Entire brush got stuck in a flue 3 stories up last Thursday

I was doing a routine sweep on a Victorian house near downtown, and my whole rod system somehow twisted and the brush head wedged tight about 15 feet down. Had to climb back up on the roof and fish it out with a magnet on a string while the homeowner watched from her kitchen window laughing. Anyone else ever had a brush get completely lodged like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

murphy.aaron1mo ago

Hang on, is it really that big of a deal though? I mean, yeah, it's a pain having to fish it out, but it didn't break your rods or anything, right? Sounds like you got it back with a magnet, which is kind of clever actually. A stuck brush is annoying but it's not like the flue is ruined or you damaged the chimney liner. Seems more like a funny story than a real problem, honestly.

lilyp371mo ago

And that's exactly how most small problems turn into three hour jobs.

hugoj121mo ago

Murphy.aaron, it's not always that simple. In my experience, a wedged brush can sometimes torque the rods just enough to put a hairline crack in a clay liner, especially in older flues like that Victorian house. And @lilyp37 is exactly right, that three hour job started with a stuck brush and ended with a full day of repairs. The magnet trick works most of the time, but if the brush is really jammed against a mortar joint or a loose tile, you can end up with a bigger mess trying to get it out. Your mileage may vary, but I've seen too many "just a funny story" calls turn into six hundred dollar liner patches to take it lightly.