c/chimney-sweeps

Wasted $200 on a brushless drill set that just couldnt handle soot and creosote buildup

That fancy Milwaukee set I bought 3 months ago is already locking up because I didn't spring for the sealed bearing version, has anyone else had better luck with a specific model for chimney work?

Found a trick for cleaning soot off brick without water

I was up on a job last Friday at this old house on Maple Street where the flue was caked with wet soot and the brick was a mess... tried my usual wire brush and it just smeared everything. Then I grabbed some sawdust from the truck and rubbed it into the brick dry with a rag. It soaked up the black grime like magic and left the brick looking clean. Anyone else got a go-to for dry cleaning brick when water's not an option?

Chat with an old mason yesterday changed how I look at brush bristles

He said he's been using the same steel bristle brush for 12 years because he hammers the bristles flat instead of replacing it. I always tossed mine after a few months. Has anyone else tried that or heard of it?

That magnetic sweeper tool I laughed at? Saved me 3 hours on a job yesterday

I thought those $40 magnetic sweepers were a gimmick until I dropped a box of 200 screws into a pile of soot and ash. Ran the magnet through it once and pulled out every single one clean. Anyone else ever eat crow on a tool you swore you'd never use?

Shoutout to the old-timer who told me to stop using wire brushes on clay flues

I always thought a stiff wire brush was the way to go. Get in there, scrub hard, get it clean. Last spring I was working on a house built in the 1920s. The clay liner had these hairline cracks I never noticed before. The homeowner's dad was a sweep back in the 70s. He came out, looked at my gear, and told me I was grinding the glaze right off the tiles. Said that glaze is what protects the clay from soaking up creosote and moisture. I watched him demo a piece of old clay with just a poly brush and a shop vac. Night and day difference. The glaze was still smooth, no scratches. Now I only use poly or nylon on clay. Has anyone else seen that kind of damage from wire brushes on older liners?

Found a cheap trick for clearing creosote buildup fast

I tried using a shop vac with a special adapter for a 6 inch brush head last week and it saved me 2 hours on a single job. Has anyone else rigged up a vacuum for this or is it a dumb idea?

Why does nobody talk about how creosote log instructions are lying to you

I had a customer in Denver last month who burned three of those logs thinking it replaced a full sweep and ended up with a chimney fire that cost him $8,000 in damage, so when are we going to start telling people those things only help with surface buildup not the hard stuff?

Bought a cheap telescoping brush off Amazon and it broke after 3 jobs

Snapped right at the locking mechanism while I was on a roof in Portland last Tuesday, cost me $35 and a whole afternoon waiting for a replacement. Anyone else had luck with those budget kits or should I just stick to the name brand stuff?

That old timer who told me to skip the wire brush on flue tiles

Met a retired sweep at a trade show back in March who swore I was wasting time with wire brushes on glazed flue tiles. Said I'd scratch the surface and cause more buildup. I ignored him for months until I noticed one of my regular jobs was getting rougher every clean. Tried a poly brush on that same chimney last week and it came out way smoother with less soot stuck. Anyone else made the switch from wire to poly and notice a difference?

Had a customer tell me my brush was too small for their flue

That time a squirrel fell down a chimney and ran through my van last week

I was on a job in Arlington last Wednesday, cleaning out a flue that had been unused for like 2 years. I get the brush down and suddenly a baby squirrel comes flying out, lands on my shoulder, then bolts straight into my van where I left the side door open. Took me 20 minutes to chase it out from under the seat, and now I always close the van door before starting a sweep. Anyone else ever have wildlife pop out of a chimney at the worst moment?

I think most folks here are too quick to recommend a full liner replacement

Every time someone posts about a bit of rust or a small gap in their clay liner, the top comments scream "drop a new stainless liner in there." But I've been sweeping for 12 years now and I've seen plenty of old clay tile setups that just need a good repair, not a full gut job. Just last month I had a job in a 1920s house near Richmond where the liner had a 2 inch crack near the top. Instead of selling them a $1,200 liner job, I patched it with refractory cement and it passed inspection fine. The homeowner was happy and I saved them a ton of money. Why are we so quick to throw out the old stuff when it still works? Anyone else ever patch a liner instead of replacing the whole thing?

20 years sweeping and I just learned my brush was too small

Been doing this since 2004, never questioned my 8 inch brush. A homeowner pointed out my brush wasn't scraping the corners of his 12 inch flue last Tuesday. You guys ever realize you've been using the wrong size tool for decades?

Finally found a way to get past a really tight 90 degree bend in a flue

I spent almost 45 minutes fighting with my standard rods trying to get my brush through a tight elbow on a job in Cleveland last Tuesday. On a whim I tried putting a slight bend in the first rod section near the brush head and it slid right through without binding up. Has anyone else tried this or do you have a better trick for those impossible turns?

The day I pulled 40 pounds of creosote out of a single flue

Last January in Cleveland I had this job that still gives me the creeps thinking about it. The homeowner called me out because smoke was backing up into their living room, and when I ran my brush up that flue I hit a solid wall about 3 feet up. Took me over an hour just to chip through the buildup with a rotary tool and some heavy rods. I ended up hauling out four 10-pound buckets of that hardened creosote, which is way past what I normally see in a season. The scary part is the homeowner admitted they hadn't had it swept in 12 years, just burned whatever wood they could grab. Their chimney liner was cracked in three spots from the heat, and I had to tell them they needed a full reline before using the fireplace again. I charged them $450 for the cleaning and liner inspection, but the reline cost them almost 3 grand on top of that. Anybody else run into a chimney that was that neglected?

That time I dropped a brush head down a flue in Portland

I was cleaning a rental property in Portland last Tuesday and the brush head came loose from the rod about 15 feet down. Just heard this clunk and then nothing. I tried fishing it out with a magnet on a string but it kept slipping off since the head is mostly nylon. Ended up having to pull the whole liner section from the top and go down there with a grabber tool. Took me almost 2 hours to get it back and I was covered in soot by the end. The homeowner was not thrilled about the delay but at least I didn't have to cut into the wall. Has anyone else had a brush head break off mid sweep and found a faster way to get it back?

Was skeptical about rotary cleaning heads for years, now I'm a believer

I used to think those spinning rotary heads were just a gimmick to sell more tools. But last spring I took on a job in a 1920s house in Richmond with heavy creosote buildup that my standard brushes just couldn't touch. A buddy let me borrow his Sooteater rod and head setup, and it cut my cleaning time in half on that one chimney. Has anyone else had a similar experience where they changed their mind on a tool after giving it a fair shot?

That attic job on Maple Street changed my whole brush routine

Found a nest so packed in there from years of neglect that my standard wire brush just bounced off it... took 40 minutes with a rotary tool to break through. Anyone else switch to power tools after a nasty surprise like that?

Old rotary brush finally gave out on a job in Buffalo yesterday

I've had this steel rotary brush for maybe 15 years, used it on hundreds of flues. Yesterday on a job off Kenmore Avenue the bristles just started flying off mid sweep. Had to stop and fish pieces out of the firebox before I could finish. Anyone else deal with a tool failing at the worst possible moment?

Finally figured out why my brush was leaving black streaks on brick after I switched to a new brand of soot remover

Turns out I was using too much water in the mix, so after cutting it back by half a cup the streaks disappeared completely and now I'm wondering if anyone else has dealt with the same issue on old lime mortar chimneys.

Hit my 100th sweep with an old masonry fireplace this morning

I spent the last 6 months going back and forth on whether to use a rotary brush setup or stick with the manual rods for these old flues. Decided to go with the manual rods because the mortar on a house from 1920 is just too fragile. Today I swept a place in the historic district downtown and the rods worked perfect. No dust leaks, no cracked tiles, just a clean flue. Customer said her smoke issues were gone. I guess the old way still wins for these older homes. Has anyone else had the rotary brush chip out old liner tiles?

That creosote log video changed my mind on using them at all

I used to think those creosote sweeping logs were a waste of money. Then I watched a guy on YouTube do a before and after with a camera scope on a fireplace he'd been using one for 6 months. The buildup was way less than I expected, and he showed the actual flakes falling off. So I tried one myself last week on a job in Austin, and I'll admit I was wrong. It didn't replace a full brush cleaning, but it made the heavy stuff easier to knock loose on a second pass. Has anyone else here seen real results from those things or am I still being skeptical?

That day I pulled a whole bird's nest out and the customer cried with relief

So last spring I had back to back jobs that couldn't have been more different. Tuesday morning I show up at this old lady's house in Pawtucket, she says her stove hasn't been drawing right for weeks. I look up the flue and there's this massive nest - like the size of a basketball - blocking everything. Thirty minutes later I got it all out, she actually teared up and gave me a $50 tip on top of the job. Then Wednesday I go to a house in Cranston, guy's all proud he had his chimney cleaned by his buddy. I run my brush up and there's so much packed creosote I could hardly push through. Took me almost 2 hours to chip it all out. His buddy had just brushed the bottom foot. So here's the debate - do you think most homeowners actually know when a sweep does a bad job, or are they just trusting whoever shows up? Has anyone else had a day where you got both a hero moment and a nightmare fix back to back?

Creosote glob fell on my head mid-sweep last Tuesday

I was working a job in an old Victorian on Maple Street and a chunk of hard creosote the size of my fist broke loose and hit me right on the shoulder. Had to stop everything, clean out the whole chimney from the bottom up, and it added an extra 45 minutes to the job. Anyone else ever get caught off guard by a surprise drop like that?

Rant: Customer asked me to sweep a fireplace that was clearly sealed off

I got a call last Tuesday from a guy in Maplewood who insisted I sweep his fireplace. Drove 20 minutes out there, looked inside, and it was completely bricked over with no flue at all. He said the previous owner told him it was a working chimney 3 years ago when he bought the place. I had to explain there's nothing to sweep and still charged him a trip fee of $25. Felt bad but I wasted my gas and time. Has anyone else run into people who don't know their own fireplace is fake?