💡Thought Shares

c/chimney-sweeps

20

wadew51•1d ago

Showerthought: A homeowner in Boise made me rethink my whole approach to explaining creosote

I was finishing a sweep at a place in the North End last month, and the guy asked me to show him what I found. I pulled out the brush and started my usual talk about 'combustible deposits' and 'stage three buildup'. He just looked at it and said, 'So it's like the chimney's arteries are clogged with bacon grease, right?' That hit me. My words were too technical. Now I keep a small jar of the worst creosote I find from each job. When I show homeowners, I say 'This is the flammable gunk. It's like tar in your pipe. If it gets hot enough, your chimney is the fuse.' Using that jar and the simple words changed everything. People nod and get it right away. They ask better questions, too. Has anyone else found a plain way to explain the danger that really clicks with customers?

10

ruby_jones•1d ago

Just read that a blocked chimney can cut your heating efficiency by 30%

I saw that stat in a home energy report from the city of Boise. It made me think about how we explain the value of a cleaning beyond just safety. Has anyone else found a good way to bring this up with customers?

1

the_thea•3d ago

Warning: I thought those new flexible rods were just a gimmick

My boss in Springfield got a set of the FlexiSweep rods last fall and I rolled my eyes, thinking my old solid ones were fine. We had a crazy offset flue on a 1920s house yesterday and the flex rods got around two 45 degree bends my gear couldn't touch. Has anyone else been forced to admit these actually work?

14

jason_lewis3•4d ago

My brush head snapped off inside a 12x12 flue in a 1920s house this morning.

The old clay liner was way more uneven than it looked from below. Anyone have a good trick for fishing out a broken steel ferrule without dropping more stuff down there?

4

kelly385•6d ago

Had to choose between a full scaffold and a 40-foot ladder for a tricky job

Last week I had this old brick chimney in a tight backyard, maybe 35 feet up. The homeowner wanted it cleaned and inspected but the access was awful. My choice was setting up a full scaffold which would take half a day and cost me $200 to rent, or just using my big extension ladder. I went with the ladder to save time and money, which was a huge mistake. About halfway up with my gear, the ladder started to sink into the soft ground near a flower bed. I had to come down and reset the whole thing on plywood, which took almost as long as the scaffold would have. Ended up rushing the inspection because I lost so much time and I'm not happy with how it went. Anyone else ever get pushed into a bad call by trying to save a few bucks on a job?

18

anderson.piper•10d ago

I still think a full visual check beats a camera every time

I was on a job in Burlington last fall, cleaning a big brick chimney on an old farmhouse. The owner insisted I use his new inspection camera, saying it was the only way to be sure. I humored him, ran the snake down, and the screen showed a clear flue. But when I got up on the roof with my mirror and light, I found a huge crack in the clay liner, about two feet down, that the camera had completely missed because of the angle. The camera gave a false sense of security. I had to explain to the guy that his fancy tool almost let a major hazard go unchecked. I trust my eyes and a good mirror over a tiny screen any day. Has anyone else found a camera inspection to be less reliable than we're told?

15

sandra_bennett59•10d ago

Heard a homeowner in Cincinnati call our job 'just pushing a brush up and down'

I was finishing a cleanout yesterday and the guy was on the phone in the next room. He said that exact phrase to someone, like it was nothing. It got me thinking about how we explain the work. I spent 45 minutes just on the crown inspection and camera check before I even got the rods out. How do you all talk about the value of a full service sweep versus what people think we do?

7

mark436•11d ago

Finally got that $800 inspection camera and it just paid for itself

Found a huge hidden crack in a flue liner yesterday that I would have totally missed, saved me from a nasty callback. Anyone else have a tool that felt like a splurge but ended up being essential?

8

taylorshah•13d ago

Update: Hit 500 chimney caps installed this season

Just tallied my jobs from spring to now and realized I've put on 500 caps since March. That's way more than my usual 300-350 for the same period. I think it's because of all the new builds in the suburbs around here, plus more people getting inspections after those big storms. It's not just about the number, it means I'm seeing way more blockages from animals early on. Anyone else noticing a big jump in cap jobs this year?

26

marywilson•13d ago

Pro tip: A cheap shop vac upgrade made my cleanups way faster

I got tired of my old shop vac clogging with soot every other job, so I spent about $80 on a HEPA filter and a set of those fine dust bags. It felt like a lot for a filter, but it changed the game. Now I can sweep a whole fireplace without stopping to shake out the filter, and the bag holds way more fine ash before I need to swap it. My van stays cleaner too, because less dust blows back out. The real win was on a big job last week with three flues, I finished the cleanup in half the time. Has anyone else tried a specific filter setup that cut down on their mess?

25

viola_allen•15d ago

A client in Tacoma told me their old sweep used to just vacuum the fireplace

I was cleaning a chimney for a family in Tacoma last week, and they mentioned their last guy only ever cleaned the fireplace box itself. They had no idea the flue needed brushing too! It made me think about how many people might not know what a full clean really is. I took ten extra minutes to show them the creosote buildup in the flue with my inspection camera. Now they said they'll ask for that check every time. How do you all explain the full service to new customers without sounding like you're upselling?

17

fiona_west21•17d ago

My old boss in Denver swore by using a shop vac with a HEPA filter for cleaning up after a sweep, and after trying it for the first time yesterday, I'm a total convert.

The amount of fine creosote dust it pulled out of a customer's living room rug that my regular vacuum always left behind was honestly shocking, so what's your go-to method for final cleanup?

22

hollyl25•17d ago

Appreciation post: I finally saw the point of a full video inspection

For years, I just used a mirror and a light to check my work after a sweep. A guy I work with in Springfield got a new camera system and showed me a video from a job last week. The before shot had a hidden crack in the flue liner you couldn't see with a mirror. After the repair, the after shot showed a perfect, clean surface. That one video convinced me to save up for a camera. It turns a guess into a sure thing for the homeowner. Has anyone else had a specific find with a camera that changed a job?

-2

ruby_jones•20d ago

Found a way to clear a tricky offset flue without taking apart the whole fireplace

Had a job in an old farmhouse near Springfield where the flue had a sharp 45-degree offset about four feet up. My rods kept getting stuck. I ended up wrapping a small, deflated soccer ball in a plastic bag, tying it to a rope, and lowering it down from the top. The ball filled the space and pushed the worst of the soot past the bend so I could sweep it normally. It saved me at least two hours of fighting with the rods. Has anyone else tried something like this for a really tight offset?

-1

tessa_murray•22d ago

Can we talk about the switch from steel brushes to poly bristles for flue cleaning?

I did a job on a 50 foot clay tile flue in an old Portland house last month. The owner said the last sweep, three years ago, used a heavy steel brush and it took him over four hours. I brought my new poly kit and was done in under two, with way less dust and no worry about cracking the tiles. Some old timers say steel gets it cleaner, but I think the new stuff is just as good and safer for historic liners. What's your take on brush material for different jobs?

24

reed.skyler•23d ago

My old vacuum gave up the ghost on a big job in Boise

I was about halfway through cleaning a massive, three-flue brick chimney for a historic home in Boise when my SootMaster 500 just quit. No warning, just a sad whine and then nothing. The client was home and expecting a finished job that day. I had to think fast. I keep a basic hand brush and rods in the truck for tight spots, so I pulled those out and finished the main flue by hand. It took an extra hour and a half of hard work, and I was covered in soot, but I got it done. The homeowner saw me packing up the broken vacuum and actually thanked me for sticking with it. It was a good reminder that the old ways still work when the new stuff fails. Has anyone else had a main tool fail mid-job? What's your backup plan?

12

mary_west•24d ago

Had to pick a new brush head for a tough job in an old farmhouse

It was a massive 12x12 flue with a ton of creosote. I had to choose between my standard poly brush and a new steel wire one I'd just bought. Went with the steel, even though it was heavier. It cut through the buildup in about half the time, but my arms were sore for two days. Anyone have a trick for handling the extra weight on those big jobs?

1

ray_martinez82•25d ago

Tried a cheap flexible brush from a hardware store versus my old rigid one...

The cheap one got stuck in a tight offset flue on a job in Springfield, and I spent an extra hour cutting it out with a saw. My old brush would have just flexed and kept going. What's your go-to brush for tricky chimneys?

37

aaron305•25d ago

Warning: a 3 foot crack in a flue liner almost ruined my week

Got a call for a standard cleaning in a 1920s house here in town. Everything seemed fine until I ran the camera up and saw a huge vertical crack, about 3 feet long, in the clay liner. The homeowner had no idea. I had to stop the cleaning right there, explain the carbon monoxide risk, and give them a quote for a full liner replacement. It was a tough conversation because the repair cost is over $2,000. What makes you guys decide when a crack is bad enough to stop work and push for a full fix instead of just noting it on the report?

14

quinna89•26d ago

The week I stopped trusting the 'standard' creosote test strips

I had a job in a 1920s brick house in Tacoma last month where the strips showed minimal buildup, but my camera found a thick, glazed layer halfway up. I had to go back with the heavy rotary gear, adding 3 hours to a job I'd quoted for 2. The homeowner was understandably annoyed at the extra charge. Has anyone else had a strip fail them like that, and what's your backup check now?

18

the_harper•26d ago

Had a close call with a hidden flue liner in an old farmhouse near Boise

The clay tile had completely collapsed, and my brush dropped straight into the firebox. I only found it because I always use a mirror now. Anyone else run into this with pre-1950s brick chimneys?

2

taylorshah•27d ago

Pro tip: always check the damper linkage before you start a sweep in an old house.

I was cleaning a flue in a 1910 colonial in Albany last Tuesday, and the whole damper assembly came loose in my hand because a single rusted pin had failed. It took me three hours to fabricate a temporary fix on site with parts from my truck. What's the weirdest unexpected repair you've had to make during a routine cleaning?

23

dakotab93•28d ago

Warning: I overheard a homeowner in Boise say 'a clean chimney is just for looks' and it made me want to bang my head on a brick wall.

I mean, that mindset is why I see so many Level 2 creosote deposits and cracked flue tiles from ignored inspections, so what's the most frustrating misconception you've had to correct lately?

12

robertlane•28d ago

That customer in Akron who told me I was 'just a cleaner'

Tbh, I was finishing a sweep on his 30-foot flue last fall when he said it. He called the work 'simple' and asked why it cost so much. Honestly, explaining the code for clearances and the risk of a chimney fire didn't change his mind. Anyone else get that from a client who just doesn't get the trade?

1

the_jana•28d ago

Hot take: I used to think a quick brush down was enough for every chimney

For years I'd do the standard brush and call it good, maybe 20 minutes tops. Then last fall in Cincinnati, a customer showed me the security camera footage from inside their flue. After my 'clean', you could still see big chunks of glazed creosote stuck to the tiles like tar. That visual proof changed my whole process. Now I always bring my inspection camera and spend at least an hour on every job, making sure to scrape those hard spots. Has anyone else had a moment like that where a customer showed you something you missed?