I tried one of those fancy magnetic sweep systems last month on a job in Portland. The magnet lost grip on the third pull and dropped the brush head right into a customer's fireplace. Cost me 200 bucks to have a guy come out and fish it out with a camera. The old school rod and brush method never lets me down. Anyone else get burned by a gimmick tool like that?
Passed my chimney safety inspection cert last month. Felt great. Then I read the NFPA 211 report from 2023. Turns out over 25,000 house fires a year in the US start from chimney issues. That number blew my mind. I always knew it was dangerous but didn't realize it was that huge. Most of those fires were from creosote buildup over 1/4 inch thick. Makes me double check my work on every job now. Anyone else get surprised by the real numbers behind this trade?
I had three chimney sweeps booked for Tuesday and every single one fell through. First guy called in sick, second one showed up with the wrong size brushes, and the third just never answered his phone. I spent almost 4 hours rescheduling everyone and had to explain to two angry customers why their appointments got pushed back. Has anyone else had a week where everything just falls apart like that?
The homeowner said they've been burning in it for 40 years without issues, but I'm wondering how long that luck can hold out has anyone dealt with convincing someone to add a liner in a situation like that?
I was on a 3-story house in the Pearl District and halfway through the second flue I realized my poly brush was only hitting on one side. The customer wanted me to check all four flues so I had to keep going but I knew the brush was shot. When I got home I took a closer look and the bristles on the left were almost gone while the right side looked fine. Turns out I was holding the rods at a slight angle without thinking about it. Anyone else ever catch themselves doing that and have to retrain their hands?
I ordered a 6-piece chimney brush set from some website last month for about $40. The bristles started falling out after my second job and one of the wire handles bent on a straight flue. Has anyone found a decent budget brush that actually holds up for more than a few sweeps?
I was working this old house in Phoenix back in August, 110 degrees outside and the owner had the AC blasting. I was up on the roof sweeping a flue that hadn't been cleaned in like 15 years. The creosote was so thick it was practically a solid layer. I got complacent and reached into the firebox to pull out a damper plate without checking if it was cool first. That metal was hot enough to leave a blister across my forearm. I just wrapped it with a rag and finished the job because the homeowner was already complaining about the heat coming in through the open roof access. Took me 3 hours total and the owner tried to haggle me down 50 bucks because I left a little soot on her carpet. Anyone else have customers who don't care about safety just their floors?
Used a wire brush for 5 years and finally tried a poly one on a tight flue in a 1920s house yesterday. Way less dust flying back at me; anyone find poly better for narrow chimneys?
Was reading through some old NFPA stuff I found online last night and saw that creosote can catch fire at way lower temps than I thought. I always figured it needed a pretty hot fire but 451 is not that high. That really makes me think twice about skipping a mid season clean. How often do you guys actually check your customers creosote buildup?
I had a call last Tuesday from a lady in Springfield who said her fireplace was smoking back into the living room. Got up there and found a massive bird nest fully packed into the flue, must have been three feet deep and took me an hour to pull out. Has anyone else dealt with a nest that big after a dry spring?
I was cleaning a flue at a house in my neighborhood when the handle snapped clean off. That brush had been with me since I started sweeping 25 years ago with my uncle. We used to think you had to crank it for 20 minutes to get a chimney clean, but now I just use a rotary system and im done in 5. Anyone else hang onto old tools way longer than they should?
I got a call last Tuesday from an old house in Portland where the owner said her stove was smoking back into the room. When I got there and ran my brush up the flue, it barely moved at first. I had to use a rotary tool with a chain knocker to break through a solid layer of glazed creosote, and it took me over two hours just to clear the first bend. The pile on my drop cloth was bigger than anything I've seen in five years of sweeping. Has anyone else run into glazed creosote that bad and found a trick to speed up the removal?
I was sweeping a house in Dayton last year and this retired guy, probably 70 years old, came down to his basement to chat. He told me to always check the firebox floor for loose bricks before even starting, said he learned that after dropping a brush through one in the 80s. Has anyone else ever had a surprise like a loose brick or hidden damage that you didn't see at first?
I was doing a routine sweep on a 1960s house in Arlington, and the brush jammed halfway down. Tried pulling it back up, but the cable popped out of the handle. Ended up having to pull the whole brush head apart with a hook tool from the top. Has anyone else had a brush fail like this on a tight flue?
She said the soot lines were too washed out to see the cracks, so now I shoot with a cheap Nikon and a ring flash, has anyone else had a customer critique their documentation and change their whole process?
I was up on the roof near Lexington, pulled the rod back too fast, and that fine black powder just rained down on me - took three showers to get it out of my hair, has anyone else had a cap just crumble like that on an older setup?
I got suckered into buying that fancy carbon fiber brush set from ChimneyKing Pro last fall. The handle split right at the ferrule on the second job, and the bristles started shedding like crazy after about 30 flues. Shoulda stuck with my old steel wire set from Grainger that cost $60 and lasted 8 years. Anyone else get burned by overpriced gear that didnt hold up?
Was going through my book from last year and counted up all the jobs I did. 585. That's like 11 a week on average. Didn't feel that busy at the time but I guess the math adds up. First year going independent and I was just taking whatever came in. Kind of wild to see it on paper. Anyone else keep a running count or just me?
I had this one chimney in a 1920s house over in Oakwood that was absolutely caked in that thick, flaky creosote... after three treatments with the standard brush, it barely touched it. Then I tried a different brand of creosote remover log and let it burn for an hour and the difference in the shine was night and day. Anybody else have a brand that actually busts through the stubborn stuff?
I spent 15 years using a flat cut on my poly brushes, thinking it was the standard way. Last fall I watched a retired sweep in Lancaster round off the tips slightly and suddenly I could get into those tight spots near the damper without scraping the sides. Has anyone else tried reshaping their brush heads or am I late to the party?
I had this old lady in Toledo last month watch me clean her 1940s chimney and then tell me I did it wrong because I didn't use a wire brush like her husband did. Has anyone else had a customer try to tell you how to do your job right in the middle of it?
I've been going back and forth on this for months. The chain flail knocks down the thick stuff fast but I feel like I'm beating up the liner every time. Stiff brush takes longer but feels safer. What did you pick and how did it work out on a real job?
I was doing a routine sweep at this old Victorian place last Tuesday, and the homeowner mentioned they'd been having draft issues. I got up on the roof and saw the clay liner had this strange spiral pattern inside it, like someone carved grooves into the terracotta. Turns out the original installer did that on purpose back in the 1870s to help with smoke draw, which I never heard of before. The flue was still in decent shape after all these years, just needed a good brushing and a new cap. It made me realize how much thought went into these old systems compared to today's prefab stuff. Has anyone else run into old flue designs that surprised you?
I showed up for a routine cleaning and found three babies hissing at me halfway up the liner. Anyone else ever run into wildlife mid-job and have to call it off?