c/chimney-sweeps

Saw a historic brick chimney in Savannah with a really odd flue layout

I was working on a 19th century house in the historic district last week and the flue for the main fireplace took a sharp 45-degree turn halfway up. The owner said it was to avoid an old structural beam. Ever run into something like that?

Serious question, has anyone else found a full masonry damper frozen shut with old cement?

Had a job in a 1920s house in Pasadena last week where the damper was completely stuck. The owner said it hadn't been opened in maybe 30 years. I thought it would be a simple tap with a hammer and chisel, but the old mortar had basically turned to rock. It took me and my partner over four hours of careful chipping to free it up without cracking the firebrick. What's the fastest way you've found to deal with that kind of cement buildup?

My old fiberglass extension rods finally snapped on a job in Boise last Tuesday, forcing me to improvise with duct tape and a broom handle to finish the sweep.

What's the most reliable brand you guys use for rods that won't fail after a couple seasons?

Rant: I was reading an old trade journal from 1987 and found out that a single chimney fire can reach temperatures over 2000 degrees Fahrenheit.

I found that stat in a dusty copy of 'The Sweep's Journal' at a used bookstore in Boise, which makes you think about how fast things can go wrong, doesn't it?

Am I the only one who sees people not checking the damper seal first?

I went on a call in Springfield last week where the homeowner swore their draft was bad. The last sweep just cleaned the flue and left. I popped the damper plate open and felt a huge cold air leak from a bent hinge, which was the real issue. Fixing that seal with some new high-temp rope took me 20 minutes and solved their problem completely. How many of you make damper inspection step one before even pulling out the rods?

Heard a homeowner in Denver call our job 'just pushing a brush up and down' and it kinda stung.

It reminded me that explaining the inspection process and code checks is maybe the most important part of the service call, so what's your best line for educating a customer in under 30 seconds?

Showerthought: My whole approach to creosote changed after a job in Burlington

I was cleaning a chimney for a client on Maple Street last fall and found a quarter-inch of glazed creosote, the hard, shiny kind. I used my normal rods and brushes, but it just wasn't budging, so I had to switch to a chemical poultice and let it sit overnight. Has anyone else found a better method for that really stubborn, baked-on glaze?

Can we talk about the wrong way to clean a fireplace insert?

I saw a guy in a local Facebook group bragging about using a pressure washer on a cast iron insert. He said it was 'spotless' after. That's a fast track to rust and cracked refractory. I did a repair job in Tacoma last month where the owner did exactly that, and the whole firebox lining needed replacing. Cost them over $800. Why do people think water and high pressure are okay for this stuff? Has anyone else had to fix a mess like this?

Question about those magnetic camera inspection kits

I wasted $450 on one last month because the magnet kept detaching from my rods inside a flue in a tight 1920s colonial, leaving me fishing for an hour and missing my next job.

I was cleaning a flue in an old house near Burlington and found a newspaper from 1912 stuffed up there.

The paper had an ad for a chimney sweep offering a full clean for 25 cents, which really put our current rates into perspective, doesn't it?

TIL my old way of checking for blockages was missing a lot

I was sweeping a big old farmhouse chimney in Burlington last week and the owner mentioned a faint smoke smell even after my clean. I finally borrowed a neighbor's inspection camera and saw a huge bird nest about 15 feet down a side flue I never even checked. I've been just using a mirror and flashlight for years. Has anyone else found a better tool for spotting those hidden side pockets?

Update: I thought those plastic flue brushes were junk, but one saved me an hour on a tight job in Cincinnati.

Hit 15 years in the trade and found a 1920s newspaper in a flue in Portland last week.

It was perfectly preserved behind a brick that had shifted, and seeing that date really drove home how many stories these old chimneys hold beyond just the soot.

A guy in Denver said my brush was too small for the job and he was right

I was cleaning a 12x12 clay flue last month and thought my standard brush was fine. He pointed out I was leaving a quarter inch of creosote on the sides because the bristles weren't making full contact. I switched to a bigger, stiffer brush and it cut my time down by half. Anyone else run into this with older, bigger chimneys?

Just realized I've been cleaning flues wrong for ages

I was working on a 1920s brick chimney in St. Louis last Tuesday, and the homeowner asked to watch. I was using my standard stiff brush, pushing hard like always. He casually mentioned his last sweep used a softer brush and spun it slowly, saying it was better for the old clay liner. I tried it his way on the next section, and a huge pile of soot I'd missed just fell down. I've probably been leaving behind a ton of creosote by being too aggressive. Has anyone else switched up their brush technique for older liners?

Saw a really old flue design in a Charleston house today

The homeowner let me look at their 1850s chimney and the flue was built with these hand-made clay tiles, not the modern round liners. The joints were almost an inch thick. Has anyone ever had to clean or repair something like that?

My vacuum hose split open halfway through a job in Denver

It happened last Tuesday on a standard cleaning in Capitol Hill. I was about 20 feet up, and the hose just gave way with a loud pop. Soot went everywhere, all over the client's white living room carpet. I had to shut everything down, tape the hose with duct tape as a quick fix, and finish the job with half the suction. Anyone know a good brand for a heavy duty replacement hose that can take a beating?

Got stuck on a weird blockage in a 1920s flue for almost a full day

I had a job last week in the old part of town, a house from the 1920s. The owner said the fireplace hadn't drawn right in years. I went up with my rods and brushes, expecting the usual soot and maybe a bird nest. About 15 feet down, I hit something solid that wasn't rock or mortar. It felt like metal, but it was giving a little. I tried everything, my standard hooks, even a camera. Turns out it was an old, collapsed metal flue liner from a long gone insert, all crumpled up and wedged in there. I had to carefully cut it apart with a sawzall blade taped to a pole, piece by tiny piece. What should have been a two hour sweep turned into an eight hour puzzle. Has anyone else found something like that? What's the weirdest thing you've pulled from a chimney?

Choosing between a brush and a whip for a tight flue in an old farmhouse

I had a job last week at a farmhouse built in the 1920s with a really narrow, crooked flue. The choice was between my standard poly brush and a more flexible steel whip. I went with the whip because I was worried about getting the brush stuck on a bend. It took a bit longer, maybe 20 extra minutes, but it got all the creosote without a single snag. Has anyone else had a better tool for these tight, old flues?

Shoutout to the old guy who showed me the wet newspaper trick

Back when I first started, maybe 8 years ago, I would just sweep a chimney and let the soot fall all over the fireplace. It was a huge mess to clean up after, and I'd be there for an extra 30 minutes just vacuuming. Then, on a job in Springfield, this retired sweep I was helping out saw me doing it. He didn't say anything, just grabbed a section of the homeowner's newspaper, ran it under the sink, and stuffed it into the firebox opening. The soot just piled up on it. I was shocked. I've done it that way ever since, and it saves me so much time and keeps the customer's place clean. Has anyone else picked up a simple trick like that from another sweep that totally changed your routine?

Just blew $150 on a 'self-cleaning' chimney brush that got stuck immediately

Had to cut it out with a sawzall after an hour of trying to pull it back down. Anyone have a go-to brush brand that actually works without the drama?

Spent three hours on a simple crown repair that should have taken forty minutes

The homeowner in Boise insisted the flashing was fine, but the mortar around the chimney crown was completely gone and water had gotten behind it. I ended up having to carefully chip out the old, failed repair and rebuild the entire crown from scratch. Has anyone else had a 'quick fix' turn into a major rebuild because the real problem was hidden?

Found a 1920s chimney flue design that's still in half the houses on my route

I was reading an old building code book at the city archives and saw a diagram for a 'double offset flue' that was standard here until 1935. It explains why my brushes always catch on the second bend in those older homes. Anyone else run into this specific setup and have a trick for it?

Vent: This week was just one weird old chimney after another

Had three jobs in a row where the flue tiles were cracked in a perfect spiral pattern, like someone drilled them. The last one in the old North End had me on the roof for almost four hours just getting a camera down there. Anyone else run into damage that looks almost intentional?

Vent: My old boss in Toledo swore by wire brushes, but I finally switched last month.

Three years ago, I was cleaning a flue in an old Victorian and the wire bristles got stuck on a rough clay tile seam. Spent an extra hour just getting the brush head free. Last month, I bought a poly brush for $85 and used it on a similar job. The difference was night and day, no snagging and it felt gentler on the liner. Anyone else make the switch and notice their jobs going faster?