I usually max out at 5 or 6 on a good day, but everything just lined up. Each job was a straight shot with clean flues and homeowners who had the area prepped. Has anyone else had a day where the universe just cooperated like that?
Shelley said she had her chimney cleaned last year, but when I pulled the damper I saw a solid layer of crusty black glaze. I had to run the rotary kit with the chain knocker for 45 minutes just to break through. Has anyone else dealt with homeowners who swear their last sweep did a full job but clearly didn't?
I keep seeing guys on here using those $30 fiberglass rods on flues over 30 feet. Had a job in Denver last month where a guy's rod snapped halfway through a 40 foot flue and we had to fish it out. Those rods flex too much and they wear out fast on heavy creosote builds. Spend the $80 on polypropylene rods they last way longer and won't snap on you mid sweep. How many of you have had a rod break on a tall job?
I've been sweeping in Denver for about 5 years now. The other day I did a house where the owner had been burning exclusively seasoned oak for 2 years straight. The before and after on his flue was night and day - barely any creosote, just some loose soot. Then later that same week I hit a house where they burned whatever cheap pine they could find from the hardware store. That flue had a solid 1/4 inch of glaze buildup after just one winter. Same timeframe, same city, totally different results. Has anyone else noticed how much the wood quality changes how often you gotta sweep?
I used to just suck ash out with my shop vac like everyone else, then last winter I had a fire start in the bag because I missed a hot ember. Switched to a proper ash vacuum from Home Depot, the 6 gallon one, and it's way safer and honestly faster. Anyone else make the switch after a close call?
I was reading some old trade magazine my uncle left in the van, and it said a 1/8 inch layer of creosote can cut your flue draft by like 40 percent. That just seems wild to me, especially when you think about how fast that stuff builds up in a busy season. We had a job last winter where the homeowner said they cleaned it themselves six months ago, but we pulled out a solid half inch of fluffy stuff. Has anyone else ever run into numbers like that or is that magazine just trying to scare us?
Last Tuesday an old-timer in Green Bay watched me clean his chimney and told me I was just pushing soot around instead of actually scrubbing the flue walls. He showed me how to work my brushes in a tight spiral motion instead of just jabbing up and down. Anyone else had someone on-site completely change how you approach a basic job?
I was reading through the NFPA 211 guide last month and found out creosote can ignite at only 451 degrees Fahrenheit. That's way lower than I thought. I always figured it needed a roaring chimney fire temp to catch. Turns out the stuff is basically a fire waiting to happen if you let it build up even half an inch. Now I do a flashlight check after every second cleaning job. Has anyone else had a close call because they underestimated how hot creosote burns?
I had this one chimney over in Oakwood with a real sharp 90 degree turn near the bottom. Figured I'd just zip through it with my standard brush and rods, but the brush kept getting stuck halfway. Tried pulling it back and forth, some yanking, even tried a smaller brush and that just got jammed too. Took me three whole hours of wrestling and a ton of cussing to realize I needed to use a flexible chain whip attachment instead of the solid rod setup straight. Any of you guys run into a stupid tight bend that made you feel like you were fighting your own gear?
I was sweeping a chimney in Springfield last Tuesday and the homeowner watched me for a minute before saying, 'You're going too fast, you're just pushing the soot around.' I was kinda annoyed at first but he was right. Turns out I was missing spots because I was rushing through the flue. Now I do two slow passes instead of one quick one and I find way more buildup.
I was working a house in Richmond last Tuesday with a flue so caked in creosote I couldn't even get a good view with my light. After scraping for 20 minutes with no progress, I remembered an old timer telling me to dip a stiff brush in water and use it to soften the buildup before scraping. The water helped loosen the creosote enough that I finished the job in half the time. Has anyone else tried wetting their brushes on tough jobs or do you stick to dry methods?
I always thought plastic liners were fine for quick jobs, but last month my buddy in Cleveland told me about a house fire caused by a melted plastic liner flue went up. After hearing that I pulled out a 6 month old plastic liner from a job and replaced it with stainless steel. Anyone else reconsider their liner material after a close call?
I was on a job last Tuesday, cleaning a flue for an old row house in West Philly. I had my rods set up and was working the brush through a tight bend when the connection slipped. Heard that hollow clank as the brush head fell about 15 feet and got stuck at a horizontal section near the smoke chamber. Tried fishing it out with a hooked rod for 45 minutes but kept missing. Ended up having to cut a small access hole in the smoke shelf to reach it. Pulled the brush out, patched the hole with sheet metal, and sealed it with furnace cement. Took an extra hour and a half and I only charged the customer for the original sweep. Has anyone else dealt with a brush getting stuck in a weird spot? How'd you get it out?
I was on a routine sweep in an old Victorian over near Tremont. The homeowner said the damper was stuck shut and they hadn't used the fireplace in years. I popped my head up and saw this rusted hunk of metal just frozen in place with what looked like 60 years of creosote and gunk. I tried the usual tricks, some WD40 and a brush, but it would NOT budge. Ended up having to take the whole thing apart piece by piece with a screwdriver and a hammer. Took me almost 2 hours just on that one part and I cut my thumb on a sharp edge. The homeowner was watching me the whole time and kept asking if I was sure I knew what I was doing. Has anyone else run into dampers that are completely seized like that? What do you use to loosen them up without wrecking the whole assembly?
I had a guy in St. Louis last month whose flue was so caked it looked like a tar pit, and the last sweep told him it was 'normal for fireplaces.' That kind of lazy diagnosis is why houses catch fire - are you actually checking for glaze or just eyeballing it?
I had three calls booked and every single one turned into a problem. The last one had a wasp nest inside the damper that I didn't spot until I was covered in them. Has anyone else had a day where everything just fell apart?
I crossed 500 jobs last month and realized I've never had a wire brush snap or shed bristles mid-sweep, which matters because a single stray bristle can lodge in a flue liner and cause a chimney fire down the line, so has anyone else kept a running count of their cleanings or am I just weird about tracking this stuff?
Last month I did a job on an old Victorian in Portland where the homeowner insisted I use only hand brushes on the flue tiles. Said power tools scratch the glaze. I’ve been sweeping for 7 years and always used a rotary kit, never had a complaint. But after that job, I noticed less dust in the room than usual. Does that mean hand tools actually do a better job, or was it just a one-off with good draft?
Tbh I spent 5 years cleaning chimneys just checking the flue from below with a mirror. Last winter a customer in Portland complained about a weird smell, so I climbed on the roof for a peek. That's when I saw a thick glaze of creosote right at the top, way worse than anything I caught from below. Now I always do a top-down inspection after the brush run. Any of you guys switched to checking from the top first?
I show up at this house on Oak Avenue and the homeowner points to this decorative brick column on the side of the house. Swears it's a chimney. I tap on it and it's hollow, no flue liner, just a shell. Took me 15 minutes to convince her it was built for looks, not for any fire. Has anyone else run into people mistaking dummy chimneys for the real thing?
It was a Tuesday, old creosote buildup jammed the motor bearing on my 4-inch rotary brush right at the third flue, and I had to finish the whole house with a manual rod set while the client watched from the kitchen.
Was at a job last week cleaning a big masonry flue, the one with heavy glaze buildup. I always held my brush at a steep angle thinking I was really scrubbing hard. Client's neighbor who does this work 40 years walked over and said 'you're just pushing the dirt sideways, not up.' He showed me to keep it nearly flat and pull straight down. The difference was night and day. I got twice the buildup off in half the time. Anyone else have a basic technique they learned wrong?
For years I was using a wire brush that was way too stiff for residential flues, thought the clumpy soot was just normal creosote. Then a homeowner handed me a nylon brush last month and the difference was night and day. Has anyone else made that mistake with brush stiffness?
I was working on a job in an 1880s Victorian downtown and about halfway up the flue, the brush head just popped right off the cable. It was one of those poly heads I've been using for maybe 6 months. I thought I was gonna have to fish it out with a magnet or something, but luckily it got stuck at a bend about 10 feet down. I ended up having to pull the whole cable out and tie a knot in a rag to shove it past the brush and coax it back up. Has anyone else dealt with a brush head failing like that, or did I just get a cheap one?
Used my shop vac for fine soot cleanup like always and it took forever plus filled the air with dust. Switched to a proper soot vacuum my buddy lent me and the difference was night and day - no cloud of crap everywhere. Has anyone else made the switch or do you just deal with the mess?