Five years ago I installed a wood-burning furnace in my basement. The furnace works well and keeps my home at 75° when it’s 10° outside. The only problem is that I have to clean the flue at least four times a year. That’s a tough job, especially when there are 6 in. of snow covering the roof. What’s more, I fell off my roof a couple of years ago, shattering both my heels. So I’d just as soon stay off the roof. The drawing shows the system I devised to clean the flue from the basement.
At the top of the flue, I mounted an assembly made of aluminum strapping, angles and tubing. A pulley hangs from the assembly, centered in the flue. I threaded a loop of sash chain onto the pulley and affixed an 8-in. flue brush to the chain. As shown in the drawing, the chain hangs below the clean-out door in the basement.
Now when I need to clean the flue, I simply open the clean-out door and pull the brush up and down a few times. When I’m done with the brush, I pull it down so that it’s below the point at which the furnace flue enters the chimney.
Roger J. Schiermeier, Florissant, MO
