Ran into this 70 year old sweep named Hank at a supply shop last week. He saw me buying a pack of 5 inch wire brushes and just shook his head. Said he's been cleaning chimneys since the 70s and wires scratch the glaze off clay liners, making them collect soot way faster over time. Said he's only ever used poly brushes and a shop vac setup. I thought he was full of it but then I checked a house I did 2 years ago with wire brushes and the flue looked terrible compared to one I did with a rubber rod and nylon head. Anyone else ditch the wire for good?
Guy in Spokane watched me do a job and said I was pushing soot back down instead of pulling it out. Switched to a downward stroke on the first pass and the difference in how much less dust I breathe in is insane.
I heard a guy at a trade meetup in Denver say liners don't matter much if you sweep clean enough, but after 8 years doing this I know that soot buildup always tells the real story so has anyone else had customers argue about liner replacement costs until they see the proof in the flue?
I had this old house in Portland where the damper in the flue would never seat right. Half the heat went up the chimney and I was sick of it. So I tried using a high temp silicone rope gasket around the edge of the damper plate. Clamped it down with a C clamp overnight and it sealed up tight. Pulled the clamp off and now it fits snug every time I close it. Cost me like 12 bucks and 20 minutes. Has anyone else done something similar with rope gasket or is there a better fix?
I dropped $450 on a top tier brush set last spring and my flue cleaning time dropped by nearly 30 minutes a job... but my buddy spent $200 on a basic kit and says his results are just as good. Has anyone else found that expensive brushes actually pay off, or is it all hype?
Was cleaning out a heavy creosote buildup in an old farmhouse near Lancaster and my trusty ash vacuum just died. The motor started smoking about 10 minutes into the job. I had to sweep the rest of the flue by hand with a dustpan and bucket up on the roof. Took me an extra hour and a half to get everything cleaned up. Customer didn't even notice the delay cause I played it cool. Anyone else had a tool fail on them at the worst possible moment?
Last Tuesday I was up on a roof in Elmwood and figured I'd blast some debris off the cap with my leaf blower. Big mistake. It kicked up a cloud of creosote dust that blew right back into my face and got all over the customer's brand new patio furniture. Took me an extra 45 minutes to clean that mess up and the lady was pretty peeved. Has anyone else had a simple trick backfire like that?
Last Tuesday I was cleaning out a fireplace in an old house near Springfield and I finally tried using a shop vac with a HEPA filter instead of my usual bucket and scoop method. Man, what a difference it made. I finished the job in about 25 minutes instead of the usual hour. The best part was how little dust got kicked up into the room. I picked up the vac at Home Depot for 60 bucks last month and it already paid for itself on that one job. My back feels way better too from not having to bend over a hundred times. Anyone else switch to a vac setup and have tips for keeping the filter from clogging too fast?
Spent 4 hours fishing chunks out of a customer's fireplace because a cheap log broke into pieces mid-burn. Has anyone else dealt with those logs crumbling and jamming things up?
Did a cleanout on a house that had been using those creosote removal logs for 3 years straight. The difference from the first year to now was scary - thick brittle glaze coating the whole flue. Told the homeowner those logs just mask the problem, they don't actually stop buildup. Anyone else seen this pattern with long-term use?
I had a job last Tuesday in a zero-clearance prefab where the homeowners hadn't used it in 5 years. There was a massive bird nest jammed up in the smoke chamber and I had to use a shop vac with a special attachment to even get near it. Has anyone else dealt with a nest that took way longer than expected in one of these tight units?
So last Tuesday I'm cleaning this old fireplace in a house built in 1920s here in Portland. I thought I'd be clever and use my shop vac with a flexible hose to suck all the creosote from the top down while I brushed. Seemed like a solid plan, right? Well I got about three feet in and the hose popped off the vac and whipped around like a snake. I ended up with a cloud of black dust all over my face, my hair, my jacket, my truck seats. The homeowner came in and asked if I was okay and I just stood there blinking with soot in my eyelashes. I learned that cheap couplers on those vac hoses are junk and you need to tape them down if you're gonna angle them up. Has anyone else tried this top down method and had it go sideways on em?
Been going back and forth on buying a $40 brush head versus the $15 one for my rotary kit. I cheaped out last month and the bristles went flat after 3 jobs. Picked up the more expensive one yesterday and it cut through a creosote glaze on a job in 15 minutes flat. Anyone else waste money going cheap first or am I the only one?
I picked up a set of those silicone rods for a big job last week on a 12-inch flue. Figured they'd be gentler on the liner and easier to handle, but they just kept snagging on the creosote buildup and bending out of shape. Spent more time pulling them back through and untangling than actual cleaning. Has anyone else had better luck with these things, or is it back to steel brushes for me?
I was up on a roof in north Denver last week, doing a full clean on this old house with a massive walk-in fireplace. Usually I just do wool socks, always have. But my buddy Matt showed up with these thin polypro liners under his regular socks. I thought it was nonsense until I was up there 6 hours in 20 degree wind. My feet were fine, his were bone dry. He said he switches to liners once the temp drops below freezing. I'm thinking about it for my next really cold job. Has anyone else made the switch and noticed a difference on the really rough days?
I had a day last October where I did 3 clean jobs back to back and the last one was this old Victorian in Portland with a clay tile liner that had a crack I almost missed. Found a bird nest the size of a football wedged above it. If that thing had lit up, the whole house would've gone. Anyone else find any crazy blockages lately?
Saw a stat the other day that modern wood stoves produce 70% less creosote than the old ones from the 70s. Found it on a EPA page I was browsing for new gear. Does that change how often you guys schedule cleanings for customers with newer stoves?
Lady stood there in her bathrobe at 7am while I was setting up on her roof. She yells up that I don't need to go inside, just run a brush down from the top and call it good. Tried explaining creosote buildup and how the smoke chamber works. She cut me off and said 'I've had this fireplace 20 years, I know how it works.' I showed her the photo from my camera after I finally talked her into letting me do it right. The flue was choked with 3 inches of hard glaze. She went quiet. Didn't even say sorry. Has anyone else had a customer try to tell you how to do your job from the ground?
Had a talk with an old timer named Mike at a trade meetup last Saturday. He said using a shop vac on every job just pushes soot deeper into the brick pores over time. He showed me his method using just a stiff brush and a drop cloth, takes 10 minutes more but the firebox looks way cleaner. Made me rethink all the hours I spent lugging that vac up ladders for nothing. Has anyone else tried going back to basic hand tools on certain types of fireplaces?
He stood there watching me scrape and brush for 45 mins, then said I was wasting his time because he only wanted the flue clear enough to pass inspection, and now I'm wondering how many other sweeps skip the deep clean just to keep customers happy.
I've been sweeping chimneys for about 3 years now in the Twin Cities area and I noticed something weird last winter. People who burn mostly pine or spruce get this flaky, yellowish creosote that comes off super easy with just a wire brush. But the oak and maple burners? That stuff is hard, shiny, and practically glued to the liner. I swept a house last Thursday where the guy swore he only used seasoned hardwood and the creosote was like tar. Took me twice as long as a pine house. I figure moisture content matters more than species, but has anyone else seen this kind of difference in their regular routes?
I used to sweep that rowhouse back in '08 and the old cast iron cap lasted 15 years, but the replacement they slapped on there is already cracking from the heat. Has anyone else noticed builders cheaping out on basic metal parts lately?
I've been sweeping for about 8 years now, mostly in the Portland area. Last winter I noticed way more customers calling about heavy creosote, like the flaky stuff that's a pain to remove. Turns out a lot of them had started burning green pine because firewood prices shot up. One house I went to last month had a 1/4 inch of buildup in just 3 months, which is crazy fast. Has anyone else seen more of this sticky creosote lately with folks trying to save on wood?
I always swore hand brushing was good enough and those rotary kits were just a gimmick. But last month I had this huge creosote buildup in a flue from a wood stove in an old house, took me 2 hours with a hand brush. My buddy let me borrow his rotary kit for the next job and I finished in 25 minutes flat. It got way more gunk out too, especially the hard stuff. Anyone else fight switching over and then regret not doing it sooner?