Tube scrubbing apparatus

An apparatus for inserting cleaning elements into pipes, comprising:

• an elongated cylinder defining an internal elongated chamber, said cylinder being open at its opposite longitudinal ends and having aligned inlet and outlet flow passages intersecting said chamber between the longitudinal ends thereof;
• an elongated rod disposed within said chamber for longitudinal sliding movement therein, said rod having a single transverse through opening adapted to be aligned with said inlet and outlet flow passages in a first position of said rod in said chamber, said rod being longer than said cylinder and having a first imperforate end portion which extends from said through opening through and beyond one longitudinal end of said chamber, said rod having a second imperforate end portion which extends from the opposite side of said through opening to the other longitudinal end of said chamber, said rod being movable between said first position and a second position in which said through opening is positioned outside of said chamber and said first end portion is aligned with said inlet and outlet passages so that cleaning element means can be inserted into said through opening while said first end portion prevents flow of fluid from said inlet and outlet flow passages into said chamber, said cylinder having at least two annular sealing means mounted therein and sealingly contacting the periphery of said rod, one of said sealing means being located on one longitudinal side of said cylinder from said flow passages for continuous sealing engagement with said first end portion and the other of said sealing means being located on the opposite longitudinal side of said cylinder from said flow passages for continuous sealing engagement with said rod.