Rant: That old brick factory job in Cleveland made me rethink my whole setup.

Got a call for a massive industrial chimney at a shut-down plant. Must have been 150 feet tall. Showed up with my standard rods and brushes. Climbed up the first ladder section and the soot was like tar. Thick, sticky, nothing like home fireplaces. My regular gear just gummed up. Had to stop halfway. Ended up talking to the plant's old maintenance guy, Frank. He said they used to pressure wash it from the top with a special acid mix back in the 80s. Never even crossed my mind for residential work. Now I keep a heavy-duty chemical cleaner in the truck for the really nasty ones. Anyone else run into a job that forced a total gear change?

4 comments

4 Comments

zara_wilson2mo ago

Ever try to clean a chimney with a toothbrush?

price.linda2mo ago

Oh man, that's the perfect example of trying to fix a big problem with a tiny tool. I see this everywhere, like using a band-aid on a broken pipe. People want a quick fix so bad they grab whatever's closest, even if it makes zero sense. Why do we keep picking the wrong tool for the job?

garcia.wren2mo ago

But is a band-aid ever really that bad?

mason_murray81mo ago

Man, that story about Frank and the acid mix is wild... I had a similar thing happen with a pressure washer. Showed up to clean a deck and the owner said they used to use some industrial solvent back in the day. My little washer just bounced off the grime like a garden hose. Had to rent a commercial one the next day.

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