Bucket truck chatter changed my mind about rotor brushes

I was on a job in Denver last Tuesday and overheard two older sweeps talking about rotor brushes. One said he stopped using them entirely after a creosote fire in a customer's flue 8 years back. I always thought brushes were the safest option, but he showed me the scorch marks on his old brush head and explained how the wire can spark against buildup. Now I'm testing a poly head on my next two cleanings, and I'm curious if anyone else has ditched steel brushes for plastic after a close call.

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the_miles3d ago

You ever get that feeling where you've been doing something so long you just assume it's right, only to find out you're one spark away from a mess? I had a similar wake-up call with my own gear a while back, so I get the hesitation. Test that poly head on a cheap job first, though, because I've made the mistake of trying new stuff on a big money client and that's a whole other type of fire.