Had my rotary brush snap clean in half on a job last Wednesday

I was about 60 feet up on a 3-story Victorian in the historic district downtown, everything going smooth, when my rotary brush just gave out. The damn thing snapped right where the rod meets the brush head, sent the whole top section tumbling down the flue. I've been using the same brand for maybe 8 years now, and this is the first time I've had one fail like that. Lucky it didn't get stuck or cause a blockage, but it scared me good. I ended up having to pull everything out, fish the broken pieces out from the cleanout, and finish the job with a hand brush. So here's the debate: do you guys stick with a brand through one bad failure, or do you switch it up after something like that? And has anyone else had a brush just break like that mid-sweep?

3 comments

3 Comments

jana_scott16d ago

That's a pattern I see everywhere now. Things aren't built for hard use anymore. My parents had a toaster from the 70s that still works. I've gone through three in ten years. It's like every company figured out we'd rather buy a new one than pay for something that actually lasts.

alice26916d ago

Wait, didn't I used to say they don't make 'em like they used to was just nostalgia? lol

rubys8015d ago

I've been using the same rotary brush brand for 11 years now and never had one snap on me. @jana_scott your toaster story is funny but that's a kitchen appliance, not chimney gear. A brush breaking mid-sweep could be a bad batch or maybe the guy was pushing it harder than it was rated for. I've put mine through some rough flues with heavy creosote and it's held up fine, so I'm not ready to dump the whole brand over one failure.