I finally gave up on my old brush for those big farmhouse chimneys

Last week I had a job out near Millerton, a huge old farmhouse with a massive, rough clay flue. I've always stuck with my standard poly brush, thinking it was fine if I just worked it longer. That day, after an hour of just one flue, my arms were dead and I'd barely made a dent. The owner came out, saw me struggling, and said, 'My last sweep used one of those heavy-duty steel whip heads, got it done in twenty minutes.' I was stubborn but tired, so I bought one the next day. Used it yesterday on a similar job and cleaned two flues in the time it took me to do half of one before. The difference in power on that old mortar is crazy. Anyone have a favorite brand for these, or are they all about the same?

3 comments

3 Comments

sean_dixon961mo ago

Seriously? A whole new tool just for some old chimneys... I mean, how many of those giant farmhouse jobs do you even get. My regular brush has handled everything for years, even the rough ones. Sounds like you just needed a better technique, not a whole other piece of gear to haul around.

robert_bennett2910d ago

Tell that to my back after a full day on a brick monster. The right tool cuts the work in half. You'll know when you need one.

adam_wood971mo ago

That's a pretty big change just for a few tough jobs. Seems like a lot of extra gear to carry for something you don't see every day. My regular brush gets the job done if you put some muscle into it and work the angles right. Maybe the old owner was just exaggerating about the time it took.