Brushes
Brushes Tips
How to choose the right chimney brush
Fiberglass Chimney Brush Extension Rods Tips
RUTLAND Flexible Poly Pellet Stove Extension Rods are designed for the DIY homeowner and use 1/4″-20 threading to connect to RUTLAND Chimney Sweep® Pellet Stove Vent Brushes.
These extremely flexible, poly rods are designed to fit RUTLAND Pellet Stove Vent Brushes with 1/4″-20 fittings and easily maneuver 30º and 40° offsets and 90° bends.
Rods screw together to extend a brush into and through pellet stove or dryer venting.
For tips about how to assemble, directions, and methods of cleaning, click the accompanying images.
Assembly
For best use you will need:
1/4″-NPT Male Threads and 1/4″-NPT Female Rod End
Rutland Chimney Sweep® cleaning brushes have 1/4″ pipe threads that directly attach to rods. Rutland Professional brushes, rods, and tools use Torque Lock Connector (TLC) technology.
Directions
- Make sure that fire is completely extinguished and the chimney is cold along its length before you begin.
- Wear appropriate eye protection, gloves, and an approved dust mask.
- Cover fireplace or stove opening and all items in work area.
- The most effective methods for cleaning are the Top-Down or Bottom-Up methods, using RUTLAND Extension Rods.
- Always work brush up and down several times as needed.
- Soot and corrosive debris from cleaning may cause damage.
- Be aware of electrical and fire hazards.
- Safety precautions should be used while working on roof.
- Use caution when handling brushes.
- Wire can injure eyes and puncture skin.
Method of Cleaning
Top Down Method:
Attach the brush securely to a rod and lower into the top of the chimney. Add more rods as necessary to reach the flue bottom.After attaching the brush to the rods, place in the flue, adding rods as you go. Use up and down motion. When chimney is clean, brush will slip easily through the chimney flue.
Bottom Up Method:
Insert brush and rod up through the fireplace damper or chimney clean-out door. Add more rods as necessary to reach the top of the chimney. Use up and down motion. When chimney is clean brush will slip easily through the chimney flue.
This method is often messy since sealing the opening cannot be done during cleaning. Cover area around opening to prevent staining floor, rugs, or furniture.
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Flexible Poly Pellet Stove Brush Extension Rods Tips
RUTLAND Fiberglass Chimney Brush Extension Rods are designed for the DIY homeowner and use 1/4″ NPT threading to connect to RUTLAND Chimney Sweep® Cleaning Brushes.
Attach them to a RUTLAND Chimney Sweep® Cleaning Brush to clean a chimney from the top down or through its open fireplace.
The fiberglass is flexible enough to handle slight offsets, but not enough to bend around sharp corners. Cleaning in an up-and-down motion with these rods will provide the power necessary for the best result.
Available as an 18′ Kit of six 36″ rods. Rods screw together to extend a brush into and through a chimney for thorough cleaning.
For tips about how to assemble, the adapters needed, directions, and methods of cleaning, click the accompanying images.
Assembly
For best use you will need:
1/4″- 20 Male Threads and 1/4″-20 Female Rod End
This flexible, 0.25″ diameter poly rod fits RUTLAND Pellet Stove Vent Brushes and easily maneuvers through 30° and 40° offsets, and 90° bends.
Directions
- Make sure that fire is completely extinguished and the chimney is cold along its length before you begin.
- Wear appropriate eye protection, gloves, and an approved dust mask.
- Cover fireplace or stove opening and all items in work area.
- The most effective methods for cleaning are the Top-Down or Bottom-Up methods, using RUTLAND Extension Rods.
- Always work brush up and down several times as needed.
- Soot and corrosive debris from cleaning may cause damage.
- Be aware of electrical and fire hazards.
- Safety precautions should be used while working on roof.
- Use caution when handling brushes.
- Wire can injure eyes and puncture skin.
- An annual inspection and cleaning by a certified chimney technician is highly recommended.
Bottom Up Method:
This method is often messy since sealing the opening cannot be done during cleaning.
Cover area around opening to prevent staining floor, rugs, or furniture. Clean brush after use.
These rods are very flexible and, when used with a pellet stove vent brush, are designed to go around 90° bends. Clean pellet stove pipe vent from inside the stove, or disconnect piping from back of stove and clean from there.
Insert brush and rod up through the pellet stove vent pipe. Add more rods as necessary to reach the top of the vent. Use up and down motion to clean the vent pipe.
How to clean your chimney brush
Rutland brushes are made of oil-tempered wire, and thus will repel most debris from sticking to the brush tines.
Additionally, the constant up-and-down motion during cleaning a chimney or stove pipe will cause most of the particles to fall off the brush.
Follow these additional tips to keep your chimney brushes clean for years to come!
- Shake off as much debris and particles as possible from the brush.
- Wipe the brush tines with a dry rag to remove any remaining debris or particles.
- If there is any residual dirt or grime, get a can of spray-on brake cleaning fluid from your local auto parts store. This will clean off any remaining residue and will evaporate quickly, which is key to preventing rust. Spray the brush and let sit for an hour or so.
- Once the brush is completely dry, spray with WD-40 or a similar product before storing to prevent rust.
- Store in box or hang in a cool, dry area.
- Your Rutland chimney brush is now ready for its next use!
Creosote Removers
Creosote Remover Tips
Difference Between Creosote and Soot
Rutland brushes are made of oil-tempered wire, and thus will repel most debris from sticking to the brush tines.
Additionally, the constant up-and-down motion during cleaning a chimney or stove pipe will cause most of the particles to fall off the brush.
Follow these additional tips to keep your chimney brushes clean for years to come!
- Shake off as much debris and particles as possible from the brush.
- Wipe the brush tines with a dry rag to remove any remaining debris or particles.
- If there is any residual dirt or grime, get a can of spray-on brake cleaning fluid from your local auto parts store. This will clean off any remaining residue and will evaporate quickly, which is key to preventing rust. Spray the brush and let sit for an hour or so.
- Once the brush is completely dry, spray with WD-40 or a similar product before storing to prevent rust.
- Store in box or hang in a cool, dry area.
- Your Rutland chimney brush is now ready for its next use!
Creosote
Creosote is a tarry residue that condenses from wood or coal particles, hydrocarbons, gases and other airborne debris. These substances stick to the surface as they cool, forming layers of flammable deposits. Creosote may be dry and crackling to the touch, thick and flaky layers or shiny and hardened black gooey substances. Creosote forms as gases cool, so deposits occur when chimney temperatures are cool and when air is not hot enough to carry the particles out of the chimney. Restricted air supply also allows the sticky particles to settle.
Soot
Soot is a powdery residue of unburned carbon particles. The soot, usually brown or black, is like a dust or smudgy smoke that settles on surfaces. At first, soot can be easily brushed or wiped off. But it gradually accumulates in layers in chimneys, fireplaces and stovepipes. Soot deposits may accumulate over time and reduce airflow up to 30 percent so that the flue does not vent properly. This may cause smoke to back up in a home and cause health problems.
Maintenance
Regular chimney or stovepipe maintenance is the most reliable way to remove creosote and soot. The deposits are scrubbed off with chimney scrubbers or stovepipe brushes. Stovepipes may be disassembled for cleaning, but brick chimneys are fixed and typically cleaned by scrubbing downward with a chimney brush from the roof and upward from the firebox with a wire brush. Homeowners are sometimes tempted to build a hot fire to burn out the creosote deposits. This is not wise because the creosote may burn as an extremely hot fire in the chimney and damage the chimney and house structure.
Important Tips
Annual chimney inspection by a qualified chimney sweep service is recommended to prevent dangerous chimney fires. Between inspections, homeowners can help prevent dangerous buildup of soot and creosote with the use of RUTLAND Soot and Creosote Removers.
To determine how often you should use RUTLAND Soot and Creosote Removers, it’s important to keep in mind the type of wood you burn, how often you use your wood-burning appliance, and how hot the type of wood you use burns.
Recommended Frequency of SOOT/CREOSOTE REMOVER Use Based on Wood Type Burned
Softwoods
Aspen
Balsam Fir
Cedar
Pine
Poplar
Basswood
Box Elder
Cottonwood
Hemlock
Willow
Burn at lower temperatures
Tend to be more porous woods with oils and resins that coat fireplace or stove in soot/creosote
RUTLAND® Tip
Use RUTLAND® Soot Remover or Creosote Remover 6–7 times per week!
Soft Hardwoods
Birch
Cherry
Douglas Fir
Elm
Red Maple
Hackberry
Spruce
Sycamore
Walnut
Yew
May contain some oils and resins that create some soot/creosote
RUTLAND® Tip
Use RUTLAND® Soot Remover or Creosote Remover 2–3 times per week!
Hardwoods
Ash
Beech
Hickory
Oak
Sugar Maple
Apple
Dogwood
Hawthorn
Mulberry
Osage Orange
Burn at higher temperatures
Dry, dense woods that burn cleanly and create very little soot/creosote
RUTLAND® Tip
Use RUTLAND® Soot Remover or Creosote Remover 1 time each week!
Estimates based on assumption that wood is burned daily during burn season. Actual BTUs may vary depending on region and specific type of wood. The potential exists for creosote buildup regardless of the wood type used if the wood is burning below 200ºF (93ºC).