My chimney is a masonry chimney with 7" square flue tiles--inside measurements. The local Lowes only has 8" square chimney brushes. Would an 8" brush be too hard to use? Or should I try to find a 7" brush?
It'll flex enough to get it back! Your only looking at 1/2" each side. Mine is a terra-cotta liner and is not much bigger than 7" and thats what I use, It works and cleans well also! This may sound silly and time comsuming but if you want, get the 8", sit down with a few frosty s and "snip" 1/2" off of each bristle, all sides with a pair of electricians beak cutters and make it fit.
If you do buy that 8", you can try it within the first couple feet of the chimney, no? If it does get stuck bad, you can reach it and be able to slide a short length of braided cable (in a "U" fashion) around a few of the bristles and reverse their direction. A few at a time and then it'll be free. eye protection a must Insert it into the flue for a foot or so and then try to reverse the direction of it.....do not shove it in all the way to the bottom of the chimney and try reversing it until you know that you can reverse it! You just may find out it is indeed part of the chimney now and stuck but good!!!! Let us know what you did, OK?
I've got a piece of the same 7" flue tile left over. I might just take that sucker into Lowes and see if I can get the brush down and up.
So when I shoved an 8" brush up my 7" clay liner, thinking "how stuck could it get" it got stuck ,when I tried to reverse direction...a week later when the chimney sweep could get to me...it took him and his helper and me all pulling on the rod at the same time, but it did come out.
