That oversized brush I bought for big chimneys got stuck halfway and took 45 minutes to pull back out.

Learning the hard way that diameter charts matter more than eyeballing it on a job in Des Moines last month - has anyone else had a brush jam like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

morgan.cameron7d ago

And that's the thing about chimney work - nobody talks about the panic when you realize you've got a brush wedged tight and the stove is full of soot you can't even see. I've always wondered if there's some kind of trick to getting a stuck brush loose besides just pulling harder and hoping the handle doesn't snap. Seems like the bigger issue is that once it jams, you're basically committed to a wrestling match with the flue. Maybe there's a method to twisting it or something, but I've never heard a good answer for that.

simonreed6d ago

Start by twisting the brush as you pull, but you gotta do it slow and steady, not yanking like you're starting a lawnmower. @morgan.cameron I saw a guy once who sprayed a little dish soap down the rod before he hit the tough spot, let it sit for a minute, then gave it a quarter turn and it slid right past the creosote bump. The real nightmare is when you're using one of those poly rods instead of a steel cable, because they'll just bend and you lose all your leverage, then you're stuck there with a floppy mess and a brush that's not moving either way. If you feel it start to grab, stop and back it up a few inches before you commit to the jam, because once it's fully wedged you're basically having a tug of war with your own chimney and the brush always wins.