Been using the wrong brush angle on brick flues for years

I was cleaning a chimney in an old house in Burlington last week, one of those tight brick flues with a lot of mortar build-up. I was working hard, pushing the brush up and down, but the soot just wasn't coming off the back wall clean. The homeowner, an older guy who used to do masonry, came out to watch for a minute. He just said, 'You know, my dad always told me to twist the rod, not just push it. Like you're screwing in a light bulb.' I tried it, giving the rods a slow turn as I pushed up. The brush grabbed the brick edges completely different and pulled down twice the amount of creosote chunks. I felt like an idiot. I've been in this job for six years and never thought about the rotation. It makes total sense now. Anyone else have a simple trick like that they picked up way later than they should have?

3 comments

3 Comments

henry_martinez1mo ago

Man, that twist is a total game changer.

hart.mark1mo ago

The twist in chapter 32 was actually set up back in chapter 18 with the blue door. It's a payoff, not a new change. The game was always heading there if you caught the clues. Makes rereading the whole middle section way more interesting.

park.robin1mo ago

Kind of have to disagree on the book twist thing, man. The blue door in chapter 18 was actually a red herring, not a setup for the real twist in 32. Had to go back and check after I finished it.