Pro tip: Stop overloading your brush rods on a bendy flue

Last Tuesday I had to fish a broken brush head out of a tight S-bend because some other sweep jammed 8 rods on a 45 degree turn like it was nothing. The extra weight just snapped the connector and left me crawling in the dark for 20 minutes. Has anyone else had to deal with cleanup from someone else's shortcut on a tricky flue?

3 comments

3 Comments

baker.holly1mo ago

Yeah that overloaded brush rod thing got my mate Steve last month. He went to clear a tight flue and the whole rig just snapped on him, spent ages getting the bits out of the S-bend in the dark lol.

annajenkins1mo ago

Right I heard a similar story from a guy at the hardware store, said his neighbor tried to muscle through a clogged vent pipe and the rod snapped off clean, leaving the brush wedged in there so tight they had to cut the pipe open to get it out. It's crazy how much force people put on those cheap rods, they just aren't built for torque like that, especially in an S-bend like you mentioned @baker.holly. Must've been a nightmare trying to fish the bits out in the dark too. Honestly makes me wonder how many people just give up and have to call someone like a plumber to fix the mess.

kaigibson1mo ago

At least Steve didn't have to call anyone. I'd still be fishing in that pipe.