c/chimney-sweeps

31

claire_campbell•1d ago

The time a raccoon taught me to double check my damper

I was on a job last Tuesday at an old Victorian in Portland. Finished the sweep, closed the damper, drove 20 minutes to the next house. Got a call from the homeowner saying there was a raccoon stuck in their chimney. Had to drive all the way back, pop the damper open, and watch that thing scramble out covered in soot. Now I always give the damper a second look before I pack up, especially on older flues.

17

wadeowens•1d ago

TIL I was cleaning my chimney wrong for 10 years

I always scrubbed top to bottom because that's how my dad taught me. Last month a customer pointed out I was just pushing soot back into the flue instead of removing it. Has anyone else had a moment where a client showed you a better way to do something you thought you had down?

14

barbara_sanchez88•2d ago

Went to a historic home in Savannah and their chimney maintenance blew my mind

I was down in Savannah last weekend visiting a buddy and we stopped at the Owens-Thomas House. The docent pointed out their original 1819 chimneys and how they still pass inspection each year. I asked what their secret was and she said they seal the flue with a specific clay mix every 3 winters. Has anyone else tried that old school clay method instead of modern liners?

30

robert_jones•4d ago

Why does nobody talk about how bad new chimney liners feel?

I was up in Portland last week helping a buddy with a reline job. Brand new stainless liner from a big name supplier. Felt wrong in my hands. Too thin. Like a soda can. Old liners I've pulled out had some weight to them. This new stuff flexes way too easy. I got a bad feeling about how long it'll hold up to real heat cycles. Install was smooth though. But I wouldn't trust it on a wood stove that gets run hard daily. Anyone else notice this change in materials lately?

3

spencer_bell•5d ago

My gooseneck scraper handle just snapped mid-sweep yesterday

I was working on a job over in Oakdale, clearing out a big buildup of creosote from an older wood stove insert. Everything was going fine until I put a little extra muscle into a tough spot and the handle on my trusty gooseneck scraper just snapped clean in half right at the ferrule. The head went flying and clattered down the flue, which was a real heart-stopping moment. I spent the next 20 minutes fishing it out with a magnet on a string, feeling like a total idiot. The customer was watching from the living room and just said, "Well, that doesn't happen every day," which was honestly the nicest way to put it. I had to finish the job with just a wire brush and a lot of patience, but the whole thing took way longer than it should have. Has anyone else had a tool fail on them in the middle of a job like that? I'm looking at getting a better quality scraper, maybe one with a steel core, but I'm not sure which brands actually hold up.

29

evah40•8d ago

Hit a hidden mortar joint that took three hours to chip through

I was doing a routine sweep on an old house in Brighton last Tuesday, and everything was going smooth until my brush stopped dead about halfway down the flue. Turns out a previous repair job had left a huge blob of mortar sticking out right at a bend, almost like someone just globbed it in there and forgot. I spent the next three hours trying to chip it out with a hammer and chisel, switching to a rotary tool, then back to manual because the rotary kept binding up. By the time I got it cleared, my arms were shot and I was running two hours late for my next job across town. The homeowner said they never had issues before, but I bet that mortar was hiding behind some creosote buildup for years. Has anyone else run into a hidden block like that and found a quicker way to break it up without wrecking the liner?

32

dakota479•9d ago

Worst day I've had in 8 years was last Tuesday

Had a customer in Boise who hadn't cleaned their chimney since 1993. I pulled out a solid bird nest, three inches of creosote, and a dead raccoon that musta got stuck. Anyone else ever pull something wild out of a flue?

9

ramirez.caleb•12d ago

That before and after shot of a 3-story flue got me buying a better camera

I cleaned a real nasty 3-story flue last month on a job in Denver. Looked like a black tar pit inside before I started, all creosote buildup from someone burning green wood all winter. After about 4 hours with my rotary brush kit and some heavy scraping, the difference was night and day. I snapped photos at the top and bottom and you could actually see the brick mortar joints again. Made me realize I need a proper 4K camera instead of my phone for these shots. Anyone else notice how much better their work looks when you frame those before and afters right?

22

shane_perry29•13d ago

Tried a soot-eating vacuum bag for the first time and it clogged in 3 minutes

I had this cheap shop vac I've been using for years for cleanouts, and I thought I'd try one of those HEPA bags that claim to handle fine soot. Big mistake. It choked up almost right away, and I spent more time unclogging it than I did actually cleaning the flue. Got any go-to setups for thick creosote jobs? I'm thinking of just switching to a bucket setup next time.

26

claire_campbell•14d ago

I think using a shop vac instead of a brush is bad for most chimneys

After I cleared a clogged flue at an old farmhouse outside Gettysburg last month, I noticed the fine grit had scratched the liner where a poly brush wouldn't have, so has anyone else seen damage from vacuum-only jobs?

24

karenf40•16d ago

PSA: that 20% soot rule for masonry chimneys is actually a hard limit

I used to think the 20% soot depth rule was just a suggestion you could eyeball. Then last Tuesday I watched a YouTube video from the CSIA where they showed a chimney that tested at 22% and had a chimney fire start in 40 seconds during a demo. That video used an infrared camera to track the heat spike. I grabbed my own gauge the next day and checked three jobs I had done that week. Two of them were at 18% and I had left them thinking they were fine. Now I carry a depth probe on every job and I measure before I leave. Has anyone else had a close call from trusting the look test over the actual measurement?

18

morgan.joseph•16d ago

Am I the only one who thinks 8-inch flue brushes are overused for standard residential chimneys?

I see guys on here recommending 8-inch brushes for every 8x8 clay tile flue, but I've been sweeping chimneys in this area for 15 years and a 7-inch brush cleans just as well without jamming up on the corners, and I've had three customers this month alone call me back because an 8-inch brush cracked their chimney crown; has anyone else noticed the same trend with these oversize brushes damaging older liners?

32

samf95•16d ago

Wasted $150 on a cheap rotary brush kit for chimney cleaning

I bought one of those generic rotary brush kits off Amazon for about $150 thinking I was saving money over a proper drill-powered system from a supply house. The rods bent on the third use and the brush head stripped all its bristles inside a customer's flue. Took me two extra hours to clean that mess out. Anyone else get burned by cheap online cleaning gear?

10

jennifer_west•18d ago

Old timer's advice on dark soot buildup actually saved me a headache today

I was cleaning a flue over in Clifton this morning and it had this thick, greasy black soot that wasn't coming off easy with my regular brush. An old sweeper I met at a trade meet like 6 months ago told me to try a wire brush attachment on my drill for that kind of stuff, and I always thought he was just showing off. Well, I gave it a shot after fighting it for 20 minutes and it cut through in like 5 minutes flat. Has anyone else had luck with that method or do you stick to traditional hand brushes?

14

blaked79•20d ago

Had to choose between a hand rod kit and a rotary whip last week

I was prepping for a big job on Tuesday and had to pick between spending $120 on a basic hand rod set or $400 for a rotary whip. I went cheap with the hand rods because I figured it's just a regular masonry flue. Got halfway through and hit a solid creosote plug that took me an extra hour to bust through. Should have just rented the whip for the day. Any of you guys keep a rotary kit on hand for jobs like that?

23

corad84•20d ago

Got a chimney fire call last tuesday that shook me up pretty bad

I showed up to this house over in Oakwood, nice old Victorian place. The homeowner had been burning green wood all winter, never got it swept. Said he thought it was fine. I look up and there's creosote buildup like I've never seen, thick and shiny like tar. He had a fire going and it was roaring up the flue, could hear it from outside. I put it out with my dry chem extinguisher and some water, but man it was close. The whole liner was damaged, gonna need a reline. I told him he's lucky the house didn't go up. Now I'm wondering, do you guys ever turn down jobs where the buildup is that bad? Like, do you refuse to clean it if it's a fire risk or just go ahead and do the best you can?

23

caseywest•20d ago

Old timer told me to never use wire brushes on stainless liner, I didn't listen

I was cleaning a 6 inch stainless liner last fall up in Spokane. This guy Frank who's been sweeping since the 80s told me to only use nylon brushes on stainless, said wire would scratch it up bad. I figured he was just set in his ways so I used my regular wire brush anyway. Six months later the homeowner called me back complaining about rust flakes showing up in the firebox. Sure enough the scratches were deep and rust was forming along them. Who else has gotten burned ignoring advice from the old guard? I'm curious what other tips you've learned the hard way too.

21

jessel35•23d ago

Overheard a homeowner say they just vacuum their chimney once a year

I was up on a roof in Austin last Tuesday cleaning out a flue when the guy next door yells over that he just sticks his shop vac up from the bottom every fall and it's never caused a problem yet - has anyone else had to fix a mess after a homeowner tried that shortcut?

2

anna_shah9•24d ago

Used to tape off every single flue tile like a surgeon, now I just eyeball it

Back when I first started sweeping about 8 years ago, I would spend 20 minutes masking every inch of the firebox before I even touched the brush. I was terrified of getting soot on the hearth or the carpet, so I'd use like half a roll of blue tape and plastic sheeting. Then last winter I did a job for a guy in a old Victorian house near Cleveland, and his wife was watching me set up and goes "you know, my dad was a sweep in the 70s and he just threw down a drop cloth and went to work." That got me thinking, so I tried it on the next job with just a heavy tarp and some painter's plastic around the opening. Now I only tape if the fireplace has a light colored stone or marble surround, otherwise I just lay down a tarp and a shop vac nearby. Has anyone else stopped doing the full surgical prep and just gotten faster with cleanup instead?

11

nora_campbell66•24d ago

That creosote buildup stat from the NFPA really got me thinking

I was reading through the National Fire Protection Association's latest report on chimney fires last night. Turns out over 25,000 chimney fires happen every year in the U.S. alone, mostly from creosote that's just been sitting there. That number blew my mind because I see so many folks in this area cutting corners on cleaning schedules. Has anyone else looked into those stats and changed how often you sweep for customers?

24

jordan184•25d ago

Appreciation post: my old vacuum finally gave out

My shop vac died mid-job last Tuesday, right when I was finishing a creosote buildup in an old farmhouse. Had to borrow a neighbor's while I wait for a replacement. Anyone else had a tool completely let them down at the worst time?

5

james_ross•26d ago

Ran across a stat about creosote and nearly dropped my brush

I was reading through some old chimney service manuals I picked up at an estate sale last spring. Buried in there was a fact that blew my mind. Apparently creosote buildup can hit an inch thick in just one heating season if you're burning unseasoned softwood. I always knew wet wood was bad but never realized it was that aggressive. The book was from 1987 and published by the Chimney Safety Institute of America. Makes me want to double check every customer's wood supply before I even start sweeping. Has anyone else run into surprising numbers like that in old manuals or was I just lucky to find this one?

12

zara_perez62•27d ago

Hit 6,000 flue brushes used last Tuesday and it caught me off guard

I was cleaning out my truck and counted the worn out brushes in my scrap pile. Six thousand brushes is a lot of soot and creosote. Has anyone else kept track of how many brushes they've gone through?

6

jordanr89•27d ago

Been sweeping chimneys for 8 years but just changed my mind about using steel brushes on clay flues

Always thought steel was the way to go for tough creosote, but after cracking a flue tile on a job over in Salem last month I started looking into poly brushes. Talked to an old guy at the supply house who said he's seen steel brushes wear down clay tiles in as little as 3 years. Switched to a poly brush this week and it still scrapes clean without sounding like I'm grinding the whole chimney down. Anyone else switch away from steel and notice less damage long term?

19

foster.dylan•28d ago

Threw away $200 on a supposed 'self-cleaning' chimney kit

Bought this HearthSmart kit from a supply house in Portland last spring. Said it had a catalytic coating that would break down creosote on its own. Total BS. After 6 months I climbed up to check and there was a quarter inch of glaze stuck to the liner. Spent all Saturday scraping it off with a hand brush. Should have just stuck with my regular sweep schedule. Anyone else get tricked by those gimmicky coating products?