Rope for cleaning chimneys. What is a chimney ruff, and how to make it yourself? How the ruff works

We can say that a chimney brush is the main tool that is used for the hygiene of this design. In some ways, the device is similar to a toothbrush for cleaning bottles, the principle and overall appearance are very similar, of course, only the dimensions are much larger. The ruff consists of the main spire (it is also the central perpendicular), on which several circles of large “bristle” are made. Often thin steel wire is used, in some cases only soft wire types are allowed.

Despite a generally general understanding of the cleaning procedure and the presentation of the entire device, many are not aware of the significant factors when buying finished products. It should be borne in mind that the tool is not suitable for every type of channel. For example, for brick structures, a ruff with a hard “bristle” is suitable, where the “bite” soot “settled” quite tightly on the walls. If buying for steel pipe, get soft products, with soft wire or plastic, nylon. Otherwise, hard wire is likely to damage the structure. As you can see, the nuances of choosing ruffs are enough and it is important to pay attention to them.

Ruff for cleaning a brick chimney

Where is it sold and how much does it cost?

You can buy such a device at any hardware store. For lack of it, you can buy a ruff for your chimney on the Internet, as a rule, the cost does not seriously differ. The average price is within 2,000 rubles.

How to make a homemade ruff?

If the price seemed too high for you, you can make such tools with your own hands. The main thing is to determine which shape you need and for which pipe. There are three main types of brushes:

• Ruff - a classic brush made of metal, in the shape of a cylinder. Additional devices included in the kit can be either a simple long rope, usually 5 meters, or a kettlebell weighing up to 2 kg. with extension.
• An ordinary brush equipped with steel or nylon "bristles". Has a special handle.
• Scraper. It saves when there are soot growths on the channels, which the two previous options cannot cope with. May be any suitable shape.

From a plastic bottle

A homemade ruff for can be made from an ordinary water bottle. Manufacturing steps:

• In the center of the bottom, we make a small hole.
• A hole is made in the lid of the same diameter.
• Next, we cut the bottle into small ribbons, and fasten a hairpin with a hook on one side.
• On the other hand, a hairpin is also inserted, which are connected together.
• Using nuts, squeeze the bottle and attach a weight on one side.

The process of making a plastic brush

This design is suitable for cleaning metal, ceramic channels.

From a broom

A chimney brush can be made from an ordinary plastic broom, which is now a network in almost every household. Manufacturing stage:

• Cut off the stem.
• We straighten the “bristle”, you can use a hair dryer. After straightening, we clamp with a hairpin with a washer.
• From the side of the handle we wind the hairpin with a hook.
• The structure is tightened on both sides, after which a cable with a sinker is attached.

Great for cleaning wide channels.

From a metal brush for a grinder

A metal ruff or brush can even be made from such a device. At the moment, the price is not so high, so we recommend buying a finished product. If you decide to make a chimney brush with your own hands, remember that you will need two sheets, a threaded stud and nuts. Also, do not forget to use a hard wire or, in some cases, nylon as a "bristle".

From a metal cable, a difficult option

A cable can also be used to clean chimneys. The manufacturing process is much more complicated and requires certain efforts and skills. You will need a cable, preferably from 1 cm in diameter. An edge of about 10 cm is unraveled into individual fibers. They unbend in different directions, and in order to hold the form to clean the pipe, two plates are taken and compressed. A counterweight must be attached to the bottom edge to break up lumps and soot growths.

Periodic cleaning of the chimney is an important point in the maintenance of heating equipment. It is needed even when using high-quality expensive firewood and modern stove installations. Fine particles of combustion products gradually accumulate on the walls of the smokers and impair the operation of the system. Even a person who does not have special skills and experience in such a matter can clean the chimney.

The main tool to help will be a cleaning brush, which you can do yourself. This tool helps to keep the smoke exhaust system clean, and therefore maintain the draft for the rapid removal of gases, and ensure the efficient operation of the furnace device.

The use of solid fuel for furnace heating has a lot of advantages, such as efficiency, autonomy, heat transfer.

However, if used incorrectly, the efficiency of the heating system can deteriorate significantly. It is recommended to clean the chimneys at least once every six months. But first you need to identify the main causes of clogging and try to minimize them.

Interesting! When wood is burned, gas and smoke are produced. The smoke emitted may be white or black. The first is a consequence of water vapor, evaporating from wood or coal, and black comes from coal and soot. It is the second type of smoke that leads to the deposition of the smallest soot particles and pollution of the chimney.

In addition to this natural process, pipe clogging can lead to:

• Burning in the furnace of various garbage containing a large amount of hydrocarbons (plastic, polyethylene, foam, hard paper, cardboard).
• Application of damp and tar-containing firewood or briquettes.
• Wrong laying of firewood in the firebox.
• Rare cleaning of pipes from ash.
• Malfunction of the heating boiler.

The accumulation of soot and ash inside the outlet pipe leads to the following consequences:

• The passage for smoke narrows, which can cause reverse thrust when carbon monoxide goes into the apartment.
• Large soot particles fly out of the chimney, creating a fire hazard.

A chimney brush is a tool with a long handle, a working element with metal or polymer bristles and an addition in the form of a load. For manufacturing, a minimum of time and physical investments is required, as a result, a universal design is obtained for high-quality maintenance of the chimney system.

The clogging of the chimney duct is caused by a number of reasons:

1. Soot accumulates due to the deposition of solid particles of combustion products on the inner surface of the mine.
2. Condensation is formed, the cause of which is the lack of proper thermal insulation of the chimney, and therefore the effect of soot and soot sticking is enhanced.
3. Low quality fuel is used. For example, prolonged burning of damp firewood leads to intense clogging of the chimney system.
4. Resinous fuel resources are used - firewood, lumber and briquettes from spruce, fir, pine.
5. Waste with a high content of hydrocarbons is burned in the furnace in the form of household waste from polymers - plastic bottles, polyethylene, rubber products.
6. The heat generator is operated in an incorrect mode, fuel loading is carried out in violation of the rules, the ash pan is rarely cleaned.

Another possible reason for clogging the chimney is hidden in the design of the heater, the essence of which is errors in the construction or installation of the heat generator, or the wrong structure of the chimney.

Clogging the smoke line is fraught with negative consequences:

• the run is clogged to remove the gas-containing flow, traction deteriorates;
• the energy efficiency of the heat generator is reduced, which is associated with insufficient traction force;
• the presence of significant accumulations of soot contributes to the formation of reverse thrust, and carbon monoxide can seep into the room.

The most dangerous situation is when the soot in the chimney ignites with the formation of a large number of sparks, this can provoke a fire in the roof or neighboring buildings. To eliminate the problem, it is necessary to remove soot and soot in the gas outlet channel in a timely manner, using chemical compounds or home-made devices for mechanical cleaning of the chimney.

Features of mechanical cleaning of the chimney from soot using a ruff

Before starting work, perform the preparatory stage:

• close the blower, the firebox door, cleaning hatches;
• all the above points are equipped with an elementary filter in the form of a dense wet cloth;
• fully open all valves and views of the furnace.

The vertical part of the chimney is treated with a ruff with a core to weight the tool. The structure is equipped with a long cable or a rope, rope or strong cord is used. It is recommended to choose a rope option 2-3 m longer than the height of the pipe in order to secure the outer end to the base of the shaft, otherwise there is a risk of dropping the device into the channel due to the gravity of the core.

To clean the vertical section of the chimney, the device is lowered down the channel, pushing and rotating the rope in different directions. After the structure with the load and the brush is at the bottom of the shaft, they lift it back, making the same movements with the help of a rope. If the tool does not pass due to dense deposits of soot in a certain area, the cable is lifted and sharply lowered into the pipe to break through the blockage.

Cleaning of the horizontal channels of the flue is carried out using a brush with a rigid handle. Most often, the device is equipped with a solid or type-setting rod, the length of which is selected in accordance with the parameters of the processed plane. Since the rotary chimney units provide for special doors, moving along them, it is easy to clean all horizontal sections. In the absence of rotary openings, a brush with a cable is used. Performing circular-rotational movements, the structure is pushed into the depth of the channel and back.

How to make a ruff yourself

Although a chimney brush is not a scarce product in Moscow and other regions of the country, most owners of private houses prefer to make this device with their own hands.

A home-made ruff for cleaning chimney pipes is performed taking into account the specifics of the application. For maintenance of metal and asbestos-cement smoke channels, a brush with a polymer brush should be made. To clean a brick chimney shaft clogged with years of soot, you need to make a solid device from metal raw materials.

Steel wire options

To make a chimney brush with your own hands, the following materials and tools are required:

• a coil of spring steel wire with a cross section of 1-2 mm or a piece of steel cable with a diameter of up to 10 mm;
• threaded stud - 60-80 mm long, 1 pc.;
• washers for the bolt - d50 mm, 2 pcs.;
• nuts - 2 pcs. ordinary, 2 pcs. cap with a ring;
• a hammer;
• pliers;
• chisel;
• wrench 14.

Sequence of work:

1. Cut the wire taking into account the cross section of the chimney. In the case of a cable, blanks are made 10% less than the diameter of the pipe.
2. At the center point of each element, the fibers are pulled apart to make a hole and placed on a hairpin. The wire is simply wrapped around the rod.
3. The stud is equipped with steel nuts with washers, clamping the structural elements.

For greater strength, flexible elements can be fixed by welding.

When deciding how to make a chimney brush with your own hands, you can choose another version of the product in the form of a spiral brush. In this case, you will need a lathe or a home-made rigid structure to tension the rod. For the manufacture of bristles, steel wire d1-2 mm or a cable is suitable, and a twisted rod is made of steel wire with a cross section of 6 mm.

Steps for making a spiral brush:

1. The required number of blanks of the required length are made from the cable.
2. Steel wire d6 mm is folded in half, one end of which is welded, and a loop is twisted on the other.
3. The design is fixed in the machine. It is necessary to pull the rod well between the cartridge and the tailstock and give the correct position to its cores.
4. Next, workpieces are placed in the gap between the cores, evenly distributing them along the entire length of the stretched rod, and fixed with hot glue.

When the spindle rotates, the rod twists into a spiral, firmly clamping the wire bristles between the wires.

How to make a homemade ruff from a plastic broom

This will require the following materials and tools:

• kapron broom, cord;
• hairpin - up to 10 mm;
• washers - d5 cm 2 pcs.;
• nuts - 2 pcs., one of them with a ring.

They remove the broom from the handle, unbend the bristles on the sides, fix the position of the product, heating it with a hairdryer. Make a hole in the center of the broom holder with a drill or a hot nail, thread a hairpin, fix it on both sides with nuts and washers.

Plastic bottle brush

It is necessary to prepare:

• plastic bottles with a volume of 1.5-3 liters;
• cable, metal wire d2 mm;
• knife, scissors.

Cut off the top of one bottle, this will be the base of the polymer brush. For several containers, the bottom part is removed, the body is cut into strips vertically to the neck. The blanks are placed on the base, the strips are fixed in several bundles with a wire. The base is fixed to the cable.

The nuances of using ruffs

To clean the horizontal cavities of the chimney, the ruff is equipped with a long rod. A device with metal bristles is recommended for removing soot and soot in vertical pipes. If you have to work on the processing of horizontal or inclined channels, you should take into service a brush with a polymer brush.

Stove heating not only does not lose ground, but is also experiencing its rebirth. For this reason, the issues of proper operation and maintenance of solid fuel units are no less acute than several centuries ago. With how to heat the stove, and what kind of wood is best to use, the owners of private households have no difficulty. Problems begin when the draft disappears and the smoke begins to go into the room. And the whole reason is the smoke channel clogged with soot and soot. It is problematic to find a chimney sweep today, so you will have to carry out maintenance of the chimney yourself. All you need is a chimney brush that you can make yourself.

What causes clogged chimneys

Such advantages of stove heating as efficiency, autonomy and the ability to create a special, homely atmosphere cannot be surpassed by any modern heating device. Thanks to this, stoves and fireplaces are still widely used both in rural areas and in cities. At the same time, the use of solid fuels has many disadvantages, one of which is the need for regular cleaning of smoke channels. But the frequency of their maintenance can be significantly reduced if you know where so much soot and soot come from.

Deposits in the chimney can completely block the smoke outlet

So, the main factors that contribute to the clogging of chimneys are:

• incineration of waste, which consists of high-carbon materials (all types of plastic, polyethylene, foam, cardboard, etc.);
• use of wet firewood;
• violation of the operating mode of the heating device;
• firewood firebox that contains a large amount of resins (pine, spruce, fir, etc.);
• ash is rarely removed from the working chambers of the furnace;
• violation of the fuel supply regime;
• foreign debris.

In addition, rapid fouling of the chimney can be caused by increased roughness of the flue walls and their incorrect configuration. For this reason, it is better to entrust the construction of the furnace to an experienced craftsman.

Dangers posed by soot accumulation

It is impossible not to notice problems with the chimney. Most often, they will indicate the following signs:

• traction decreases;
• firewood does not light up well when kindling;
• smoke is coming into the room;
• decrease in the thermal efficiency of the furnace.

All these factors indicate such a strong clogging of the gas duct that only a narrow hole remains for the exit of combustion products. The use of the heater in such conditions is prohibited, since this often leads to tragic consequences:

Chimney cleaners

Remove deposits from the chimney can be chemically and mechanically. The first involves burning substances in the furnace, the combustion products of which soften soot layers and contribute to their combustion and removal in a natural way. The second is to remove soot from the walls of the chimney with various scrapers, brushes, etc.

Chemicals for cleaning the chimney allow you to do without mechanical devices, but have a fairly high cost

Practice shows that mechanical cleaning is best done with a hard brush, similar to that used for washing dishes with a narrow neck. A variety of materials are suitable for the manufacture of such a tool:

• steel rope;
• plastic bottles;
• pieces of steel wire;
• thick fishing line or plastic rods;
• springs;
• thick rubber;
• metal chain or strong rope;
• various weights and weights.

The choice of one or another material for the manufacture of a chimney brush depends on how persistent soot deposits will have to be removed. For regularly maintained chimneys made of steel or asbestos-cement pipes, a tool with soft bristles is suitable, while brick flues with many years of soot deposits can only be cleaned with a metal wire brush. It is best to have several devices of varying degrees of hardness in your arsenal or make one combined tool.

How to make a stove tool

Before proceeding with the manufacture of a device for removing soot deposits, it is necessary to consider its design and dimensions. In this case, it is necessary to take into account:

• chimney length;
• flue diameter;
• amount and persistence of deposits.

Based on the input data, conclusions are drawn about the length of the cable, the mass of the load, the size of the brush and its rigidity.

The design of the device for cleaning soot mechanically

The length of the rope or cable used to hold the brush is taken with a margin of 2–2.5 meters. This will allow you to hold the device more firmly in your hands, and if necessary, make a loop around the chimney so as not to drop the tool into the chimney. Any load can be used as a weight - from a specially cast lead blank to some heavy nut or a car part that has become unusable.

Making a plastic ruff

A budget brush for removing soot from a chimney can be easily made from improvised means. To make a plastic ruff you will need:

• broom made of polypropylene rods;
• plumbing cable of the required length;
• metal hairpin with a diameter of 8 mm with an eyelet;
• nut with a diameter of 8 mm with an eye;
• washer with a diameter of at least 50 mm with a hole of 8 mm;
• 2 carabiners;
• load of 0.5–2 kg.

If you can't find a stud and lug nut, don't despair - a regular bolt will do. Loops for fastening the cable and cargo can be made of steel wire.

Materials that will be needed to make a plastic chimney brush

The diameter of the brush made of plastic elements should be slightly larger than the cross section of the smoke channel. This will provide increased pressure of individual rods on the walls of the chimney and increase the speed of cleaning.

The work is performed in the following order:

1. A stalk is cut off or twisted from a synthetic broom - it will not be needed in the future. To make it more convenient to work, the rest is clamped in a vice.
2. The bristle of a round broom is unbent to the sides. To make the material more pliable, the brush is dipped in boiling water or heated with a building hair dryer.

   
   Plastic broom bars need to be straightened

3. If there is no hole inside the holder, then a hole with a diameter of 8 mm should be made.
4. On the side where the handle is attached, a steel pin with an eye is inserted into the hole.

   
   The hairpin allows you to fix the bristles in the desired position

5. From the side of the rods, a washer is installed on the stud and pressed with a nut with lugs.

   
   The eye nut allows not only fixing the ruff rods, but also attaching a load and a cable to it

6. The rods are cut, focusing on the diameter of the chimney.

   
   Excessively long rods should be cut

7. A loop is made on one side of the cable, securing the metal edge with knitting wire.
8. With the help of carbines, a cable is attached to one eye, and a load to the other.

   
   Ruff for the chimney can be made by hand

In addition to a synthetic broom, plastic containers from soda water are a good material for making a soft brush. To make a "lush" brush, you will need 5-6 of these vessels and a sharp knife. It is necessary to cut off the bottom of all bottles, and dissolve the walls into strips with a width of 3 to 10 mm. After that, all containers, except for one, cut off the neck, getting a hole slightly larger than the diameter of the neck. Assembly into a single structure is carried out by fitting the parts onto the remaining threaded part and fixing them with a cover. After that, drilling is done for a hairpin and the ruff is attached to the cable and weight in the manner described above.

To make the bristles from a plastic bottle more rigid, they are heated with a burner or a building hair dryer. The same method can be used to give the brush the desired shape.

How to make a metal brush

To make a metal cleaning tool, you can use pieces of steel wire (cable) or use a wire brush for a grinder. In the latter case, the angle grinder is simply mounted on a cable with a load and fastened with a wire. If the use of a working tool for other purposes is unacceptable for you, then you can make a metal ruff with your own hands. For this you will need:

The manufacturing technology of a metal brush is not difficult:

The simplicity of this method makes it extremely popular among home craftsmen. And at the same time, there is another very interesting tool that combines both a brush for removing soot and a load. In addition to the tools and materials described above, you will need:

• steel pipe with a diameter of more than 50 mm;
• electric drill;
• high carbon steel core;
• drill for metal, the diameter of which corresponds to the cross section of the wire or cable;
• sand-cement mortar.

To make a brush, in the same way as in the previous case, prepare the required number of flexible elements. Next, they act like this:

1. Through holes are made in the walls of the steel pipe. The density and uniformity of the bristles depend on the accuracy of this work and the step between drillings, so this stage should be taken as responsibly as possible.
2. Wire elements are threaded into the holes, placing their edges symmetrically with respect to the pipe.
3. A steel bar is installed in the center, to which the retaining cable will be attached in the future.
4. The inner surface of the pipe is filled with mortar, which will ensure the fixation of the flexible elements and make the fixture heavy enough.

The tool can only be used after the cement-sand mixture has set and acquired the necessary strength.

Video: how to make a ruff to remove soot from a chimney

What you need to know before lowering the tool into the chimney

The chimney should not be cleaned at the end of the heating season, but at the very beginning. This will allow you to be completely sure that there is no bird's nest, cork from cobwebs and leaves or other debris in the chimney. One of the warm and windless days in early autumn is best suited for this.

When cleaning the chimney, take care of the appropriate equipment and insurance.

Before changing into a chimney sweep suit and proceeding with the maintenance of the chimney, it is necessary to close all dampers and oven doors. Soot is the smallest particles that can seep into any cracks and pollute the room and the objects that are in it. If you have to service the fireplace pipe with an open firebox, then it is sealed with a plastic film and adhesive tape.

The process of cleaning the chimney is not difficult. Ruff is repeatedly lowered into the smoke channel, knocking deposits from the walls. To enhance the effect, alternate reciprocating movements with twisting the cable in different directions. The soot falls down. You can remove it through the revision hatch, using a scoop, poker and whisk.

There are situations when the device in the middle of the path stumbles upon an insurmountable obstacle. It can be any voluminous object - some kind of rag, a bird's nest or a piece of brick that has fallen out of the masonry. In this case, the ruff is unfastened and the resulting congestion is knocked out with only one weight, in the expectation that the cork will fall into the stove. After that, the brush is returned to its place and cleaning activities are resumed.

Even where the latest, high-tech solid fuel equipment is used, regular soot removal will be required. Ruff, which you can make with your own hands, will cope with dignity even with the most persistent deposits. It is only important not to put off the work of cleaning the chimney indefinitely - not only the thermal efficiency and economy of the stove depend on this, but also the safety of your family.

A chimney brush is the main tool for oven “hygiene”. Its design is similar to a bottle cleaner - between two twisted thick wires that form a central rod, thin wire bristles are located perpendicular to the rod. The bristles create several round layers (2-3). The length of the bristles determines the diameter of the pipe that this tool will effectively clean. The central rod has an eyelet at one end and a thread at the other. The eye and thread allow you to attach extensions to the ruff, which allow you to pull this tool into the pipe to peel off soot from the walls.

Ruff made of plastic

Some offer making ruffs with their own hands from plastic bottles. Unfortunately, such a device containing plastic will in most cases be ineffective, since soot deposits on the walls of the chimneys can be harder than the plastic tool itself. Soot deposits are especially strong after repeated firing. firewood from pine and other conifers.

Not only the hardness of the cleaning element of the ruff is required, but also the strength of the fastening of this element. Significant efforts arising from dragging the brush inside the chimney will quickly destroy the plastic elements of its design.

The same applies to devices with plastic bristles. Such ruffs are cheaper than all-metal ones, but in terms of cleaning quality and service life they are noticeably inferior to all-metal ones. Ruffs with plastic bristles are suitable only for cleaning chimneys after the use of chemical soot cleaners. Since, under the influence of such agents, soot becomes brittle and is much easier to remove from the walls, a ruff with plastic bristles may be quite enough.

If chemical agents have been repeatedly used, and there is confidence that the strength of soot deposits is low, you can make a brush with your own hands and clean the chimney with it.

Plastic manufacturing

To make a ruff with your own hands you will need:

• thin steel cable, longer than the chimney, 2-3 mm thick;
• two plastic bottles of 1-2 liters, depending on the diameter of the chimney to be cleaned;
• wire with a diameter of 1-2 mm;
• used or damaged welding electrode with a diameter of 3-5 mm or a piece of straightened wire of the same diameter and length;
• two caps from a plastic bottle;
• a load weighing 2-5 kg, such that it can easily pass suspended in a pipe that needs to be cleaned;
• cut the wall of each bottle from the bottom to the neck in 1.5-2 cm increments, like a Chinese lantern;
• make a hole in the center of each bottle cap so that an electrode or the same piece of wire can be inserted into it;
• screw caps tightly on bottles;
• insert one bottle into another with caps in one direction;
• attach the electrode or a piece of wire with one end to the load so that, holding the electrode, you can lift the load;
• make a hole in the center of the bottoms of both bottles with a piece of wire or a heated electrode;
• pass the electrode attached to the load or a similar piece of wire through the holes in the bottoms and caps of the bottles;
• bring the caps and bottoms of the bottles as close as possible and fix their position by bending the free end of a piece of wire or electrode into a ring;
• straighten the cut walls of the bottles, pulling them out;
• attach the cable to the ring on the electrode or the same piece of wire with a clamp;
• we attach any handle to the free end of the cable, for which it is convenient to hold the cable.