Switched to a rotary brush last month after 8 years of using the old hand rod method

I always thought hand rods gave me more control on tight flues, but a job in a 1920s house in Toledo kept jamming up so bad I almost lost a deposit. Tried a rotary kit from a buddy and it cleared a creosote plug in under 10 minutes that would've taken me an hour with the old setup. Has anyone else made the switch and found it worth the extra upfront cost?

2 comments

2 Comments

cameron_owens499d ago

Oh man, that Toledo house sounds like a nightmare and a half. Maybe it's just me but I still get a little defensive about my hand rod setup even though I know deep down rotarys are probably the future. Tried one once on a real gnarly job and ended up looking like a chimney sweep from a cartoon with soot all over my face and half the creosote somehow ending up in my hair. Definitely worth the upfront cost if you're doing older houses with that packed-in crap that laughs at a hand rod. Plus you can always keep the old rods as backup for tight spots where the rotary just won't fit.

ryang779d ago

Gotta disagree with you there man. That rotary head is just another thing to break and cost you money. I've been doing this 15 years and a good set of hand rods with the right technique will clean anything. That packed in crap you're talking about? You just need to take your time and work it, not just blast through with a power tool. Plus you can feel everything with your hands - when you hit a birds nest or a crack in the flue you know it. That rotary spins so fast you'll miss half the problems and just spin soot around. Keep your money in your pocket and learn to work the rods right.