terry1•4d ago

Talked to an old sweep about brush bristle wear and it made me check my own gear...

I was at a supplier in Des Moines last week just picking up some rods and this guy in his 60s who's been sweeping since the 80s starts chatting with me. He noticed I was grabbing a new poly brush and asked to see my old one. He pointed out the bristles were worn uneven on one side and said that's why I've been fighting with stubborn creosote deposits lately. I never really looked that close before, I just figured brushes wear out eventually. He showed me his brush and the bristles were all uniform length still after way more jobs than mine. He said he rotates his brushes every 30-40 cleanings and marks them with a paint dot to keep track. I checked my brush when I got home and sure enough it's shot on the left side. Has anyone else noticed uneven bristle wear causing poor cleaning on one side of the flue?

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nora1844d ago

Good for you for actually listening to that old timer. That paint dot trick is simple but GENIUS and I can't believe I never thought of it myself after 15 years of this work. Uneven wear is a HUGE deal and most guys just toss the brush without ever noticing the pattern, but that pattern tells you exactly what your sweep technique is doing wrong. If you're wearing out one side faster you are probably favoring that side with your pressure or not rotating the brush head during the stroke. I know I used to just push and pull in a straight line like a piston and my brushes were toast on one side in no time flat. Now I give the rods a slight twist every few passes and my last brush lasted almost twice as long before I had to swap it.