I finally tried the 'reverse brush' technique on a tough flue and it backfired hard

I was up on a roof in the older part of town near the old mill district, doing a seasonal clean on a 3-story Victorian. The flue had this nasty buildup, maybe 4 inches thick in spots, and I remembered an old forum post swearing by reversing your brush direction to knock off creosote faster. So I gave it a shot, pushing the rods up instead of pulling down, and about 10 feet in I heard this crack and felt the whole rod lock up. Turns out I dislodged a chunk of liner that had been patched with some thin mortar, and it fell down and blocked the damper plate. Had to strip the rods, go back down, and spend 45 minutes fishing out pieces of tile and soot with a shop vac extension. My arms were wrecked for two days after. Has anyone else tried that reverse method and had it go sideways on them?

3 comments

3 Comments

emma9610d ago

Ha, yeah I tried that reverse thing once and it felt like asking for trouble the whole time. My rod locked up so bad I had to cut a section out with a hacksaw.

davis.olivia10d ago

Sympathy from me too @emma96. That hacksaw cut is a brutal lesson.

angela_morgan10d ago

Brutal lesson" is right. That lockup is a nightmare.