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Heard a guy at a supply house say rotating brushes 90 degrees saves wear. I've always just run mine flat, anyone notice a real difference either way?
I was picking up a new rotary brush head at Midtown Supply last Thursday, and this old timer swore flipping them cuts replacement costs by half. On the flip side, my crew boss says it messes with the bristle angle so bad you'll miss creosote buildup on the second pass. Who's got hard proof on this?
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ninaross1mo ago
Old timer swore flipping them cuts replacement costs by half" - that sounds about right from what I've seen. I tried flipping my brush head 90 degrees on a job last year after hearing similar advice, and honestly I noticed the bristles started looking ragged way faster than usual. The wear was uneven and I ended up having to replace it sooner than my normal flat ones. My guess is the angle messes with how the bristles contact the pipe wall, making them bend weird and crack. Hard pass for me now, I'd rather just run them flat and replace on the regular schedule.
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reed.eva1mo ago
@ninaross that makes a lot of sense about the uneven wear. Speaking of worn out brushes, I got a call last month from a guy who said his rotary brush was leaving scratches on his copper. Turns out he'd been running it flat for years and never flipped it, so the bristles on one side were basically sandpaper while the other side was still soft. My point is no matter which way you face them, check both sides before you fire it up.
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