Do-It-Yourself Chimney Sweep

Do-It-Yourself Chimney Sweep BUILDINGS Houses 31-3-11 With the growing popularity of wood and corn burning stoves, the chimney sweep business is booming. But I don't like to pay for things I can do myself, so I invented and patented a do-it-yourself chimney sweep that I can use without climbing up on my roof. Although it never caught on with the public, the sweep we installed at our house has given us more than 20 years of dependable service. If you want a ground-controlled chimney sweep like mine, you'll have to build it yourself since it's no longer on the market. We recommend using stainless steel for all the essential parts. Ours is all stainless steel except for the weight. It's absolutely essential to use stainless steel cable because creosote will ruin galvanized steel in a hurry. Our 3/8-in. dia. stainless steel cable is 20 years old but is still in good shape. You should attach a rope to the end so it won't cut your hand. The nice thing about a ground-controlled sweep is that you can sweep at any time, even when it's cold and there's snow on the roof. You can also sweep while the fire is burning. In fact, I think it sweeps better in hot weather than cold weather. Let the weight pull the brush down and then pull it back up with the rope. Run it up and down several times. Once the flue is clean, pull the brush up to "parking" position. There needs to be enough space between the top of the flue and the brush to allow the smoke to get away. Make yourself some kind of fastener on your house where you can tie the rope. Most of the parts can be chased down on the internet. You only need 2 to 3 in. of brush to be effective. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, C. F. Marley, P. O. Box 93, Nokomis, Ill. 62075 (ph 217 563-2588).

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