c/chimney-sweeps

4

stellas56•17h ago

Tried a rotary brush kit once after years of using standard hand rods, never going back

I was stubborn about my manual rods for 8 years cleaning chimneys around Portland. Last month I picked up a rotary brush for a heavy creosote job and it cut my time from 45 minutes down to 20. The spinning action just tears through buildup way better than scraping. Has anyone else made the switch and regretted waiting so long?

5

emma72•1d ago

Had to choose between a rotary brush and a manual chain flail last week

I was working a heavy creosote job on an old masonry chimney in a 1920s house near downtown. The buildup was thick and flaky, not the hard stuff you find from wood stoves. I went with the rotary brush because I figured it would be gentler on the aging clay tile liner. Halfway through, I knocked a piece of tile loose and had to crawl up on the roof to fish it out. Has anyone else had luck using chain flails on older flues without damaging the liner?

32

ryanf66•2d ago

Random stat about creosote buildup caught me off guard

I was reading through an old NFPA report last night and found out that 25% of chimney fires happen in the spring or fall. Not winter like I always assumed. It makes sense now since people burn damp wood in those shoulder seasons and don't think to clean before lighting up. Has anyone else noticed more calls for sweeps in October versus January?

5

jamiegreen•2d ago

Tried a polypropylene brush on a heavy creosote job and it melted

Was cleaning a fireplace insert last Tuesday and the brush bristles started fusing together on the second sweep. Learned the hard way that polypropylene can't take the heat near a firebox, so now I only use steel wire for the heavy stuff. Anyone else run into this with certain brush materials?

25

fionaw54•4d ago

Question about that soot stain on my white ceiling I found after a 3AM chimney fire in Portland last winter

Was brushing the flue with my standard wire brush when the soot blew back into the room and left a perfect black circle on the plaster above the fireplace, and now I'm wondering if anyone else has had to deal with that kind of stain on a textured ceiling where paint alone won't cut it?

14

zarap14•8d ago

Hot take: creosote logs are a band-aid, not a real cleaning tool

I keep seeing posts about throwing those creosote logs in every week instead of actually brushing the flue, but after pulling 3 years of buildup out of a client's liner last Tuesday from a house that swore by them, I gotta ask - do they actually prevent chimney fires or just make people think they're safe?

1

derek_coleman•8d ago

Old-timer told me to skip the power washer on a soot job

Guy named Hank at the supply house said just use a shop vac and a stiff brush. Told me power washers just push soot deeper into brick. I ignored him. Used a 2000 psi washer on a 1920s chimney in Portland. Soot turned into this nasty black sludge that seeped through the mortar. Took me an extra 3 hours with chemicals to fix it. Has anyone else dealt with power washer blowback on old flues?

10

davidh88•24d ago

Old brush vs poly brush on heavy creosote - not even close

Been sweeping for 8 years and always used a steel wire brush until a job last winter in Cleveland where the flue was caked with thick glaze. Swapped to a poly brush and it cut the clean time nearly in half plus left way less dust behind. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a big difference on tough jobs?

2

cooper.max•27d ago

Used to think a wire brush was fine for cleaning flues until I hit a heavy creosote glaze on a job near Ellensburg

Spent 45 minutes with the brush barely scratching it, then the homeowner handed me a poly whip and I was done in 10 minutes, has anyone else had that kind of stubborn buildup?

15

walker.robert•28d ago

I used to skip the final wire brush pass on every job

For years I thought one good brush pass was enough. I figured the vacuum would get anything I missed. Then a customer called me back in December about smoke backing up into their living room. Turns out a thin layer of creosote I left behind caught fire. It wasn't a big blaze but it scared me straight. Now I go over every flue three times with a stiff wire brush before I even touch the vacuum. I also switched to a dual-brush system last spring. Has anyone else had a close call with a dirty flue they thought was clean?

22

logan648•29d ago

Realized I was brushing my flues the wrong direction for 4 years

Was cleaning a customer's chimney in Denver last month and my brush kept catching on the terra cotta liner. Turns out I was pushing the brush against the grain of the soot buildup instead of going with it. Anybody else make this dumb mistake or just me?

3

sethb45•29d ago

My dad's 40-year-old brush trick worked way better than my fancy new one

He told me to soak my wire brush in diesel fuel overnight before a big job. I figured he was just being old school and ignored him. Well, 3 hours into a 6-flue clean last Tuesday and my dry brush was grabbing nothing, so I finally tried his way and stripped that crusty creosote off in half the time. Has anyone else got a weird family trick that actually holds up?

32

avery_carr57•29d ago

Found a weird creosote buildup pattern in a 90-year-old house

I was sweeping a chimney in an old Victorian in Portland last month and found this greasy, almost tarry layer near the smoke chamber that I'd never seen before. Turns out the homeowner had been burning wet wood from a cheap supplier for two years straight. Has anyone else run into that kind of sticky residue and found a good way to clean it off without damaging the flue?

13

nora184•1mo ago

That homeowner who watched me work and said 'you missed a spot'

I was on a job last Tuesday off Maple Street in Arlington, and this guy stood there watching me brush for 20 minutes before pointing at a tiny streak and saying 'you missed a spot.' I had already done three passes on that flue. Anyone else deal with homeowners who think they know your job better than you?

21

wood.noah•1mo ago

Forked over $300 for a carbon monoxide detector with a digital display and it saved my butt last week

My old beeping one went off and I thought it was a false alarm but the new one showed 85 ppm coming from a hairline crack in the flue. Anybody else find the extra cost worth it for a readout instead of just a beep?

30

faithf77•1mo ago

That Tuesday in November turned me around on using a shop vac on creosote

I always swore by brushing and scraping everything by hand, figured vacuuming just stirred up dust and made a mess. But then I got called to a house over in Danville where the flue was packed with that shiny third-stage creosote, and I was there for 6 hours with hand tools alone. My shoulder was killing me, I barely made a dent, and the homeowner was pacing around because she had guests coming. The next morning I drove straight to the supply house and dropped $200 on a decent HEPA vac with a cyclone attachment. First job with it cut my time in half on a similar buildup, and the mess was almost zero. Has anyone else had a specific job that made you change your whole approach to cleaning?

22

jessica_dixon•1mo ago

Hit a milestone today: cleaned my 100th chimney for the season, found a baby owl nest in one

Was at a old farmhouse outside of Lancaster, pulled the cap off and there was this little owl staring up at me. Had to stop work and call animal control. Took an hour to sort out but man, what a moment. Has anyone else run into wildlife blocking a flue?

8

parkerk56•1mo ago

Old timer showed me how to read a flue like a map one time

I was doing a sweep on a 1920s house in Arlington and this guy, must have been 80 years old, walked up and just watched me for a minute. He pointed at the creosote buildup and said 'that there tells you the last guy burned wet wood for three winters straight.' He showed me how the crust layers line up with different burn habits. Never thought of it that way before. Has anyone else had a random stranger teach them something that stuck?

21

vera668•1mo ago

Old timer told me to use a shop vac on the cleanout door before sweeping and I thought he was nuts

Met this guy Jerry at a parts house in Nashville last month. He insisted I vacuum out the bottom of the chimney before I even run my brush. I always just swept top down and cleaned up afterwards. Tried it on a particularly nasty creosote job yesterday and man, the air quality in the room was night and day. Less dust floating around while I worked. Has anyone else tried this order of operations?

2

juliagonzalez•1mo ago

That time a homeowner asked me to clean his 'invisible' chimney

I showed up at a house in Portland last month to do a sweep, and the guy points at a wall and says 'the flue is right there.' No chimney, no pipe, just a flat wall. Turns out he watched a YouTube video about fake fireplaces and thought he had a hidden one behind drywall. I had to explain his 'chimney' was just a decorative mantle from the 80s. Has anyone else had a customer straight up make up a fireplace?

6

noahpark•1mo ago

My brand new rod snapped on a job in Portland this morning

I finally upgraded to a stainless steel rod set after years of using the cheap stuff, and on my third job this morning in Portland the middle section just gave out while I was scrubbing a heavy creosote buildup. The top half flew off and landed in the homeowner's backyard planter, scaring their cat. Has anyone else had a brand new tool fail on them like this, or did I just get a lemon?

26

victor_davis17•1mo ago

Spent an hour cleaning a flue only to find a bird nest blocking the cap

Up on a roof in Buffalo last Tuesday, I ran my brush through what felt clean, but smoke backed up into the living room when I tested it. Had to haul a ladder up to the roofline and pull out a tangled mess of twigs by hand. Anyone else ever miss a blocked cap cause the flue felt clear?

28

leo_mason•1mo ago

Old timer told me I was scrubbing too hard on stone chimneys

I was at a supply shop in Nashville last week and this guy who's been doing it since the 80s said I was basically sanding down the masonry with stiff wire brushes. He showed me his worn-out nylon brush and talked about how it cleans better without cutting into the flue tiles. Anyone else ever switched to softer brushes after years of using the stiff ones?

28

miab16•1mo ago

Overheard a pro saying he soaks brushes in fabric softener overnight

Was grabbing coffee at the supply shop on 7th street and this old timer was telling a new guy about his brush cleaning routine. He said a capful of liquid fabric softener in a bucket of water does wonders for loosening up hardened creosote and soot. Anyone tried this or got a better method for keeping brushes from getting stiff?

9

nora_park72•1mo ago

That old master sweep in Pittsburgh told me to stop using plastic bristle rods on clay flues

He swore the plastic would melt and stick to the liner if a hot ember fell, and sure enough last month I pulled a melted mess out of a job in Akron that confirmed everything he said - anyone else had a close call with the wrong rod material?