Flue brushes

[maplehound]

what does everyone use to brush your flues during the season. When I bought my evapoator I was given a flue brush that seams to be to big to fit between the flues. Today while trying to brush them for the first time this year, the brush came off inside the flue and back about 2 feet from the front of the pan. We were able to finally get it out with the help of a small boy who layed in the arch ( syrup pans off) and reached up and go a vise grips locked on it. Then his dad was able to reach the vise grips and pull it and several bricks out.
I have decided to never use that flue brush again!!!!!!!! Any suggestions as to what to use? When the pan is off the evaporator I use a tolit bowl brush, but we only take it off the arch after the season is over.
Ron

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

Ron,

I have a drop flue and brush the flues before every boil. If you can't find the right size, might check with maple guys or bascom as I know bascoms carries a wide assortment. :)

[maplehound]

I have looked at other brushs from diffrent dealers and they all seemed so thick. can I give them a hair cut :lol: Maybe then they would fit. How do you fasten yours to your pole? That might help me if it was better connected but it still wouldn't fit as it is.
Ron

[brookledge]

My brush is set up with a 1/2" pipe coupling on it so all I did was to get a long piece of 1/2" pipe and thread it in. Drop flues are definately easier to brush than raised flues. You want a real tight fit so that it will scrub off the soot.
Keith

[maplehound]

Kieth,
What make brush is that? I do have raised flues and I know this one id very hard to brush. My brush has two ends and is bent up ward and then the two ends come back parellel with each other. I fastend it to broom handel with a pipe clamp. It doesn't work to good though.
Ron

[brookledge]

The brush that I have is what came with my evaporator It is a 90 degree offset for raised flues.
Keith

[maplehound]

My brush has a 90deg bend in it as well. Another fellow E-mailed me directly and gave me some ideas. He said that Dellair evaporatores have more flues than others and that makes them tighter. So he flatens his brush by dropping weights on it, and fastens it to a pipe by crimping it shut on the ends of the brush. He also rounds the brushout so it won't flex so easy. I think I will try that.
Ron

[Russell Lampron]

I used a piece of 1/2" electrical conduit and flattened it to the brush to hold it on. Mine also is 90 degree shaped to get up into the raised flues.

Russ

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

When I bought my evaporator 3 years ago, it came with a handle for the flue brush. When I say handle, it is 10' long and it is a piece of 3/8" black steel pipe 10' long with a hook bent on one end and the other end is threaded for the flue brush. Works great and when a flue brush breaks, just unscrew it and put another one on. I got 2 full years out of the first flue brush. I can't imagine why an evaporator company would sell a new evaporator without something like that but I have seen it. :?

[maple flats]

My drop flue brush is a flat triangle shape with 3/8" pipe thread end. I got an 8' long 3/8" pipe for a handle and I put an ell on the opposite end, then a 6" nipple, another ell and a 3" nipple. This then hangs from the cieling joists and gives a good hold to pull the brush back out. I clean the flues before every firing once in each flue channel. Make sure you push it the full way in until it breaks free and then pull it back out. It is tight and very difficult to reverse direction in the flues but not hard if you fully insert until past the flues and then pull back. If cleaned every day it cleand up nice and you can tell by the boil. Never try to clean it hot because the brush (at least mine is) is plastic bristles. I am on the 3rd season on this evap and the brush still looks and fits tight and cleans well.

[Daveg]

I learned today that there are "soot side" and "sap side" brushes. So far so good: been keeping that blackened one UNDER the pans! Gotta get one for these 'ole Leader drop flues' sap side soon...