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Any home that is fitted with a fireplace or a combustion heater such as a wood-burning stove is going to eventually require a chimney brush. The more fires that have been lit in a fireplace or wood-burning stove the build up of soot and other residue in the chimney is going to require cleaning.

There are a couple of important factors to take into consideration when buying chimney brushes to ensure that you buy the right ones. Chimney brushes are available in a range of sizes. This stands to reason seeing as how chimneys are not all the same dimensions. Before buying a new chimney brush you should have first measured the interior of the chimney to be sure that you get one that fits.

Chimney brushes are available in a variety of shapes as well. A round chimney can be cleaned with a circular chimney brush while the older, more traditional square or rectangular chimney is going to require a square chimney brush.

Chimneys differ in the materials used to make them. A brick chimney can be cleaned with a stiff metal chimney brush that will scour the bricks clean. A metal chimney will require a softer, gentler chimney brush made of a polypropylene filament that will remove the coal and oil soot without damaging the interior of the chimney.

Apart from the need to remove soot and ash your chimney brush will have to be used to keep your chimney flue free of creosote buildup to prevent a chimney fire. Creosote is extremely flammable and can readily fuel a fire.

One thing to remember is that using an oversized chimney brush will not improve the cleaning action. In fact, it is more likely that the brush will become caught in the chimney. On the other hand a chimney brush that is too small will not provide the necessary pressure on the wall of the chimney to perform the necessary cleaning action.

There are four different methods that may be used to control the chimney brush during cleaning.

Top Down: The first step is to seal off the fireplace or stove opening so that the soot does not enter the home as it is dislodged. Using a flexible rod attachment you can secure the brush before lowering it into the chimney from above. As you work you simply add more rods as needed until the brush has worked its way to the flue bottom.

Bottom Up: A messier way to perform the same operation is to insert the brush attached to the flexible rods through the fireplace damper. This is not a preferred option because the fireplace cannot be sealed to avoid soot from escaping into the home.

Line and Weight: With this method you can seal off the fireplace and then attach a weight to the end of the brush and then attaching the brush to a rope. Lower the brush to the bottom of the chimney and then pull it up before lowering it again and continuing on until the chimney is clean.

Dual Line Method: This method requires two people to perform it. A rope is attached to either end of the brush and then the rope is dropped down from above to the person below. Alternately, each person will pull on the rope, dragging the brush up and down against the sides of the chimney. This is another messy option because the fireplace opening cannot be sealed whilst performing it.

Here is some more information about cleaning chimneys.

chimney brush, chimney sweep, fireplace cleaning

The fireplace is one of the most romantic features in your home, and you spend hours enough huddled before it with a warm, bristling fire. Cleaning the fireplace is one of the least romantic facets of your home life. Cleaning the chimney can be worse. However, if you cannot afford to hire someone to clean it, you will need to know how to find and use a good chimney brush, and a sturdy aluminium ladder.

The first thing you should learn is that there is no such thing as a typical, a standard, or a conventional chimney brush, even if wire bristling is now considered the most common feature. This is because there is no such thing as a typical, standard, or conventional chimney. In addition, you will have to measure the precise dimensions of your chimney before you can clean it properly.

You will need a sturdy aluminum ladder to climb to your rooftop and inspect your chimney. If you have a brick chimney, measure the inner flue liner. If you have a squared liner, measure both ways and buy the brush that conforms to the dimensions exactly, because you may miss some of the sidewalls. If the liner is oval shaped, you can buy a brush equal to the rectangular dimension but trim to the circumference.

If your chimney is metal or prefabricated, you may have to remove a cap, though some metal chimneys do not include one. Once you do, pick chimney brushes that meets the exact diameter.

Wire bristling may still be common for chimney brushes but they can scratch metal chimneys, so it is better to use a pre-fab poly brush. These brushes include bristling that is more flexible and less likely to scratch, especially if your metal chimney has a bend in it.

Your chimney determines the best rod to which to attach your chimney brush. Fiberglas rods are inflexible and can be used in brick chimneys, but super flex rods should be used for metal chimneys with tight bends. Poly rods are also flexible but only enough to handle sharp bends or breaks and breaches inside the liner.

If your chimney did not come with a cap originally, you may want to consider buying one anyway. A chimney cap can make the next chimney cleaning simpler, since it blocks many kinds of debris as well as keeping rain and snow and other weather hazards from getting inside and damaging your chimney. It also comes in enough style variations to add a little decorative flair to your rooftop.

Find out more about using chimney brushes.

aluminium ladder, chimney brush, chimney sweep, fireplace cleaning