Tried that new magnetic sweep head, flag fell off 40 feet up

Picked up one of those magnetic collection heads last week, figured it'd save me from chasing loose screws in the firebox. Got it on a rental job over in Clackamas, and about 40 feet up the rod the magnet let go with a whole bag of creosote chunks riding on it. The flag that tells you it's seated snapped clean off, so I had no warning it was slipping. Lesson learned, I'm back to the old screw-on brush head and checking the collar before every drop. Anyone else have a magnetic head fail on a tall flue or was it just my bad luck?

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terryw676d ago

Honestly, that flag snapping off is the worst kind of sneak attack. I had the same thing happen with a magnetic head on a chimney about 30 feet up, except my flag didn't break, it just lied to me. The whole thing let go right as I was pulling it out, and I watched a chunk of soot the size of my fist bounce off the roof and land in a client's bird bath. Tbh, I felt like a total clown standing there with an empty pole and a wet bird staring at me like I owed it an apology. At least you got a free lesson out of it, but I swear those magnets are only good for holding notes on the fridge, not creosote at height. Ngl, I'm with you, old screw-on head and a visual check every single drop is the only way I trust it now.