c/chimney-sweeps

The $180 shop vac I bought for creosote dust barely lasted 4 cleanings

I figured a cheap wet/dry vac would handle the soot from a couple of flues in Pittsburgh, but the filter clogged solid by the second job and the hose cracked on the fourth, anyone else burning through vacs faster than brushes?

0 comments

juliaa65•9d ago

Morning jobs vs afternoon jobs, the soot tells a story

Been sweeping in the Portland area for about 8 years now. I started noticing a clear difference between my first call and my last call same week. Morning fires burn cleaner, less creosote buildup, second story flues stay open longer. Afternoon jobs, especially after 3 PM, that's when people have been running their wood stoves all day. I measured one client's flue last Tuesday, 3 months since last clean, and the afternoon chimney had almost double the glaze. Anyone else track their sweep times and see a pattern like this?

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mason_murray8•13d ago

Talked to an old sweep at a job in Decatur and it changed how I clean flues

He said I was wasting time scrubbing every inch when I should focus on the top third and the smoke shelf, so I tried it on a 30-foot brick flue yesterday and cut my time in half, has anyone else found certain sections matter way more than others?

1 comments

aliceharris•13d ago

That $200 rotary brush I bought lasted 4 jobs before the motor died

Picked one of those fancy spinning rod kits from a supplier online, looked perfect for those heavy creosote jobs. First two houses went great, third one it started making a grinding noise, fourth one the motor just gave out completely. Called the company, they said the warranty only covers 30 days and I was at day 32. So now I'm back to my regular stiff bristle brush and honestly it does the same job, just takes me an extra 20 minutes per flue. Has anyone else had luck with a specific brand of rotary cleaner that actually holds up, or am I better off sticking with manual brushes for good?

1 comments

knight.uma•15d ago

The 3-hour soot pile I used to make vs. the 30-minute bag now

Used to just shovel everything into a metal bin and drag it out to the truck. Dust everywhere, took half my afternoon. Last month I started using those heavy contractor bags and a shop vac right at the throat. Seal the bag, done. My back hurts less and the homeowner's porch isnt black. Anybody else think the old way was just stubborn tradition? What do you use for hauling?

1 comments

ray_burns•16d ago

33 years of sweeping and I just learned the brush spins the wrong way

My apprentice pointed out last Tuesday that I was turning the rods clockwise while the bristles are made for counter-clockwise, and now I'm staring at a pile of soot I've been pushing back up flues since 1991, has anyone else had a basic motion flipped on them this late in the game?

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river_thompson•19d ago

The homeowner who insisted on a cold chimney inspection

Last Tuesday in Boise, a lady refused to let me start the sweep until the flue was completely cold, even after a week of 20 degree nights. She stood there timing me with her phone, then asked why I didn't use a camera on every job. I explained my price already covers that, but she just wanted a debate, not a service. Has anyone else run into customers who treat your process like a checklist they read online?

1 comments

corap61•21d ago

The 12 pound soot surprise after 30 years of sweeping

Last week I cleaned a chimney in Knoxville that hadn't been touched since the 80s, and we pulled out 12 pounds of creosote, way more than I ever thought a single flue could hold. Anyone else ever hit a number that high, or is this just the record I needed to see?

2 comments

jamesc79•27d ago

That Tuesday in March nearly wrecked my whole week

I had this one Tuesday back in March where everything went sideways from the start. Got to a regular customer's house in Maplewood and their chimney was packed with this greasy creosote I hadn't seen in years, like thick tar almost. My rotary brush actually jammed up twice before I got through it all, took me almost 4 hours instead of the usual 90 minutes. Then I get to my next job and the homeowner tells me they had a bird stuck in the flue the night before and wanted me to check for damage. Found a whole nest wedged in there on top of a cracked clay liner, just one thing after another that day. Ended up having to come back the next morning with a relining kit because the crack was worse than I thought. Has anyone else had a week where one bad job just messes up your whole schedule?

2 comments

jamesc79•29d ago

Small house fire last month changed my whole approach to inspection

Got called out to a job in Portland after a chimney fire damaged a row house. The homeowner said they had it swept 6 months ago but I found a thick creosote glaze that must have been building for years. The previous sweep just ran a brush through and called it good without doing a proper scrape test. Now I always spend an extra 10 minutes checking for that shiny glaze with a mirror and flashlight. Anyone else run into lazy work like this that you had to fix?

2 comments

coleman.hannah•1mo ago

Unpopular opinion: that expensive carbon steel brush set I bought was a total waste of cash

Dropped $80 on a set of fancy carbon steel chimney brushes from a specialty supply place last spring. Everyone raves about them lasting forever and cleaning better. Well, after 3 months of use on maybe 15 jobs, the bristles started bending and one snapped right off inside a flue. Had to fish it out with a magnet on a rod - took me an extra 45 minutes on a job in Roanoke. My old cheap nylon brushes from the hardware store never did that. Anyone else tried these and had issues or is it just me?

3 comments

troyc17•1mo ago

Switched from a wire brush to a polypropylene brush for clay flue tiles

After 3 jobs using the wire brush left those tiny scratches that caught soot way worse, the poly one cleaned smoother and my customer at the old Victorian on Maple Street even commented the chimney looked cleaner than when it was built, has anyone else made that swap and noticed the difference?

3 comments

margaretc42•2mo ago

Spent $400 on a carbon fiber brush handle and wish I had my old wooden one back

Bought one of those fancy carbon fiber brush handles at a trade show in Cleveland last spring. Thought it would be lighter and easier on my wrist after a long day of sweeping. Thing cost me $400 and it's too slick to grip when my hands get even a little sweaty. Been reaching for my beat-up wooden handle with the electrical tape wrap for the last 6 months instead. Anyone else drop cash on new tech and just go back to the old stuff?

3 comments

robin896•2mo ago

Vent: That chat with the old timer at the supply yard hit me hard

I was picking up brushes at the supply yard on Tuesday and this retired sweep named Gene told me I was overcharging for my Level 1 inspections by $50. He said he used to lose customers by nickel-and-diming them and now I'm scared I've been doing the same thing for years. Has anyone else had an older sweep give you advice that totally changed how you run your business?

3 comments

kim_mason55•2mo ago

Had no idea creosote buildup could actually catch fire after just 3 months of burning wet pine logs last winter.

Read a stat on the CSIA website that said creosote ignites at around 450 degrees F, and after I pulled 2 inches of it out of a flue in a house near Denver last Tuesday, I'm wondering how many of you actually check moisture content in the wood your customers burn?

3 comments

evan_grant70•2mo ago

Got told I was using way too much water on my brushes by an old timer last week

He saw me soaking a 6 inch brush and said "you're just making mud, not cleaning" and showed me how a quick flick and wipe does the same job in half the time. Anyone else have a senior sweep drop some simple wisdom that made you feel like an idiot for years?

3 comments

matthewking•2mo ago

Tried a rotary brush on a really caked-on creosote job yesterday

Switched to a poly whip for the final pass and it pulled out way more buildup than I expected, has anyone else found that combo works better than just sticking with one head?

3 comments

nathan_kim•2mo ago

Threw $80 down the drain on a cheap rotary brush kit from Amazon

Bought one of those $40 rotary brush kits for cleaning chimneys. Thought I was being smart saving money over the name brand. The plastic adapter cracked on the third job and the rods bent after a month. Ended up having to buy the real deal from a supply house for $120 anyway. Anyone else learn this lesson the hard way with cheap brush kits?

3 comments

jamesc79•2mo ago

Changed my mind about using shop vacs on flue cleanings

I used to swear by using a shop vac for every job because it's quick and easy. But after dumping a load of fine ash into a customer's living room last Tuesday in Arlington, I switched back to using a drop cloth and hand scoop. Has anyone else found that the vac kicks up more mess than it saves?

3 comments

emma_lee22•2mo ago

An old hand told me my brush angle was trash in 2018

I was sweeping a flue for a guy named Mike out in Oak Park and he watched me set up for a minute before telling me I was gonna wear out my rods twice as fast with how I angled my brush. He showed me this 15 degree tilt going up instead of straight on and it cut my cleaning time by 20 percent easy. Has anyone else had an older sweeper call them out on something small like that?

3 comments

abbyf79•2mo ago

Hit 500 sweeps cleaned this year and I found something weird in every 50th flue

Was just tallying up my year end numbers and turns out I've done 512 cleanings since January. Not a brag, I'm just surprised I kept that pace. But the weird part is around every 50th job I find something totally random. At 50 it was a kid's toy car. At 100 a full bird nest with eggs. At 150 a metal spoon someone dropped down the flue. At 200 a pair of sunglasses. 250 was a wine bottle. Has anyone else noticed specific intervals where you find junk or is my route just cursed with pranksters?

3 comments

samreed•2mo ago

Shoutout to the old mason who yelled at me for using wire brush on his historic flue

He said I was scarring the clay liner and pulled out a stiff nylon brush from his truck instead, says he's been doing flues in Philly since 1972 - who's right about brush materials for older chimneys?

3 comments

nathan_kim•2mo ago

Switched to a shop vac with a HEPA filter for cleaning soot and it made a huge difference

I always used my regular vacuum on chimneys until last week when I sucked up some fine ash and it blew right back into my face. Picked up a HEPA filter for my Shop-Vac on Tuesday and the air stays clean now. Anyone else make that switch or still running standard filters?

3 comments

juliaa65•2mo ago

I finally beat that dumb ash blockage after 3 painful hours

Had a job last Thursday on a old farmhouse in rural Ohio where the flue was completely clogged with wet ash from a wood stove. Thought it'd be a quick 20 minute scrape and vacuum, but nope - that stuff was packed like concrete from some moisture issue. Ended up having to chip it out with a hand scraper and spent way too long on my knees. Anyone else deal with wet ash clumps that turn into basically cement?

3 comments

mitchell.thomas•2mo ago

Spent 4 hours fighting a fly ash clump that should have taken 20 minutes

Had a routine chimney cleaning last Tuesday on a house off Maple Street. Everything was going fine until I hit a massive fly ash clump halfway down the flue that was cemented in with creosote. I tried the rods, then a rotary tool, then had to climb up on the roof and drop a weighted chain down three times before it finally broke free. Has anyone else dealt with a stuck clump that just refuses to budge?

4 comments