A brush for cleaning the chimney with a convenient immersion device. Brush for cleaning the chimney: why buy something that you can make with your own hands How to make a homemade pipe 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 you can relatively easily make with your own hands. And the price tag of such a homemade product will be tens of times less than a device purchased in a store.

After using his homemade product for some time, identifying all the pros and cons, he came up with a device for more convenient chimney cleaning.

I suggest you read about production in this article.

Necessary materials and tools.
-Dumbbell
-Cable - length 0.5-0.6 meters (diameter 5mm)
-Cable length depends on the height of the air duct (diameter 2mm)
-Nuts M10 2pcs
-Cable clamps 3 pcs.
-Profile pipe 20x20mm
-welding electrode 3mm
-Welding machine
-Bulgarian
-Hammer
-Vise

Manufacturing process part one.
The brush device itself will be based on an old rusty dumbbell, which was 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. For the device, you only need one half of a dumbbell, so you can make two brushes at once from one dumbbell.

First of all, clamp the dumbbell in a vice and cut off one ball of the dumbbell with a grinder.

An M10 nut is welded to the cut part of the dumbbell, and the brush load 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 larger diameter, since the thicker the cable, the thicker and stronger the veins in it.

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

Now the chopped pieces need to be dissolved into individual fibers. It is better to carry out this procedure with gloves, as the likelihood of injuring your hands is very high.

The cable is loose, now you need to make a frame for the brush.
A 3mm electrode will be used for the frame.
The coating from the electrode is beaten with a hammer.

Since the electrode core is made of fairly stiff wire, it bends and breaks poorly. To soften the wire, you need to heat it until red and let it cool, in other words, let it go. You can warm it in the coals, they sang, gas burner, but the author will warm with 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 until red. The heating procedure lasts about 15-20 seconds. Now you should let the wire cool on its own.

After cooling, the wire became soft, and now you can continue working with it. The author bends the wire in the center, at the point of bending there should be a small eyelet.

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

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

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

The result was 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 using a small piece of cable (diameter 2mm). The ends of the cable are clamped using a screw clamp.

You also need to attach a cable to the second eye of the brush. The length of the cable should be 2-2.5 times longer than the height of the chimney pipe.
This is the kind of brush the author came up with, and he ran off to test his product to celebrate.

And here is a deposit of soot in the chimney pipe.

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

Realizing that this method of cleaning the chimney is, to put it mildly, inconvenient, I came up with another device. This is a device for immersing a brush into a chimney.

The manufacturing process part two.
It’s very difficult to call it a manufacturing process, but still. To make the device, the author bought 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 into a half ring was welded onto the edge of the pipe; the tube has a diameter of 10 mm. A cable with a brush connected was passed inside the pipe.

At first the author wanted to make a release mechanism using rollers, but he was unable to weld them. And the design itself would be too complex and unreliable.

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

If you have a solid fuel unit in your house, you will have to make a brush to clean the chimney with your own hands. You can, of course, buy it ready-made, but it’s too simple. It’s more interesting to make it yourself from scrap materials, while singing: “You need to clean the pipes cleanly in the mornings and evenings, and shame on dishonest chimney sweeps.”

Why clean the chimney?

Owners of stoves and fireplaces should make it a rule to carry out chimney maintenance at least once a year. This is not a very labor-intensive task, but it will prevent a fire or explosion of soot in the smoke ducts, maintain good draft, and monitor the condition of the walls of the brick chimney.

Required Tools

Chimney cleaning is an activity to remove soot from the walls of the chimney and smoke channels.

Special tools are designed for this:

• Ruff– metal brush cylindrical, the core of which is a wire twisted in a spiral. IN Lately Nylon is used as bristles, and the shape can be rectangular. Usually comes complete with a rope (cable) and a core (2-3 kg). The core in this system functions as a sinker for lowering and cleaning, and a ram for breaking through blockages. At home, it is better to use a brush with a handle, which is made along the length of the chimney - stacked or solid.

• Brush– metal and polymer, equipped with a handle. If uncleaned areas of the chimney form after the brush, the defect can be eliminated using a brush. For heavy dirt, a metal brush is used; for soot, a polymer brush is used.
• If soot or soot build-up has formed in the chimney, a scraper will come to the rescue. It can be flat or oval for chimney pipes. If necessary, the handle can be extended.

At home, making a metal brush for cleaning a chimney will require some effort and skill. It is much easier to make a ruff from simple materials.

Making a brush from scrap materials

For production you will need plastic bottle 1.25 l, metal pin 11 cm long, 8-10 mm in diameter, two eyes with internal thread. The tools you need are a drill and a knife.

1.	The instructions are simple. The first step is to burn a hole in the center of the bottom of the bottle. It is better to do this with a hot rod corresponding to the diameter of the pin.
2.	A hole is drilled or burned out in the lid
3.	The bottle is cut into strips 1.5-2 cm wide. An eye is screwed onto the pin from one edge
4.	A pin with an eye is inserted into the bottle and a second eye is screwed in from the opposite side.
5.	Now, using carabiners, the core and rope (cable) are attached.

The produced brush is suitable for cleaning steel or asbestos-cement pipes with a diameter of 150 mm. For diameters 100 and 120 mm, it is better to take a half-liter bottle.

How to construct a brush from a broom?

Nowadays many people use synthetic brooms. The new broom sweeps well, but then begins to spread out.

This one is suitable for cleaning chimney brushes:

1.	The broom should be round and made of polypropylene. The handle is unscrewed or cut off. For ease of operation, the broom must be clamped in a vice or inserted into a hole along the diameter of the sealing coupling threaded connection with a cutting.
2.	The broom bristles need to be straightened. This works well with a hairdryer. Then you need to take a metal pin 8 cm long, put on a washer and screw on the eye.
3.	A metal pin with a twisted eye is inserted from the handle side. Another eye with a plate along the diameter of the sealing coupling is screwed on the bristle side.
4.	The structure is tightened all the way with lugs. A cable (rope) and a load (core) are secured.

Perfectly cleans pipes with a diameter of 180 and 200 mm. For smaller sizes, the bristles can be trimmed.

The second option is from a plastic bottle

A homemade chimney brush with an extended handle can be a good help in the fight against soot. It is very easy to make - you will need plywood or OSB 10-12 mm, five-liter plastic bottle and screws.

The handle at home can be made from a long block of 3x4 cm or made from plastic pipes with a diameter of 25-30 mm. To work you will need tools: saw, drill, scissors, tape measure, pencil.

1.	There are probably pieces of plywood (OSB) and plastic bottles on the farm.
2.	Two plywood plates 240x120 mm are cut (for a chimney 260x130)
3.	The center is located along the diagonals and a hole is drilled for the handle.
4.	The neck and bottom are cut off from the bottle. A sheet measuring 264 by 134 mm is cut out of the resulting box. Incisions are made along the perimeter with scissors (knife) every 1.5-2 cm.
5.	A plastic sheet is placed between plywood blanks, which are fastened with screws. Try to ensure that the plastic protrudes the same distance beyond the edges of the plywood. The handle is secured.

There are several more ways to make a chimney brush with your own hands:

• First consists of using a mop to clean the floors. Optimal diameter chimney – 150 mm. You can clean it both from above with an extended handle, and from below with flexible cable 8-10 mm.

• Second way slightly more expensive - a wire brush is used to mechanical removal rust. You can buy a new one - its price is low, you can use a used one.

The video in this article will help you understand the process.

Working for solid fuel Stoves and fireplaces are as popular sources of heat as they were hundreds of years ago. Some people like live fire and the crackle of burning logs, others are tempted by the use of cheap fuel, and still others are simply forced to heat their house with wood due to the lack of alternatives. Unfortunately, the smoke ducts of even the most technologically advanced stoves and boilers quickly become overgrown with soot, due to which the draft disappears and there is a danger of suffocation carbon monoxide. For that category of people who do everything with their own hands, we suggest making a brush for cleaning the chimney. With its help, you can easily and quickly remove soot from all internal channels of the furnace.

Why do stove ducts become clogged and how can they be cleaned?

The need to clean chimneys and internal flues of solid fuel heating units (boilers, fireplaces, stoves and various stoves) has both objective and subjective reasons. The first are due to the fact that any smoke consists of a gaseous part and tiny particles of carbon that did not have time to oxidize during the combustion process. The bulk of them leaves the chimney, flying into the atmosphere, but the part that has the greatest weight and electric charge, settles in the chimney channels. The situation is further aggravated by water vapor and creosote, which moisten the walls of the flue and thereby contribute to the adhesion of soot. These deposits reduce the cross-section of the chimney, which reduces draft, which means the efficiency of the stove decreases and fuel consumption increases. But the main danger lies in the fact that further use heating device becomes unsafe.

Accumulation of soot in the chimney not only impairs draft, but can also cause a fire.

Subjective reasons include:

• burning low-quality coal and raw wood;
• heating the furnace with waste with a high carbon content (plastic, rubber, etc.);
• incorrectly selected operating mode of the heating device;
• mistakes made during the construction of a stove or chimney.

After analyzing the factors that cause a chimney to become overgrown with soot, you will see that the situation can only be partially improved by reducing the amount of particulate matter in the smoke. Nevertheless, the chimney will have to be cleaned sooner or later.

You can do this in two ways:

• mechanical,
• chemical

The first involves removing soot and soot using various devices - scrapers, blades, brushes, etc. Using such tools in the chimney and flues, you can very successfully scrape soot from the walls, rake it into piles and dispose of it.

For cleaning the chimney mechanically A variety of brushes with stiff bristles are best

Chemical soot removal involves burning a product with a complex chemical composition in the furnace firebox. The substances released during its combustion interact with the most persistent deposits, which is why they soften, peel off from the walls of the channels and burn. As practice shows, chemical compositions are pretty effective means in the fight against soot, but for a reason relatively high cost are used much less frequently than scrapers, brooms and brooms.

Special chemical compounds allow you to remove soot without unnecessary difficulties, but truly effective products are too expensive

Features of mechanical cleaning of a chimney from soot using a brush

A metal or plastic brush is a recognized leader among the tools of any home-grown chimney sweep. Simultaneously playing the role of a scraper and a brush, the brush not only destroys the hardest layers, but also literally sweeps them away from the walls of the chimney.

A brush for cleaning chimneys is a brush made of metal or nylon bristles wound around a rod of twisted wire. The device most often has round shape, but you can also find rectangular samples intended for Maintenance brick chimneys.

Depending on which channels need to be cleaned, the brush is equipped with a long cable (you can use a strong cord) or a rigid handle. In the first case, a core weighing 2–3 kg is used to weight the device. With its help, you can not only lower a stiff brush into the chimney, but also break through the very severe blockage. To clean horizontal gas ducts, a rod is attached to the brush. It must correspond to the size of the longest channel and can be stacked or solid.

Before you start cleaning the chimney, you need to not only close the vent, firebox and cleaning doors, but also curtain them with a simple filter made of thick, damp fabric. Soot is extremely fine and can easily penetrate into the smallest crevices. It is possible that without protective measures, all things in the house will be under a layer of soot and soot. Furnace valves and views, on the contrary, should be fully open.

For cleaning the vertical part of the chimney, a brush with a weight attached to a cable is best suited. The tool is inserted into the pipe and pushed down while rotating the cable in both directions. After the brush reaches the bottom, it is raised in exactly the same way. It is best to do this with a partner, instructing him to rotate the cable while you do it with the tool. forward movements in the vertical direction.

Design of a brush with a weight for cleaning vertical channels

If in any place the cable does not pass due to a continuous blockage, then do not rush to throw the cannonball equipped with a brush from a height. Be sure to find out if this is due to a bend in the gas duct or a slightly closed valve. And only after making sure that the load will not damage the structure, tie a nylon cord to it and sharply lower it into the pipe.

The cleaning procedure is repeated until soot stops falling out of the vertical channel. In order not to miss this moment, it is necessary to periodically open the cleaning door and remove accumulated soot using a dustpan and broom.

Stoves with a flue of complex configuration and horizontal sections of the chimney are cleaned with a brush attached to a rigid handle. It is best to use a collapsible rod - this will allow you to change the length of the tool. Most often, the places where the flue duct turns 90° are equipped with special doors. Moving from one such opening to another, you can quickly clean the entire gas duct. If the stove was built “anyhow” and its design does not provide for such openings, then the cable will become your assistant. Using it like a plumbing tool, the brush is pushed deeper into the channel and back. After several such passes, it is necessary to remove the soot from the firebox and check the draft with a set of newspapers.

In order to clean the oven from the inside, a long handle is attached to the brush.

Instructions for making a brush with your own hands

Although a chimney brush is not some kind of scarce tool, it is much easier to make it yourself than to look for it in a retail chain. Moreover, in this case the device can be made literally “for yourself”, taking into account the size and features of a particular chimney. Another plus homemade device the fact that it will be completely free, because all the components for making a brush are literally under your feet. Here is just an incomplete list of materials that can be used to make it:

• plumbing cable, synthetic cord or metal chain;
• steel wire;
• nylon broom or lawn mower line;
• plastic bottles;
• long bolts and nuts;
• springs.

When choosing a material for a brush, do not forget to take into account the condition of the chimney. To remove persistent long-term soot deposits on the walls of brick channels, a brush with metal bristles is best suited. If you need to clean a metal chimney, then a synthetic broom or plastic bottles are used to make the tool.

Steel wire brushes

Craftsmen have come up with several types of metal brushes, differing both in design and manufacturing method. We offer you instructions for making the most interesting models.

Design No. 1

To make a metal brush you will need a wire with a diameter of 1–2 mm made of spring steel. If you don’t have one, you can use a segment steel cable with a diameter of no more than 10 mm.

To make a metal brush you will need thin steel wire

It is also necessary to prepare:

• stud 60–80 mm long with M8 thread;
• two washers Ø50 mm for an M8 bolt;
• nuts - 2 regular M8 and 2 cap nuts with eyes.

None special tool will not need. It is enough to have a hammer, chisel, pliers and open-end wrenches “13” or “14”.

Instructions for the progress of work:

1. Measure the cross-section of the chimney and cut required amount“bristles” made of wire. Their length must exactly match the diameter of the chimney. If you will be using a steel cable, chop it into pieces using a hammer and chisel, and then disassemble it into individual components. In this case, the length of the rods should be 5–10% less internal diameter chimney.

   The size of each piece of steel cable must correspond to the diameter of the chimney

2. Each flexible element has a center. In the marked place, the fibers are moved apart and a hole is made. After this, string the cable sections onto the hairpin. If wire is used, each bristle is wrapped around a central shaft.

   When assembling the brush, individual bristles are threaded onto a threaded rod.

3. The flexible elements are evenly distributed around the circumference and clamped onto a stud with steel nuts and washers - the brush is ready.

   Flexible elements are clamped between two nuts and additionally fixed by welding

The excess threaded portion should be cut off, leaving room for the lug nuts. If none are found, then metal rings can be welded to the ends of the central rod. They will be needed to secure the cable on one side and the load on the other.

As the author of this article, I would like to recommend to you the optimal proportions of tools for cleaning the vertical channels of solid fuel stoves. Having made more than one device, I came to the conclusion that the size of the brush should be chosen depending on the stiffness of the bristles. For brushes made of metal wire, it should not exceed 0.8 of the pipe diameter, while plastic devices performed best with a 10% margin in width. The diameter of the load should be no more than a third of the chimney cross-section, and its weight should not exceed 3 kg. As for the size of the holding cable or cord, I made it 2-3 m longer than the chimney. During work, your humble servant more than once dropped the tool to the very bottom, but always retrieved it from the depths by the end of the rope, which remained on top.

Design No. 2

Another way to make a brush that cannot be distinguished from a factory one involves using lathe. If you don’t have one in your garage, then you can do without it. True, in this case you will have to use brute male strength and build a rigid structure to tension the central rod.

To make a spiral brush, we need two types of wire - steel wire Ø 1–2 mm for making bristles and steel wire Ø 6 mm - as a twisted rod. As in the previous case, flexible elements can be made from thin cable.

To make the steel wire more pliable and prevent it from being damaged when twisted, the material should be annealed. The best way to do this is with muffle furnace. If such equipment is not available, you can use blowtorch. The wire must be wound into the most compact coil possible, heated red-hot and cooled slowly.

The work is carried out in stages:

1. The cable is cut into pieces of the required length and divided, obtaining many twisted bristles.

   The flexible elements of the brush are obtained from sections of steel cable

2. Thick steel wire must be folded in half and an eyelet should be made on one side and the other connected by welding.

   The central rod of the future brush is a wire folded in half with a loop at one end

3. Using a durable metal hook, the double structure is firmly secured in the machine. Be sure to check that the rod is well tensioned between the chuck and the tailstock, and that the gap between its cores is located in a vertical plane.

   When attaching the rod to the machine, it is necessary to ensure good tension and correct orientation of the cores

4. The cut bristles must be laid out in the gap between the wires, distributed evenly along the entire length of the structure and secured to the rod with hot glue.

   After laying the bristles, do not forget to fix it with glue.

5. Spindle rotation begins at the lowest speed. At the same time, the tension of the central wire and the degree of fastening of the flexible elements are controlled. Upon successful completion of the work, the bristles are evenly distributed around the circumference, and the wires are clamped as firmly as possible between the wires.

   When the spindle rotates at minimum speed, the bristles will not fall out of place

Do not rush to release the chuck's jaws - the tensions that arise in the wire can play a cruel joke on you. Be sure to loosen the tailstock. Only after this can the manufactured device be removed from the machine and used for its intended purpose.

A homemade steel brush is in no way inferior to its factory counterpart.

Video: a simple metal brush for servicing chimneys

How to make a device for cleaning horizontal smoke ducts

In order to clean the horizontal flue of the furnace, a long rod is attached to a steel brush. You can build a similar handle from various materials:

• steel bar with a diameter of 10 mm;
• long shaft 30–50 mm thick;
• polypropylene pipes.

The first and last options are also interesting because they allow you to do stacked handle any length. To do this, threads are cut at opposite ends of the steel rods. With its help, you can assemble a rod of any length - just use 5-centimeter threaded couplings. In case of plastic pipes It is convenient to use fittings with internal and external threads welded to them. According to the testimony of the craftsmen who built such a structure, it has the necessary rigidity and is light in weight. All this makes a polypropylene rod convenient tool in the hands of a novice chimney sweep.

A homemade dialing rod can be made from polypropylene pipes

The metal brush copes well with the vertical section of the chimney, but in horizontal and inclined channels it has not proven itself to be effective. the best side. Moving the tool along the center of the flue becomes problematic, since it is pressed against its base under the influence of gravity. The situation is aggravated by rather stiff bristles that cling to any protrusion on the canal wall. For this reason, on horizontal sections should be changed metal tool a more delicate plastic device.

Plastic broom brush

A brush for the internal channels of the oven can be made from a plastic broom or broom. You will need:

• polypropylene or nylon broom;
• cable or synthetic cord;
• hairpin up to 10 mm long;
• 2 washers with a diameter of at least 5 cm;
• 2 nuts, one of which has an eye.

The diameter of the pin must correspond to the cross-section of the rod from which the rod will be made. This will make the tool more versatile - it will be possible to attach not only a handle, but also a cable, cord and core.

Periodic cleaning of the chimney is important point in the maintenance of heating equipment. It is needed even when using high-quality expensive firewood and modern furnace installations. Small 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 make yourself. This tool helps keep the smoke exhaust system clean and, accordingly, maintain draft for quick removal gases, and provide effective work furnace device.

Application solid fuel For stove heating has a lot of advantages, such as efficiency, autonomy, heat dissipation.

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

Interesting! When wood burns, gas and smoke are produced. The smoke released 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 settling of the smallest soot particles and contamination of the chimney.

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

• Burning in a furnace of various waste containing a large number of hydrocarbons (plastic, polyethylene, polystyrene foam, rigid paper, cardboard).
• Use of wet and resin-containing firewood or briquettes.
• Incorrect placement 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 backdraft when carbon monoxide enters the apartment.
• Large soot particles fly out of the chimney, creating a fire hazard.

When burning raw wood in a stove and household waste a large amount of soot is released, which... Because of this, thrust 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 room. A chimney brush can solve the draft problem. This device is considered the most effective way to eliminate such problems. Let's look at what it is, its structure, types, advantages and disadvantages.

Boilers and stoves are installed in almost all private houses and cottages, bathhouses and garages. As a rule, firewood or coal is used to fire them. But quite often hearths are used for recycling old tires, household items and construction waste. These items emit thick smoke, which settles as particulate matter on the interior walls. exhaust pipe. Gradually thickening, the soot completely blocks the exhaust duct.

In addition, chimneys become clogged for the following reasons:

• ingress of 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 a clogged chimney include the fallout of soot fragments into the firebox during boiler cleaning, poor combustion of fuel when the ash pan is open, poor draft and heavy soot when burning fuel.

How can you clean a chimney?

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

They are divided into the following categories:

1. Thermal. The essence of this method is to destroy the blockage high temperature. An object is placed in the firebox or directly in the chimney, which produces intense heat when burned. Good results provide termite blocks, anthracite and aspen firewood. The carbon deposits are burned off manually with a gas burner.
2. Chemical. They are available in the form of tablets, granules and powders. The funds are placed on smoldering coals. Under the influence of heat, ingredients are released that turn soot into dust, which completely crumbles into the firebox within a few days.
3. Mechanical. To remove blockages, scrapers, brooms and brushes are used. Foreign objects are removed with a hook or crowbar. Flexible garden hoses, hoes, logs and weights on a rope, poles and telescopic fishing rods, and other improvised means are used as auxiliary tools.

There are also folk remedies chimney cleaning. Carbon deposits are removed by burning potato peelings in a firebox, pouring water over it, and immersing compacted snow in a heated pipe.

Advantages and disadvantages of a brush

The most difficult thing to remove is soot that has 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 such length.

A brush on a cable has the following advantages:

• light and compact, easy to carry and transport;
• no restrictions on pipe height, shape and section size;
• 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 condensation and remove foreign objects.

How the ruff works

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

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

For cleaning pipes certain forms brushes with different parameters are used.

Types of ruffs

The selection 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. Material of manufacture. Heads are made of copper, iron and polymer plastic.
3. Form. Round, polygonal, oval, square.
4. Type of cable. The working part is attached to a rope, plug tubes or cable located inside the tubes.

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

Make it yourself or buy it

This question invariably faces owners of property heated with coal or wood. If you have the skills to handle household tools making a pipe cleaner is not difficult.

But this will require spending time, which everyone is sorely lacking. Much easier to purchase ready product factory production. Fortunately, today in retail trade There is a wide range of similar products available, and their prices are quite reasonable.

When purchasing chimney cleaning devices, you should not focus on their cost. A cheap purchase may not be effective and will sit in the pantry for years.

The following factors need to be taken into account:

• can be processed with any material;
• To clean ceramic pipes, only a plastic brush may be used;
• steel chimneys can be cleaned with heads with bristles made of copper or brass;

It is better to purchase a weight with two eyes so that you can tie a rope to it and pull it down if it gets stuck.

The most popular brushes are from the following manufacturers:

1. PCC (Poland) - plastic and metal, with a diameter of 120-400 mm;
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 activity that you can do in your spare time. personal plot time or in the off-season. Before you start work, you need to prepare everything you need for this.

Required materials and tools

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

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

If you are cleaning a ceramic pipe, you will need scissors for cutting plastic bottles.

Drawing and diagrams

To make the brush convenient, durable and functional, its design needs to be carefully thought out. As a basis for planning, you need to take a scale drawing of the chimney. Based on the available data, diagrams of individual components of the brush and the entire product as a whole are drawn up.

The following details are displayed in detail on paper:

• shape and size of the cargo;
• carabiner for attaching it;
• head device;
• carabiner loop;
• cable configuration.

After checking the schemes, final calculations are carried out.

Size calculation

Help for making a cleaning brush project stove chimney the table will serve:

How to make a ruff

Let's look at how a brush 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. Using scissors, cut strips 4-5 mm wide from the bottom to the neck.
3. We join the resulting blanks together. We fix them with wide washers, a nut and a bolt with a head made in the shape of a loop.
4. We make a weighting agent from an iron can, lead and a thick steel pond. We attach a durable carabiner to the ring.
5. We string thin steel or aluminum tubes 80-100 cm long onto a plumbing cable. We screw the cable to the head using an adapter with internal thread.

The chimney brush is ready.

Production video

Frequent mistakes and problems when making brushes

The main difficulty in making a brush is finding suitable material. The most difficult thing to make is the head of the device. At this stage, precision and considerable effort are required.

Most masters make the following mistakes:

1. Short cable length. As a result, the brush does not reach the end of the pipe. As a result, the most inaccessible area near the firebox remains clogged.
2. Poor tightening of the wire between the washers. This leads to the destruction of the homemade brush during the process of cleaning the chimney.
3. The pole or plugs are not strong enough. When loaded, these parts bend, preventing the brush from advancing. 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 internal surface of the chimney. Thus, a metal brush can hopelessly ruin ceramics.
5. The head width does not match the channel parameters. The head either does not fit into it or does not reach the walls.

Rules for cleaning a chimney with a brush

Since access to the pipe is only possible from the roof, it is necessary to pay attention Special attention security measures. The worker must use a safety line; it is advisable to set up a temporary barrier.

1. Before starting cleaning, tightly close the firebox and vent.
2. Check the tool for serviceability. Test all parts for strength.
3. After passing each meter of pipe, remove the crumbled soot from the firebox.
4. After completing the passage of the pipe, use a hard brush to replace it with a soft one for final polishing of its walls.

Professional chimney sweeps know the secrets of fast and qualitative elimination blockages of any complexity.

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