Boiler tube cleaning brush sizing? | Hearth.com Forums Home

EMDDIESEL

New Member

May 4,

5

New Hampshire

• Dec 24,

• #1

I am looking to get some new tube cleaning brushes for my Greenwood Aspen 175 Boiler. Normally i would simply contact Pro Fab and ask them this question but alas they no longer exist. The brush i have no is so badly worn i cannot accurately asses what the diameter was originally.
That being said, my flue tubes are 1-3/4 ID. What diameter cleaning brushes should i be buying? Obviously for the brush to be effective it needs to be larger than the tube interior diameter. But how much larger? All the online retailers i have found that sell tube cleaning brushes seem to be staffed with people who cannot answer this question. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks!

dogwood

Minister of Fire

Mar 22,

825

Western VA

• Dec 24,

• #3

EMDiesel, are you scouring the tubes with the brush by hand, or are you using the brush on a rod powered by a drill?

Mike

EMDDIESEL

New Member

May 4,

5

New Hampshire

• Dec 24,

• #4

I was unable to find any manufacturer or dealer offering a brush in that size. Do you know of a source for a brush in that size?

EMDDIESEL

New Member

May 4,

5

New Hampshire

• Dec 24,

• #5

EMDiesel, are you scouring the tubes with the brush by hand, or are you using the brush on a rod powered by a drill?

Mike

Presently by hand, but would love the ability to do both. The first set of tubes clean easily with a brush as their is little to no creosote. The second pass however has very heavy creosote that quickly builds up. I often run a 1-1/2 Selfeed bit with an extension down each of those tubes and while the bit will not clean close to the bare metal of the tubes, it's removes more then enough to allow a brush to get worked through. But the only brush i have is getting very deformed and that is why i need a replacement and welcome any other suggestions.

Bad LP

Minister of Fire

Nov 28,

2,001

Northern Maine

• Dec 24,

• #6

I've seen many brushes in all sorts of sizes at MSC Industrial Supply.

EMDDIESEL

New Member

May 4,

5

New Hampshire

• Dec 24,

• #7

I've seen many brushes in all sorts of sizes at MSC Industrial Supply.

Yes, i have been to that site, Granger and half a dozen other sites that carry boiler brushes as well as two manufacturers. I have yet to see any brush in a size 1-63/64. I even called a supply house and he said no part number exists from any brush manufacturer he carries in that size.

maple1

Minister of Fire

Sep 15,

11,083

Nova Scotia

• Dec 24,

• #8

Methinks the 63/64 comment was a bit of friendly chain yanking....

Fred61

Minister of Fire

Nov 26,

2,445

Southeastern Vt.

• Dec 24,

• #9

If I purchase a brush that is a little oversized I just grind it down with my bench grinder. I have a wide small grit wheel on my sharpening grinder that makes short work of the task.

dogwood

Minister of Fire

Mar 22,

825

Western VA

• Dec 24,

• #10

There are two inch inside diameter heat exchange tubes on my boiler. I clean them with a two inch diameter boiler brush. The brush screws onto a 42" fiberglass shaft, turned by a drill. The brush easily moves around inside the tubes at high rpm's and quickly scours them clean.

The hand held steel brush that came with our Tarm boiler measures three inches in width. It is basically flat with steel bristles sticking out if it's shaft on either side. It was effective in cleaning the two inch tubes, but a pain to turn inside the tubes by hand.

I thought about getting a wider 2-1/4 inch boiler brush to use with the drill. But the two inch works fine, without need for the extra aggressiveness a wider diameter would bring. It's easier to turn in the tube and I didn't want to chew up the tubes either.

The two inch circular steel boiler brush fits into a standard 1/2" fitting on rods I had previously purchased from a local fireplace and wood stove shop. I also use the same fiberglass rods with six and eight inch brushes to clean out the boiler and fireplace chimneys.

Mike Last edited: Dec 25,

salecker

Minister of Fire

Aug 22,

2,437

Northern Canada

• Dec 25,

• #11

Hi Mike
Any chance you could take a pic of the brush you use and post it ?
Thanks

jebatty

Minister of Fire

Jan 1,

5,796

Northern MN

dogwood

Minister of Fire

Mar 22,

825

Western VA

• Dec 25,

• #14

Salecker, here's a picture of one I copied off Ebay under the "boiler brush" heading. The brand is Mill-Rose. They also make them without spaces between the spiral rows of bristles, see http://www.millrose.com/twisted-wire-brushes_flue-boiler-tube-brushes.php
Last edited: Dec 25,

Bad LP

Minister of Fire

Nov 28,

2,001

Northern Maine

• Dec 25,

• #15

Methinks the 63/64 comment was a bit of friendly chain yanking....

I was going to write 1.984.

Bob Rohr

Minister of Fire

Jan 9,

1,265

SW Missouri

• Dec 25,

• #16

If the tube ID is 1-3/4, I think that is the size brush you need. If you oversize you end up bending or crushing the staples that they use to build them.

I think getting the large deposits first as suggested then the brush to polish it out. I find increased rotation speed is better than oversizing the brush.

Mike Fromme

Burning Hunk

Apr 18,

221

Maine

• Dec 25,

• #17

Methinks the 63/64 comment was a bit of friendly chain yanking....

You got me..it's really closer to 1-31/32"

https://www.blackwoods.com.au/part//brush-boiler-tube-sit-50mm-x-12-bsw

Mike Fromme

Burning Hunk

Apr 18,

221

Maine

• Dec 25,

• #18

Here's what I use... Don't really know what size the boiler tubes in my boiler are though. Just jam it in and spin it as fast as my cordless will go. Takes about 30 seconds per tube once a year.

http://t.harborfreight.com/7-piece-grinder-brush-kit-.html

dogwood

Minister of Fire

Mar 22,

825

Western VA

• Dec 25,

• #19

Mike Fromme said:

Takes about 30 seconds per tube once a year.

Don't know how you get away with cleaning those tubes only once a year Mike. The Tarm Solo Innova manual says they need to be cleaned when flue temps creep over 500F, or twice a month, whichever comes first I suppose. If I go over two weeks when burning twice daily in the winter, the flue temps start getting over 500F in right about that time frame, and then keep creeping up. After cleaning the tubes the flue temps drop right down to where they belong in the lower 400's. I'm curious what kind of flue temps you're seeing.

I'd love to not have to clean those tubes and turbulators so often. It's always extra time and mess when added to weekly ritual of cleaning the firebox and gasification chambers.

Don't mean to be side-tracking your thread EMDDIESEL. Hope you all had a good Christmas.

Mike Last edited: Dec 26,

velvetfoot

Minister of Fire

Dec 5,

10,202

Sand Lake, NY

• Dec 26,

• #20

What happens if something, like the brush, breaks off in the tube? Can you push it out?

Mike Fromme

Burning Hunk

Apr 18,

221

Maine

• Dec 26,

• #21

On mine at least there is an ash clean out door below the tubes. So if the brush were to break off one could just push it down and out.


Truth be told I haven't cleaned the tubes in over a year. I use a magnetic flue pipe thermomenter. Runs at ~260 when I clean the tubes. Right now it's at ~300 mid burn. I'll clean them when I start seeing 350.

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