Hi - looking to save some cash so thought I'd buy a set of rods and a brush. Any recommendations/advice on sweeping the chimney? They seem to start at around £25 but don't want to buy something that's rubbish.
Thanks,
Trev
If there is carpet and furniture in the room you will need a suitable dust sheet to prevent the cloud of soot and dust from escaping from the fireplace. It is also advisable to cover carpet and furniture. If the chimney pot is loose there is a risk of knocking it off the chimney stack. They are heavy and can cause a lot of damage if they fall, so if you are not sure about the condition of the mortar around the pot it might be worth checking that your buildings insurance covers you for diy damage. After cleaning, a chimney sweep will check that the chimney has adequate draw by performing a smoke test. The only other things to be aware of are the possibility of the brush getting trapped with or without a broken rod.
Thanks GED - got the dust sheets ready and the pot is sound. Had the same sweep for years and he never did a smoke test, have to look into that. Any recommendations as to best set of brushes to get?
Cheers,
Trev
A basic set with a 16 inch/40cm brush and enough rods to reach the chimney pot, remember to turn the brush/rods in a clockwise direction.
Had one done many years ago. The bloke sealed off fireplace with a large board with something soft around the edge to make an air-tight seal, which worked. His industrial vacuum connected to the board and sucked up the soot, but it didn't filter it, and you could see clouds of soot coming out of the vacuum cleaner exhaust, which settled all over the house. If he had positioned the vacuum cleaner outside (the hose was plenty long enough), it would have probably worked very well. Soot is notoriously difficult to vacuum up because it is both very fine and very sticky, so it either passes straight through any filter, or instantly clogs it. If you use a domestic bagged cleaner, start with the bag full of fluff (e.g. from carpet vacuuming) as the fluff will actually filter some of the soot before either the bag cloggs or the soot is ejected. The soot will mess up the insides though, and might do nasty things if large quantities pass into the motor.
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