3 weeks ago a customer in Bend asked me why I tap the pipe before brushing, and I finally figured out why I do it
I've been tapping the flue with my brush handle before every sweep for 12 years and only just admitted to myself it's not to loosen creosote, it's to hear if the liner is cracked, because a dead thud means clay tile and a ring means steel, and that one habit has saved me from putting a camera down maybe 20 times, so what little weird habit do you have that you can't really explain?