c/chimney-sweeps

Why does nobody talk about hand rods vs rotary brushes?

I spent three whole years using a rotary brush setup on this old masonry chimney in Cincinnati. Last month I borrowed a buddy's set of hand rods with a poly head and it cleaned way better on the soot buildup. The rotary brush just kept gliding over the crusty stuff while the hand rods really scraped it off. Has anyone else noticed this difference on really old liners?

The day I found out I was using the wrong brush size for 2 years

Been sweeping chimneys for about 5 years now, and last week a homeowner pointed out that my brush was leaving streaks on his flue liner. Turns out I'd been using a 6 inch brush on 8 inch flues this whole time because my old mentor told me to 'go smaller to fit easier.' Switched to the right size and the soot came off way cleaner in one pass. Anyone else get stuck in a bad habit because of bad advice early on?

Wood vs. fiberglass handles on my brush rods - made the switch last month

I've always used fiberglass rods on my jobs because that's what my dad taught me with, but last month I snapped one on a tight 90 degree bend in a 8 inch flue. Picked up a set of wood handled rods from a local supply shop near Portland for about $80 and I'm honestly surprised how much better they grip in my hands when it's damp out. The extra weight took a couple days to get used to but I feel like I have way more control on stubborn creosote. Anyone else made this swap and noticed a difference with heavy buildup?

Rented a HEPA vac for a job last month and went back to my regular shop vac within an hour

The HEPA one was so weak on suction I had to run the brush head over the same spot 3 times just to get basic dust. Has anyone else tried those high-end filtration units and felt like you're just pushing air around instead of actually cleaning?

Why does nobody talk about how creosote logs leave that weird orange residue on stainless liners

I used to toss one in every spring for maintenance until I pulled my liner out last fall and found this tacky orange film that took twice as long to scrub off as just brushing it manually, so now I only use them on masonry chimneys - anyone else run into this or just me?

Found a way to clean heavy creosote without the nasty chemicals

I had this one house last month, old farmhouse out near Ellensburg, where the flue was caked with about a quarter inch of Stage 2 creosote. Normally I'd break out the chemical spray or spend an hour with the wire brush attachment grinding away. But I read online somewhere about using dry ice blasting for stubborn buildup. So I grabbed a small chunk of dry ice from the grocery store, tied it in a rag, and ran it up and down the flue on a rope. It worked way better than I thought it would. The cold makes the creosote brittle and it just flakes off. Saved me a good 20 minutes on that job. Has anyone else tried this method or am I just getting lucky with the conditions?

Vent: Stopped by a job in a 1890s house and the old clay liner was crumbling like sand

My brush got stuck halfway down an 8 inch flue last Tuesday

Honestly, I was working on a regular job over in Arlington and thought I had the right size brush. About 4 feet down, it just jammed solid and wouldn't budge up or down. Took me a solid 20 minutes of wiggling and pulling to realize the liner had a crushed spot from an old bird nest block. I ended up having to use a small rotary tool attachment I carry for tight spots to chip away the creosote around it. Finally got it free but scratched up my hands pretty good on the rough metal. Has anyone else run into a crushed liner like that in a newer home?

Had to pick between a poly brush and a steel brush on a tricky flue today

I was working on a 70-year-old terra cotta flue liner this morning and the soot was really caked on. I usually grab my 8-inch poly brush for most jobs but the guy I was helping swore by his steel wire brush for old buildup. I went with the steel brush on his advice and honestly it worked great for the heavy stuff but I switched to the poly for the final pass to avoid scratching the liner too bad. Does anyone have a go-to brush for old flues like this or do you just play it by ear?

Used to skip sweeping the smoke shelf on every job

I never bothered with the smoke shelf because I figured the soot falling down was good enough. Then I got a call back where creosote had built up so bad it blocked the flue completely. Anybody else make that mistake early on?

That week I nearly burned down a house because of a hidden bird nest

Last October I had a routine cleaning over on Maple Street and pulled the cap off to find a nest jammed so tight it had dammed up all the smoke. The homeowners had been using their fireplace for two weeks with barely any draft and never thought to check. I had to use a shop vac from the top down and it took me three hours to clear it out. Anyone else ever had a nest sneak past a cap screen like that?

Reached 1,500 cleanings without a single call back - that number surprised me

Old timer told me soot buildup was fine for creosote cleaning

My grandpa's buddy Ed swore that leaving a thin layer of soot on the flue walls actually helped seal cracks, so I skipped a full scrape on Mrs. Harrison's chimney last fall. Three months later she called me back with a chimney fire that nearly took out her roof, and I had to eat crow and redo the whole job for free. Has anyone else gotten bad advice from the old guard that cost you?

TIL the hard way that soot buildup can hide a cracked flue liner

I was doing a routine sweep at a house in the suburbs last Tuesday and everything seemed normal until I got near the top. My rods felt like they were catching on something but I figured it was just heavy creosote. After I scraped through, I heard the camera fall a little lower than expected. Turns out there was a crack behind all that soot that had been there for who knows how long. Anyone else ever missed damage because of heavy buildup hiding things?

Shoutout to my 500th chimney sweep job this week

I was going through my old logs Wednesday night and noticed I hit 500 sweeps since I started keeping track back in 2019. Didnt even realize it until I counted up the numbers. That is a lot of creosote and bird nests over the years. Funny part is my 500th was a routine gas insert cleanout, nothing special. Anyone else ever hit a random milestone like this that snuck up on you?

20 years into sweeping and I just found out I been using the wrong brush this whole time

I was at a supply shop in Columbus last spring just grabbing my usual stuff. Old timer behind the counter asked what I was running. Told him. He just looks at me and goes "you know those bristles are too soft for clay flues right?" I been using the same brand poly brush since 2004. Switched to the stiffer mix he recommended and my cleanings went from taking an hour to like 35 minutes. Feels stupid but nobody ever told me. Anyone else find out they been doing some basic thing wrong for way too long?

TIL a rotary brush is way better than a whip head for heavy creosote

I used a whip head on this old chimney in Philly last Tuesday and barely made a dent in the hard glaze. Swapped to my rotary brush mid-job and it shredded through that buildup in under 20 minutes. Anyone else seen a big difference between these two brush types on tough jobs?

The switch from push brooms to tube brushes changed my whole routine last winter

For the first 4 years sweeping I only used a push broom on everything, even big creosote buildup in stainless liners. I thought it did the job fine until a customer in Denver showed me how much junk his tube brush pulled out after I already swept. Now I keep a 6 inch tube brush for the final pass on every job, especially after heavy wood burning seasons. The difference in how clean the flue feels is night and day, plus my push broom bristles last way longer now. Has anyone else found a simple tool swap that made a big difference in their day?

Here's a trick I learned after dropping a brush 40 feet down a flue in Portland

I was on a job in the Pearl District last Tuesday, cleaning a 3-story Victorian. My brush snapped off the rods and fell all the way to the bottom, and I thought I'd have to pull the whole rig apart. Instead, I fished it out with a magnet on a string that I keep in my truck for exactly this kind of mess. Anyone else keep random tools like that handy for when things go sideways?

I finally snapped my fiberglass rod mid-sweep on a Tuesday morning

Last week I was doing a routine cleaning for a client in Oak Park when my fiberglass rod just gave out on the third section. It snapped clean in half while I was pushing through a tough spot near the damper. I had to drive back to the shop and grab my metal rod to finish the job, which wasted about 45 minutes total. The client was cool about it but I felt pretty stupid standing there with a broken pole in my hands. Anyone else had a rod fail on them like this or do I just need to replace mine more often?

That $15 nylon brush I grabbed on a whim actually cleared a stuck creosote damper in 10 minutes flat...

Been fighting that stubborn damper in a 1920s house in Buffalo for three weeks and tried everything from a metal scraper to a shop vac before I just bought this cheap brush at Ace and it slid right through the gunk... anyone else got a tool that surprised them?

Had to pick between fiberglass rods and a polypropylene kit for a tough flue in Detroit

Ngl, I was stuck choosing between fiberglass rods for $150 or a polypropylene kit for $200 on this 3-story flue with a 45 degree offset in Detroit. I went with the polypropylene because an old timer told me it bends better in tight spots. Worked like a charm on the second offset, but the first one took me 45 minutes of wrestling. Anyone else run into a flue that made you second guess your rod choice?

A simple job in Omaha turned into a lesson on hidden cracks

I used to think a quick visual check with a light was enough to spot issues in a flue. That changed after a job in Omaha last fall. I did my usual look, saw nothing big, and gave the all clear. Two weeks later, the homeowner called back with a small fire in the wall. I went back, pulled the liner, and found a hairline crack I totally missed. It was in a spot my old light just didn't reach well. Now I run a camera every single time, no matter how simple the job looks. That extra ten minutes could save a house. What's your go-to method for finding those tiny, hard to see flaws?

Showerthought: a chimney cap in Spokane taught me to check the whole stack

I put a new stainless steel cap on a chimney in a house near the river last month. The homeowner called back two weeks later saying they had a new damp smell in the living room. I figured it was just the season change, but went out to check. Turns out, the new cap was fine, but the liner about four feet down from the top had a small crack I missed. The cap changed the draft just enough to pull air down that crack instead of up and out. I learned that even a simple add-on can shift how the whole system works. Now I do a full camera scan from top to bottom before any cap install. Has anyone else had a small fix uncover a bigger problem hiding further down?

My brush head came off in a flue liner and got stuck

This happened on a job in Springfield last Tuesday. I was cleaning a tall chimney with a poly brush on rods, and the threaded connector just sheared. The brush and two rods dropped about 15 feet down the clay liner. I had to fish it out with a magnet on a string for almost an hour. What's the best way to check your gear for weak spots before a job?