c/chimney-sweeps

Noticed a ton of nasty buildup in a 100-year-old house in Savannah last week

Went to do a routine sweep there and the liner had this weird orange crust I've only seen twice before, turns out they'd been burning pressure-treated scrap wood, has anyone else run into that and how do you even tell a customer their fireplace is basically a hazard without sounding like a salesman?

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josephb35•2d ago

Old customer taught me a creosote lesson I still use

Had a call last week at a house in Des Moines, older fella named Ray who's been burning wood since the 70s. He watched me scrape his flue and said I was leaving too much behind near the crown. Pulled out a little mirror on a stick, showed me the exact spot I'd missed, plain as day. Turns out he used to be a sweep in the Navy and had a trick for checking the top without climbing up there. That mirror trick cost me maybe $12 at a hardware store and now I check every job the same way. Has anyone else picked up a habit from a customer that just stuck with you?

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eric359•4d ago

Snowy roof collapse taught me to check for hidden flue damage

Last January in Buffalo I swept a chimney after a heavy snow and the whole crown gave way, dumping bricks and ice into the living room below. I patched it with a quick metal sleeve to get heat back on, but has anyone else had a structure fail like that after a thaw and what did you do about the insurance side?

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betty_shah•4d ago

Picked the rotary brush over the manual rod after 12 years, no turning back now

I finally gave in last spring and bought a rotary chimney brush setup for about $400 after using a manual rod system my whole career. My shoulders were shot from twisting rods on three-story houses near Richmond, and I figured it was time. First job with it took me 45 minutes instead of two hours, and the soot came out cleaner too. But I will say, it's heavier to lug around and you need a good drill, plus it scared my helper the first time it kicked on. Anyone else made the switch and gone back to manual for certain jobs, or am I just getting soft?

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jordan_white•10d ago

Met a chimney historian in St. Louis who made me rethink brushes

I was swapping stories with a guy at a job site in St. Louis last month, and he asked me what brush I use for clay flues. I told him a standard steel wire, and he just laughed and said 'you ever think about what that does to the tile over 40 years?' He pulled out an old soft poly brush, beat up but cleaned, and said his granddad used the same style back in the 50s. Hearing him explain how the abrasive wire can eat away glazing over time hit different. I've been at this for 9 years and never once thought about long term wear on the flue itself. Now I'm testing a softer set on two houses this month, and I'm curious: any of you guys switch away from wire after a bad experience with old chimneys?

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wendysmith•14d ago

One bad Tuesday in Boise made me rethink my whole brush setup

Did a sweep where the creosote was so caked I snapped two steel brushes before noon, then the homeowner asked if I was 'actually certified'. Anyone else ever have a job go sideways that fast from equipment failure?

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the_ray•14d ago

A homeowner in Salem told me my brush strokes were 'too polite'

I was doing a routine flue sweep for a lady who restores old fireplaces, and she watched me work for a minute before saying my brushwork was too gentle, that I needed to really lean into the brick. She showed me her own technique with a stiff wire brush on a test patch, and sure enough, the soot came off way faster with more aggressive scrubbing. I switched to a heavier rod and angled my strokes, but now I'm wondering if I'm being too rough on older clay liners, anyone else get feedback that made them second-guess their touch?

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mila_jones39•14d ago

A house fire in Portland taught me to check the crown seal every single visit

I was doing a routine clean on a two story in Portland last month. The homeowner mentioned their furnace had been acting up, but they wanted the chimney checked first. When I got on the roof, the crown seal was cracked in three places and had a gap big enough to fit my thumb. Water had gotten behind it and rotted the top two rows of brick. The whole thing shifted about an inch. If they had lit one more fire before the rain started, it could have gone through the roof. I told the homeowner it needed a full rebuild, not just a patch job. They were not happy about the price, but they understood. Now I make it a rule to get on the roof and look at the crown before I even open my brush bag. How often do you guys actually check the crown on a standard sweep? I used to skip it if the flue looked clean, but not anymore.

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faithrodriguez•16d ago

Seven years of sweeping backwards, a homeowner in Boise caught it

I always started at the top of the flue and worked down. Thought that was the only way. Then this lady in Boise, she had a wood stove with a real stubborn buildup, and she watched me for a minute before saying, "You're pushing the creosote into the cleanout, not out." I stood there with my brush mid-stroke and realized she was right. All that time I was just packing the stuff tighter into the smoke shelf, making the next sweep worse. Now I angle my rod and do a spiral pull from the bottom up, and the mess comes out way easier. Anyone else ever get corrected by a customer mid-job, or was it just me being that clueless for that long?

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riverk82•16d ago

Raccoon nest in a flue near Portland changed my whole inspection routine

Got a call out to a house in Beaverton last Tuesday, homeowner said smoke was backing up into the living room. I pulled the cap and found a whole family of raccoons had packed this flue with leaves and debris, practically a second chimney inside the real one. Took me four hours to clear it out and I had to replace a section of liner because they'd scratched it up bad. The homeowner told me they'd only used the fireplace twice in three years, so nobody ever thought to look up there. Since then I always run a camera down every flue before I even start brushing, even on routine cleanings. You never know what critters have been nesting in there during the off season. Anyone else had to deal with animal blockages that made you change your standard check process?

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gavin928•16d ago

Customer complaint about soot on driveway changed my whole cleanout process

Had a job last week in Akron where the homeowner came out after I was packing up and pointed at black specks all over their concrete. I used my normal tarp but it shifted when I was hauling the drum down. She said her HOA fines for any staining, so I ended up spending an extra hour with a pressure washer. I switched to a heavier canvas tarp with grommets and stakes now, plus I lay cardboard under the drum before I even start. Anyone else deal with driveway or patio staining complaints after a cleaning?

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avery366•16d ago

Skip the brush when creosote is packed, use a chain knock first

I kept fighting heavy creosote with wire brushes and getting nowhere. After three separate callbacks on the same flue in Akron, I tried a length of chain with a small weight on the end, just dropping it from the top to break the crust loose before brushing. That stuff came off in big chunks, not dust, and the brush actually cleaned the liner instead of just skating over the glaze. It felt rough on the tile edges at first, but I checked after and found no scoring or damage. Now I do the chain pass on any job where I can't see daylight through the flue from below. Has anyone else tried this, or do you stick to chemical treatments for the hard stuff?

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tara345•19d ago

Visited a job site in Asheville where the chimney cap was doing nothing

I got called out to a house off Riverside Drive last Saturday and the cap was so corroded it had basically fallen apart inside the flue. The owner said they'd only had it swept two years ago, but nobody ever checked the cap condition. I ended up pulling chunks of rusted mesh out of the firebox, and the draft was terrible because of it. How often do you guys actually inspect caps on routine sweeps, or is it just me making it a habit now?

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oscarm24•21d ago

That creosote 'seasoning' video from NFPA is terrifying

Watched the NFPA's 2024 video showing a chimney fire in a test rig, and it hit 2,100 degrees in under 4 minutes. I always knew it was bad, but seeing the flue tiles literally shatter on camera made me change how I talk to homeowners. Has anyone else used that clip to convince a customer to actually schedule a cleaning?

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finleybutler•21d ago

My hand brush is getting harder to find at supply houses

Went to three shops around Cleveland this month looking for a standard 6 inch hand brush with flagged bristles, and two of them only had the plastic handled junk. I keep seeing guys online recommend those cheap wire brushes for creosote scraping, but that stuff gouges the flue tile if you're not careful. Been doing this trade for about 14 years now, and the old wooden block brushes just last longer and flex better around offsets. Anyone else noticing supply houses phasing out the traditional gear, or is it just my area lagging behind?

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logan_schmidt•22d ago

That Tuesday where every flue had a bird nest, I quit counting at 4

Got called out to a rental property near Dayton with 3 chimneys. First one, fine. Second one, I hear scratching and out comes a nest the size of a basketball. Third one, same thing. Landlord was standing there going 'must be a good year for birds' while I'm pulling out twigs and god knows what else. Fourth job that day was a different house, and sure enough, another nest. I've done this 11 years and never seen a day like that. Anyone else run into a season where the birds just went crazy? Weirdest part was they were all built out of plastic straws and dryer lint.

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phoenix845•23d ago

Rotary brush kits are worth the hype, change my mind

I ran my own sweep rig for about 5 years using only rods and bristle heads, figured the rotary kit was just a gimmick for guys with more money than sense. Finally bought the $300 carbon fiber set from a supply house in Columbus after my elbow gave out on a steep 30 degree flue last month. That thing chewed through years of creosote buildup in 20 minutes where I wouldve spent an hour and a half struggling. Anyone else switch over and never look back, or do you still trust the old school rods for certain jobs?

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lucas159•24d ago

Heard a guy at the supply house swear by a shop vac for cleaning flues before the brush

Was picking up some 8 inch liner yesterday and this older sweep, been doing it since the 80s, was telling me he runs a shop vac with a narrow adapter down the flue first to grab the loose soot and ash before he even touches it with a brush. Said it cuts his cleaning time almost in half cause the brush isn't pushing a ton of crap around first. I always figured you just brush and let the vacuum at the bottom catch it all. Tried it this morning on a job in Arlington and honestly the difference was pretty noticeable, less dust in the room and I didn't have to go over the same section twice as much. Anyone else do the pre-vac thing or am I just late to this party? What kind of setup do you use to get the hose down there without tearing it up?

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cameron_craig•25d ago

That $180 magnetic sweep set was a total bust

Bought one of those fancy magnetic chimney sweep kits off a supply catalog back in March, figured it would save time on drops with tight offsets. First job in Scranton it grabbed a nail in the flue liner and jammed up so bad I had to cut the cable and fish it out with a hook. Took 2 extra hours on site and the customer watched me struggle, not a good look. Anyone else ditch the magnets and just stick with standard rods and a good brush?

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danieljenkins•25d ago

The old rotary brush from 1998 finally gave out on me in Toledo

Tbh I was still using this rotary head I inherited from my uncle's setup back in '98. Last Tuesday I was doing a routine sweep on a 3 story Victorian in Toledo and the bristles just started shedding like crazy mid-run. I had to stop and switch to my backup hand brush, which took an extra 45 minutes. You guys ever hold onto gear way past its prime just because it's familiar, or am I the only one who gets weirdly attached to old tools like that?

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jordangibson•26d ago

Spent $180 on a spinning brush kit, total game changer for creosote buildup

I fought with hand brushes for 6 years on a tough commercial flue in Louisville, but after trying a $180 rotary kit on a 12 inch terra cotta liner last Tuesday, the crust came off in half the time, has anyone else made the switch and noticed their shoulders actually surviving the season?

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robinl90•29d ago

Just passed 500 sweeps last month and honestly I think most of you are overcomplicating this job

I hit 500 chimney sweeps in 3 years last month. Not a huge milestone to some but it got me thinking. Everyone on here talks about fancy brushes and special vacuums and all this gear. I do fine with a basic rod setup and a shop vac from 2019. Had a guy tell me I was cutting corners. I cleaned my 500th with the same equipment I used on my first. If you know the physics of the flue and have decent eyes you dont need all the extras. How many sweeps you at and what do you actually use day to day?

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river_wright•1mo ago

The number of people who use wire brushes on clay flues is scary

I was on a job last Tuesday in an old house from the 1920s. The homeowner said their regular guy had been cleaning it for years. I looked inside and saw deep scratches all over the clay liner. Someone had been using a stiff wire brush on it instead of a proper poly brush. That does REAL damage over time and can cause the liner to crack. I had to explain to them why their flue was falling apart. Has anyone else run into this kind of damage from the wrong brush?

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diana_bell74•1mo ago

The mistake people make with creosote buildup timing.

Honestly, I keep seeing guys in our area wait too long between sweeps on oil furnaces. I had a regular in Cincinnati who went 18 months and his flue was almost completely clogged with that gummy creosote. Took me an extra 45 minutes and a rotary tool to clear it out. Has anyone else noticed this is way worse with #2 heating oil than wood?

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the_sage•1mo ago

Vent: Tried the 'shop vac from below' method on a heavy flue blockage yesterday

I read about this trick online where you tape a shop vac hose to the bottom cleanout and suck the debris down instead of brushing it up from the top. Ended up pulling a family of raccoon droppings into my face when the seal broke (and yes, the smell was unreal). Has anyone else tried this and actually gotten it to work without a biohazard cleanup afterwards?

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