250 mm) and large (more than 250 mm).
2. Manufacturing material. They make heads from copper, iron and polymer plastic.
3. The form. Round, polygonal, oval, square.
4. Rope type. The working part is attached to a rope, plug-in tubes or a cable located inside the tubes.

You should also pay attention to the weight of the sinker. It varies between 5-20 kg.

Make your own or buy

This question invariably arises before the owners of real estate heated by coal or wood. If you have skills in handling household tools, making a brush will not be difficult.

But, for this you will need to spend time, which everyone is sorely lacking. It is much easier to purchase a finished product of factory production. Fortunately, today in retail trade there is an extensive range of similar products, and their price is quite loyal.

When buying chimney cleaners, you should not focus on their cost. A cheap purchase may not be effective and will lie in the pantry for years.

The following factors need to be taken into account:

• can be processed with any material;
• for cleaning ceramic pipes, only a plastic ruff is allowed;
• steel chimneys can be cleaned with copper or brass bristle heads;

It is better to purchase a load with two eyes so that you can tie a rope to it and pull it down in case of a jam.

The most popular are ruffs from such manufacturers:

1. PCC (Poland) - plastic and metal, 120-400 mm in diameter;
2. Hansa (Lithuania) - universal 150-400 mm;
3. Chimney sweep (Russia) - set with replaceable nozzles.

Making a ruff with your own hands

This is a creative and interesting event that you can do in your free time on your personal plot or in the off-season. Before you start work, you need to prepare everything that is needed for this.

Necessary materials and tools

To make a chimney brush with your own hands, you will need:

• hacksaw or grinder;
• pliers;
• wrench;
• steel washers;
• hard wire;
• hairpins;
• bolts and nuts;

If you have to clean the ceramic pipe, then you will need scissors for cutting plastic bottles.

Drawing and diagrams

To make the brush comfortable, durable and functional, its design must be well thought out. The plan should be based on a scale drawing of the chimney. Based on the available data, diagrams of individual ruff nodes and the entire product as a whole are drawn up.

On paper, the following details are displayed in detail:

• the shape and size of the cargo;
• carabiner for its fastening;
• head device;
• loop for carabiner;
• rope configuration.

After checking the schemes, final calculations are carried out.

Size calculation

A table will serve as an aid for the manufacture of a ruff project for cleaning the stove chimney:

How to make a ruff

Let us dwell on how a ruff is made from plastic bottles.

1. We take 5-6 containers of the same size, remove the lids from them and cut off the bottom at the same distance.
2. We cut with scissors strips 4-5 mm wide from the lower parts to the necks.
3. We join together the resulting blanks. We fix them with wide washers, a nut and a bolt with a hat made in the form of a loop.
4. We make a weighting agent from an iron can, lead and a thick steel pond. Attach a strong carabiner to the ring.
5. We string thin steel or aluminum tubes 80-100 cm long onto the plumbing cable. We fasten the cable to the head using an adapter with an internal thread.

The chimney brush is ready.

Making video

Common mistakes and problems when making a brush

The main difficulty in the manufacture of a ruff is the search for a suitable material. The most difficult thing is to make the head of the fixture. At this stage, precision and considerable effort are required.

Most masters make the following mistakes:

1. Short cable length. As a result, the ruff does not reach the end of the pipe. As a result, the most inaccessible area near the firebox remains clogged.
2. Weak wire tightening between washers. This leads to the destruction of the homemade ruff in the process of cleaning the chimney.
3. Pole or plugs of insufficient strength. When loaded, these parts bend, not providing brush advancement. In the worst case, the handle breaks, and its fragments get stuck in the pipe.
4. Selecting a cleaning material that does not match the inside of the chimney. So, a metal-worker can hopelessly ruin ceramics.
5. The head width does not match the channel parameters. The head either does not pass into it, or does not reach the walls.

Rules for cleaning the chimney with a ruff

Since access to the pipe is possible only from the roof, special attention must be paid to safety measures. The worker must use a safety line, it is advisable to set up a temporary barrier.

1. Close the firebox and blower tightly before cleaning.
2. Check tool for correct operation. Test all details for durability.
3. After passing each meter of the pipe, remove the crumbling soot from the furnace.
4. At the end of the passage of the pipe with a hard brush, change it to a soft one for the final polishing of its walls.

Professional chimney sweepers know the secrets of fast and high-quality removal of blockages of any complexity.

Owners of fireplaces, stoves and other structures of this type are probably satisfied with their position. No wonder. If a fireplace burns in the house, then the feeling of comfort and coziness immediately increases.

Near it, the whole family often gathers to relax, exchange news or just chat. In addition, the very sight of the fire is seriously calming.

But the presence of a fireplace or stove in the house also imposes some responsibility on the owner. It is common for flue pipes or conventional chimneys to become clogged from time to time. If you ignore the requirements for regular cleaning of chimney pipes, you may be in for an unpleasant surprise.

As for the direct cleaning, then, in fact, everything is very simple and clear. Professionals recommend that beginners use the brush in two ways:

1. Traditional, when the brush is manipulated with a cable.
2. As a punching element.

In the first case, we are talking about the process of cleaning by conventional methods, when the brush is lowered inside the pipe on the wire, then manipulating it, the insides of the pipes are cleaned.

In the second case, the main work is done by the kernel. It serves as a weighting agent. The brush is simply thrown several times into the pipe.

Let's consider each method in more detail.

Normal cleaning

The standard procedure is to use a brush along with a cable or tube.

Stages of work:

1. Preparing the instrument.
2. We are fixed on the roof. We close all exits.
3. We lower the brush inside the chimney.
4. We clean the entire pipe or specific sections.
5. If necessary, repeat the procedure.
6. We remove the remnants of layers from the fireplace (they will all fall down).

Nothing complicated or incomprehensible. However, there are several nuances.

It is very important to close all outlets from the fireplace or stove. Only the pipe itself should remain open. This requirement should not be ignored.

The cleaning process itself is quite simple. The brush is lowered to the desired depth, and then moved up and down several dozen times. If the blockage is broken, we move on. If not, then you need to work again.

The same method performs a complete cleaning of the pipe. A brush to remove most of the layers along its entire length. And more is not required of him.

In the case of the formation of large layers, it is more convenient to use a brush with a rod base. It is already reasonable to apply force here and the blockage will surely succumb.

In some situations, a small weighting agent weighing several kilograms is hung on the ruff. It creates a counter force, which is often necessary when removing solid sediment.

Ruff with a weight for cleaning pipes (video)

Weighted cleaning

More interesting option. Here you need to use the ruff as a natural core. A weighting agent is hung on its lower hook. Its weight can be any, it is desirable to calculate the mass depending on the complexity of cleaning.

Then the ruff is lowered inside the chimney and thrown. In free fall, it cleans the edges of the pipe and breaks through the blockage.

If the tool does not work for the first time, it is lifted by the cable and try again. And so on, until the result is achieved.

This method is effective due to the greater application of force and the possibility of fairly fine control of the ruff, with minimal time and effort.