c/chimney-sweeps

12

samward•1d ago

The homeowner who timed my brush strokes on a Sunday job

Last spring I was doing a routine sweep in Maplewood and this guy stands in his driveway with a stopwatch, counting every stroke I made on his flue. He told me I was taking 38 seconds longer per foot than his cousin in Jersey, then asked if I could speed it up so he could catch the matinee. Has anyone else dealt with a client who thinks they know your pace better than you do?

21

the_sandra•1d ago

My spinbrush motor died mid-flue on a 3 story job in Austin

It gave up right as I was halfway up a tight liner on Tuesday, so I had to hand-scrape 15 feet of creosote with a wire brush and my shoulder is still sore, anyone else have a battery-powered unit fail at the worst possible moment and have a backup plan for the old school way?

11

lily_schmidt53•1d ago

A gas station clerk in Ohio made me relook at my brush routine

Stopped for coffee last Tuesday and the guy behind the counter saw my soot-stained coveralls. He asked if I still hand-tie my rods, and I said yeah, always have. He laughed and said he quit doing that in 2019 after his wrist gave out, now he swears by a quick-connect system. It hit me different because I've been ignoring the strain for years, just thinking it was part of the job. Has anyone else switched away from hand-tied rods, and did it actually save your joints?

7

gray_patel•2d ago

Old timer told me to skip the ladder strap, almost lost my rig on a slate roof in Albany

A 30 year veteran at the supply house said I was wasting time with a ladder strap on chimney work, so I tried his way last Tuesday on a steep pitch. The ladder slid about 8 inches before I caught it, and it took me 10 minutes to get my heart rate down while the homeowner watched from the window. Anyone else get advice that sounded smart but put you in a sketchy spot, or do you always trust the old guys over your own gut?

10

jana_miller31•3d ago

That old timer's brush angle tip saved my back after 15 years

I was doing a routine sweep on a 3-story colonial in Columbus last Tuesday and this 70 year old homeowner came out to watch, then told me I was holding the brush rod too low and putting all the strain on my lower back. He showed me how to brace the rod against my hip and use the natural pivot of my legs to push up instead of my arms, and I swear the next two flues felt like half the effort. Has anyone else gotten a random tip from a customer that completely changed their technique, or am I the only one who's been fighting physics this whole time?

17

harper_smith•3d ago

That hot roof Tuesday made me rethink my ladder habits

Was on a 12/12 in Albany last week, creosote so thick it looked like bark. Halfway down the extension slipped two rungs on the wet shingles, caught myself on the gutter. Now I tie off at the top and bottom every single job, even the quick ones. Anyone else have a close call that changed how they rig their ladders?

0

xena_allen•4d ago

Stuck creosote in a 150 year old flue solved with a bag of ice

Had a rock hard creosote block 8 feet down in an 1860s rowhouse in Philly, tried rods and chain knockers for 2 hours, then tossed a heavy canvas bag of ice down and hit it with the drill, shattering it in 5 minutes, anyone else use this cold shock method on stubborn glaze?

5

the_charlie•5d ago

Old timer told me to vacuum from the top down, thought he was crazy

Had a 70 year old sweep tell me to start my cleaning at the crown and work my way to the firebox. I thought he was messing with me, but after 3 years of fighting soot falling in my face, I tried it last Tuesday on a 2-story colonial and barely got dirty. Anyone else hear some backwards advice that actually worked better?

12

the_seth•5d ago

My mentor called me out on skipping brush throws on second-story jobs

I was up on a roof in Portland last Tuesday finishing up a flue cleanout and I just dropped the brush after one pass. My mentor was holding the bag at the bottom and he looked up at me and said "you trying to get a recall on that job next spring?" He was right. I was being LAZY because it was hot and I wanted to get down. Second and third throws knock loose that fine creosote layer that builds up in the smoke chamber. I could feel it in my shoulders after the second throw how much soot was still coming down. Now I force myself to do three full passes minimum on every flue even if the customer is watching from their window. Has anyone else caught themselves cutting corners on multistory jobs just because the ladder climb wears you out?

15

abbyd36•6d ago

I spent $180 on a HEPA vac attachment for my sweep kit and it either ruined or saved my work

Six months ago I dropped $180 on one of those high end HEPA vacuum attachments that hooks right to your chimney rod. First two jobs I thought it was the best thing ever. No dust clouds, no coughing, the homeowners were thrilled. Then I got a call from a guy I did a full reline for saying his pilot light kept going out. Turns out the vac was pulling so hard it was actually sucking the draft back down and messing with his gas appliance. I spent four hours backtracking and fixing it. Now I only use the vac for cold fireboxes and do the upper flues by hand. Has anyone else had a vac attachment mess with their draft like that?

3

david701•6d ago

Hit my 1,000th clean today. Not sure how I feel about the number.

Hit 1,000 chimney cleanings this morning. Took me 6 years in the trade. Most guys here think big round numbers like that mean something special. But I disagree with that popular idea. It's just a number. I've done cleanings on 30-year-old oil burners that took 2 hours and cleanings on gas logs that took 15 minutes. The number doesn't tell you anything about quality or safety. Does hitting a specific count really change how you approach your work?

0

dylan_rodriguez•6d ago

Hit my 200th clean brush today and I almost missed it

I was just going through my log book to update my insurance and realized I passed 200 cleanings sometime last month. I didn't even notice. That number caught me off guard because when I started out 3 years ago I figured I'd be lucky to get 50 a year. Most of those are regulars now too. Anybody else keep track of their count or just kinda let it build up without paying attention?

12

wren_thomas16•7d ago

Worst Tuesday I've had in 8 years on the job

Drove 45 minutes to a job in Denton only to find the homeowner had stuffed a whole turkey carcass up the flue. Has anyone else dealt with people using chimneys as garbage chutes?

4

garcia.casey•13d ago

Debate: Should we sweep from top down or bottom up? A old timer set me straight

I had this 30 year veteran in Denver tell me I was doing it all wrong by sweeping from the bottom up. He said I was missing a lot of creosote buildup near the cap and risking a fire. I switched to top down and it takes a bit longer but I feel like I'm doing a better job now. What's your take - do you start from the top or stay on the ground?

1

william816•18d ago

Debate: should we push for polyurethane sealants or stick with silicone?

Old timer at the shop told me silicone seals last longer in wet chimneys but poly cleans up way easier. I had a job in Salem last month where silicone started peeling after two years. Which side do you lean on for residential work?

3

terry1•19d ago

My rotary brush head snapped clean off yesterday mid-job

I was about 30 minutes into a clean over on Maple Street when the whole rotary head on my brush just gave out. The thing flew off and bounced off the firebox wall. I had to pack up and drive 20 miles back to the shop to grab the backup unit. Ended up losing almost 2 hours and had to call the homeowner to push the appointment back. Anyone else have a tool fail on them at the worst possible time?

7

samward•19d ago

The before and after on my brush technique surprised me

For about two years I was using a stiff poly brush on heavy creosote. A older sweep at a trade show in Denver told me to switch to a wire brush for the first pass. I tried it on a job last month and the difference was night and day. The wire brush knocked off the thick stuff in half the time. Has anyone else made a simple tool swap that changed their routine?

24

sethr11•20d ago

Visited a 150-year-old farmhouse last week and the chimney was completely packed with bird nests

I went to look at a job in upstate New York at this old farmhouse that's been empty for a few years. Pulled the cap off and there must have been 20 pounds of twigs and straw stuffed up in there. The cast iron liner was rusted through in two spots from all the moisture. Owner said they hadn't had it swept in over a decade. How do people just forget about something that could burn their house down?

12

leoyoung•21d ago

Tried using a shop vac to pull debris down instead of brushing up yesterday

Been sweeping flues for 8 years and always fought to get everything up from the bottom. Tried strapping the vac hose to the top of the flue pulling negative pressure from above and it caught 90% of the soot in one pass. Has anyone else tried reverse draft cleaning on a straight run?

16

patricia_singh81•23d ago

Old timer told me to stop scrubbing so hard on stainless liners

I had a customer complain that their liner looked scratched up after I cleaned it. I thought I was being thorough but this guy with 30 years in showed me how I was basically sanding the finish off. He said 'you ain't polishing a car, you're just removing soot' and handed me a softer brush. Now I use a nylon bristle brush and almost no pressure, and the liners look way better. Anyone else get told they were overdoing something on the job?

23

miabennett•23d ago

Cleaned a 15-year-old creosote build-up today that looked like tar

Had a regular customer call me out to their old farmhouse, said they hadn't had a sweep since they moved in. Pulled the cap off and it was just solid black crust about an inch thick in places. Used a rotary brush with some extra passes and the difference was night and day - chimney went from nearly blocked to able to see sky in about 45 minutes. Anyone else run into a flue that bad where you wondered how it was still drafting at all?

29

rosel83•24d ago

Caught a guy using a shop vac on a creosote log job

Saw a newer sweep at a job site last Tuesday. He was sucking out creosote chunks with a regular shop vac. No filter bag. No HEPA. Just straight into the canister. Told him that stuff is flammable and fine particles go right through. He looked at me like I was nuts. Has anyone else run into people skipping proper vacuum setup?

0

tessa_hill86•24d ago

PSA: Check your wire rope before it snaps like mine did last Thursday

I was doing a routine clean on a wood stove in a old house downtown and my wire rope just gave out halfway through. The snap happened right as I was pulling the brush back up and it scared me half to death (plus the brush got stuck for a good 20 minutes). I had been using that same rope for about 8 months without really inspecting it for frayed strands. Learned my lesson the hard way - now I'm checking every inch before each job. Anyone else had a close call with equipment failure like this?

14

terry1•24d ago

Talked to an old sweep about brush bristle wear and it made me check my own gear...

I was at a supplier in Des Moines last week just picking up some rods and this guy in his 60s who's been sweeping since the 80s starts chatting with me. He noticed I was grabbing a new poly brush and asked to see my old one. He pointed out the bristles were worn uneven on one side and said that's why I've been fighting with stubborn creosote deposits lately. I never really looked that close before, I just figured brushes wear out eventually. He showed me his brush and the bristles were all uniform length still after way more jobs than mine. He said he rotates his brushes every 30-40 cleanings and marks them with a paint dot to keep track. I checked my brush when I got home and sure enough it's shot on the left side. Has anyone else noticed uneven bristle wear causing poor cleaning on one side of the flue?

28

ryan952•25d ago

That one chimney took me 5 hours to sweep

I had a job last Tuesday where the liner had a massive creosote blockage hidden behind a offset that I couldn't see from either end. Has anyone found a reliable way to check for those without just running a camera up every time?