Vacuum for Chimney Sweeping

Andrew · 2015-01-03T13:50:24+00:00

I am considering purchasing equipment to sweep my (lined) chimney. In the past professional sweeps have failed to impress - eg. they have struggled remove the firebricks/baffle plate from my clearview stove - and then failed to correctly reassemble them afterwards. Obtaining brushes and rods seems straightforward, but a vacuum to ensure the mess is contained seems to be more difficult. Websites selling such equipment say that a HEPA filter is necessary as "soot is now a carcinogen" - but without quantifying the risk. Such vacuums start at £350 new, but less secondhand. Another thought is to use a non HEPA vacuum outside with a long hose through a window, but there are reports of soot clogging up non specialist equipment. Concerns about the dangers from very occasional exposure to soot may be exagerated - after all one could say the same about petrol fumes, yet we all fill our cars up. Any thoughts from anyone who does DIY chimney sweeping? My main motivation is to ensure a good job is done regularly rather than saving costs, but I am also mindfull that I will soon have a second stove in use which helps to justify capital expenditure. Andrew

Jan 03, 2015 23 Replies

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Andy Dingley 11 years ago

Nilfisks are expensive, but always recognised to be long lasting when vacuuming filthy dust. They don't use the vacuum airflow for cooling, they blow clean air through the motor from outside.

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Andy Dingley 11 years ago

I have a shedload of vacuums and I once made a sweep's blanket to keep dust under control. When it comes to sweeping my own chimneys though, I don't actually bother. Sweeping them (my three at least) just doesn't make that m uch dirt. I don't vacuum when I'm sweeping. I let it fall where it does, sh ovel it into a bucket as it falls and then use a normal workshop vacuum to clean up afterwards.

I'd suggest any workshop vacuum. The Aldi chimney vacuums are good, althoug h with only small buckets. I have a couple of these in the workshop for rou ter table dust cyclones. Earlex do a decent cheap workshop R2D2 vacuum too. Henry has too small a one-use bag to use for filthy stuff, his big hard-n ut brother Ron (an NVQ250?) is better.

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spuorgelgoog 11 years ago

I think my cheapy-from-screwfix karcher does too. Model WD 2.200

It disassembles with just a few screws so I brush out the motor annually anyway.

Owain

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damduck-egg 11 years ago

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