c/chimney-sweeps

The brick on a 1890s rowhouse went from black to near perfect in 3 months

I cleaned a chimney on a house built in 1892 last fall, and the owner sent me a photo from the same angle this spring. The soot staining on the brick had basically vanished... but I didn't do anything special, just a standard brush and rod job. Turns out the previous tenants had a wood stove that was burning super dirty for like 8 years straight. The new owners switched to a modern EPA certified insert and the difference is wild. Has anyone else seen old stains fade that fast just from better burn habits?

Was sure those cheap creosote logs were a gimmick until I saw the difference

I've been sweeping for 8 years now and always told customers to stick with mechanical cleaning only. But last month I had a job in Springfield where the homeowner had used three of those $10 logs over the winter. When I ran my rotary brush up there, the glaze was way less than I expected for a wood stove that gets used daily. Has anyone else seen real results from these things or was it just a fluke?

That old mason told me to switch to stainless steel flex liners for offset flues and I should've listened sooner

After fighting with a difficult offset job for three hours last Saturday, I finally caved and tried his advice on the next house and it cut the install time in half, so has anyone else found the flex liners worth the extra cost over rigid?

Hit 2,000 cleanings last Tuesday and didnt even realize it till I checked my logbook

I was going through my old records from when I started sweeping back in 2012 in Portland. Added up all the jobs I've done. 2,048 total. Kinda blew my mind honestly. I remember my first one was a tiny wood stove insert and I was so nervous I left my brush on the roof. Had to go back and get it lol. The number just snuck up on me cause I never really kept count. Any of you guys ever look back at your totals and get surprised?

Compared rotary brushes vs chain flails on a heavy creosote job last week

Swapped my rotary brush for a chain flail on a 4-inch buildup and the difference in speed was night and day. Has anyone else found flails work better on that hard glaze stuff?

Tried a rotary brush kit vs my old manual rods on a tough flue in Denver

I spent 3 hours fighting a heavy creosote buildup with my regular rods and brush last Tuesday, got maybe 60% clean. Swapped to a borrowed rotary kit and finished the whole job in 45 minutes, flue looked like new. Has anyone else had that big of a difference switching to a powered setup?

Found out some wild stats about creosote buildup the other day...

I was reading through an old trade magazine from like 2018 that I found in my uncle's garage. Turns out that a 1/8 inch layer of creosote can actually reduce your chimney's draft by almost 30 percent. I had no idea it was that sensitive to small amounts. I always figured you needed a big chunky buildup before it really messed things up. Made me rethink how often I tell my customers to get inspections even if they think their fireplace is running fine. The article was from the National Chimney Sweep Guild bulletin, pretty dry reading but full of little nuggets like that. Anyone else come across a stat that surprised you about your daily work?

Blew a gasket on a job last Tuesday, cost me 3 hours of billing

I was sweeping a 6-inch flue liner and the rotary brush jammed up on some old creosote chunks that must have been caked on for years. Ended up snapping the flex rod and had to fish the broken piece out with a magnet on a stick. Has anyone else had to deal with hidden debris that just ruins your day?

Found a trick for cleaning soot off brick without scrubbing yourself raw

Last week I had a job where the firebox was caked in this greasy black soot that wouldn't budge with a regular wire brush. I tried mixing some dish soap with warm water and a splash of white vinegar, then sprayed it on and let it sit for 10 minutes. After that, the soot practically slid off with a stiff nylon brush, no scraping needed. Has anyone else tried vinegar for tough soot buildup, or is there a better homemade mix?

Hit 1000 chimney sweeps this year and it felt different than I expected

I just finished my 1000th sweep of 2024 last Thursday on a job over in Oakville. For the longest time I thought hitting that number would just feel like another day at work, but seeing how many flues I actually cleared this year made me realize I've been underestimating my own output. Does anybody else track their yearly numbers or just go by feel?

Flipped on using a shop vac after a messy crew day in Portland

I always thought shop vacs were a waste of space for chimney work, just extra gear to haul around. Then last Wednesday, I had a job where a bird nest and years of junk came crashing down, filling this lady's living room with half an inch of soot and debris. I spent 45 minutes with a broom and dustpan while her cat kept sneezing, and I finally broke down and bought a DeWalt wet/dry vac. Now I never leave home without it, what vac setup do you guys use for cleanup?

TIL the difference between a class A and class B flue pipe saved me from a bad install in Nashville last Tuesday

I was about to use a standard single-wall connector on a wood stove and the homeowner happened to mention their HOA rules, so I double-checked and realized the whole run needed double-wall class A for clearance, which cost me an extra hour but probably kept their house from burning down - has anyone else run into surprise code catches like that?

Caught a creosote fire starting in a flue in Maplewood last Tuesday

I was doing a regular cleaning on a 10 year old gas insert in Maplewood when I saw a small orange glow near the top. Turned out the previous sweep left a bird nest and half an inch of creosote up there. The homeowner said he never had it inspected after installation. Has anyone else seen a near miss like this from a new install that nobody checked?

I finally stopped using those wire brush attachments everyone swears by

Last month I had a job in Portland where I tried that twisted wire brush on a clay flue liner and it left deep scratches all the way down. Took me an extra 2 hours to smooth it out with a poly brush. Am I the only one who thinks those wire things do more damage than good on certain liners?

Rant: Worst Tuesday I've had in 8 years of sweeping

Last Tuesday I hit a house on Maple Street where the homeowner hadn't cleaned their chimney in over a decade. I pulled out a solid 5 gallon bucket full of creosote chunks and this sticky black tar that coated everything. My brush got stuck halfway down the flue and I had to climb up on the roof in 90 degree heat to yank it free. Has anyone else dealt with a flue that narrow where a standard 8 inch brush just binds up?

Had a talk with an old timer that changed how I look at creosote

This guy with 40 years in said he never bothers with rotary brushes on heavy buildup, just hand scrapes it all and I laughed until he showed me his results. Made me wonder if I've been overcomplicating my approach for no reason - anyone else run into a veteran with a weird method that actually works better?

Overheard a rookie say 'just cram the brush up there' and had to stop myself from laughing

I was at a supply shop in Portland last Tuesday and this young guy was telling his buddy you don't need to measure the flue before you sweep. Just shove the brush in and hope for the best. That took me back to 1998 when I did the same thing on a job in a old Victorian. Wedged the brush so bad I had to take apart three sections of pipe to get it out. Took me two hours and I lost the whole day's pay on that single house. Has anyone else had a close call like that early on that stuck with you?

Just realized a shop vac with a fine dust filter saves so much time on chimney cleanouts

I was doing a cleanout last Tuesday on a house near downtown and the soot was getting everywhere no matter how careful I was. Tried hooking up my shop vac with a HEPA filter bag and it cut the cleanup from 45 minutes to maybe 15. Has anyone else found a specific filter bag brand that holds up to heavy ash without clogging?

Visited a 150 year old farmhouse near Bozeman and their chimney was lined with old license plates...

TIL my chimney brush snapped off inside a flue on a job in Spokane last Tuesday

I was three brushes in on a routine clean when the wire loop gave out and the head dropped about six feet down. Spent two hours with a shop vac and a magnet on a string fishing it out. Has anyone else had a brush head fail like that, or did I just get a lemon from that batch?

Question about those old school wire brushes vs the new poly whips

Been sweeping chimneys for 22 years now. Started out with my dad using the old wire brushes and I swear we had to replace them every 3 months. The bristles would bend up and fall out. Couple years back a guy at a trade show in Cleveland pushed me to try one of those poly whip things. Man what a difference. They flex better going around corners and last way longer. Had one poly whip now going on 2 years and it still looks new. Maybe I just had bad luck with the wire ones. Has anyone else switched over and noticed a big difference?

Had to decide between the big brush and the poly whip on a tricky job

Last week I was up on a roof in Portland looking at a clay flue that was caked with about 3 years of creosote buildup. Normally I'd just run the 10 inch brush down it a few times and call it good, but this one had a nasty 45 degree offset about halfway down that I knew would snag the cables. I had to pick between fighting with the brush and risking it getting stuck or using my poly whip which takes forever but bends through tight spots. I went with the poly whip after staring at it for 5 minutes, and man it took me almost 45 minutes to get through that thing. The whip kept spinning out at the offset and I had to pull it back and feed it slow about 6 times before it finally broke through. Has anyone else had a flue with a weird angle that made you reconsider your whole tool choice?

Hit 500 sweeps last week and it hit me weird

I crossed 500 chimney sweeps last Thursday on a job in Edmonds. I've been doing this for about 6 years now and never really counted before. But for some reason that number just made me stop and think about all the creosote and soot I've hauled out. Has anyone else hit a random milestone like that and felt something about it?

Switched from wire brushes to poly whips after a sketchy job last spring

I used to always use a standard wire brush for everything. Then I was cleaning a heavy creosote buildup in a prefab fireplace near Boise and the brush head just snapped off halfway up. Had to fish it out with a magnet on a rod, took an extra 45 minutes. Switched to a poly whip that same week and I haven't looked back. Anyone else have a tool fail on them in the middle of a job?

Visited a historic house in Savannah last month and their chimney setup was wild

I was down in Savannah for a job and stopped by the Owens-Thomas House to check out their old chimneys. The whole setup had these narrow flues that were barely 6 inches wide. I talked to one of the guides there and she said the slaves who built the place in the 1800s used local clay to line them. You could see where the mortar had crumbled in spots from age, not from bad work. It got me thinking about how different our standards are now versus back then. We spend so much time worrying about clearances and liners, but those old timers just packed mud around the bricks and called it a day. Has anyone else run into old chimneys that were built with weird local materials?