A retired sweep in Boise made me rethink my brush game

I ran into an old timer at a supply shop last Tuesday, guy must have been 70 plus. He told me he never uses a rotary brush on first pass, just a hand brush with stiff poly bristles, because it tells him more about the flue condition before any power tool messes things up. That stuck with me because I've leaned on my rotary for years, especially on heavy creosote jobs in older homes out here. Gave his method a try on a tricky 1910 brick stack and the feedback was night and day. Anyone else go old school first before breaking out the power equipment?

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jordan6533d ago

Old timer at a supply shop dropping free game while we're all out here acting like a spinning wire wheel is the only way. Sounds about right, the gray hairs always know something we don't. Hand brushing first makes sense though, you actually feel where the gunk is hiding instead of just blasting through and hoping for the best. Rotary is great for speed but it's like using a sledgehammer to hang a picture, sometimes you just need to tap a nail first. Bet that 1910 stack had some surprises the rotary would've chewed right past.

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