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Am I the only one who used way too much brush pressure for years?

I've been sweeping chimneys for about 4 years now and last Tuesday I had a job at a old house in Springfield where the flue was caked in this hard black creosote. I was going at it with my wire brush like I always do, pushing hard to scrape it off. The homeowner was watching me and asked why I was attacking it like that. He used to be a sweep back in the 90s and told me to let the brush do the work with lighter strokes. I tried it and realized I was just scratching up the tile liner the whole time. It took me the same amount of time but my arms didn't feel dead after. Now I'm wondering how many flues I've damaged with my heavy handed approach over the years. Has anyone else had a similar wake up call about their technique?

3 comments

3 Comments

abby_morgan1813d ago

Honestly, that whole "let the brush do the work" thing is such a hard lesson to learn... I remember my first year or two I was pressing down so hard on my brushes I was basically trying to drill through the creosote instead of just scrubbing it off. It's crazy how much easier it is when you just use a lighter touch and let the bristles flex around the buildup instead of just grinding them flat. Also, you might want to check if your wire brush has any worn out spots or if the bristles are all bent sideways, because that can make you push even harder without realizing it. It's a wake up call for sure but at least you caught it now rather than after a decade of doing it wrong.

max_cooper2113d ago

Watch your brush angle too, tilting it wrong makes you grind the liner way harder than necessary.

green.noah13d ago

Yeah, that "let the brush do the work" thing really is tough to get. I remember cleaning my first grill and I was so paranoid about getting every last bit of gunk off that I actually bent the handle of my brush from pushing too hard. Ended up having to switch to a scraper for a while just to give my wrist a break.