c/chimney-sweeps

Question about a weird creosote deposit I found in a flue in Portland last Thursday

It was this hard, glassy black layer about a quarter inch thick that my standard brush just skated over, and I had to go back with a carbide scraper, so what's the best way you've found to deal with that specific kind of buildup?

TIL I've been setting up my drop cloths wrong for a decade after a soot spill in a Boise living room.

I always laid them flat, but watching a tiny pile of creosote dust roll off the edge and onto a white rug showed me you need to tuck the edges under the fireplace hearth first.

Found a whole family of raccoons in a flue in Portland last month

I was doing a routine clean on a big old house in the Irvington area. When I dropped my camera down the chimney, I saw four little faces staring back up at me from the smoke shelf. The homeowner had no idea they were there, and said they'd heard 'scratching' for about a week. We had to call a wildlife removal service before I could even start the job. Has anyone else had to deal with a full animal eviction before a sweep?

Hot take: I used to think a quick visual check was fine for a level 1 inspection, but seeing a cracked flue tile in a chimney I cleared last month in Boulder changed my mind.

I found the crack because I finally bought a decent inspection camera, a Vividia VA-400, and now I won't do an inspection without one because you just can't see that stuff from the top down, right?

Can we talk about how we used to clean flues before the new regs?

Back in '08, I'd just drop a brush and pull a rope, but now with the updated NFPA 211 code, I have to video scan every single one and file a report. The change came after a big insurance claim in Denver last fall, and it adds like an hour to each job. Anyone else feeling the pinch on their schedule, or is it just me?

Bought a cheap camera for flue inspections and it broke after two jobs

I thought I was being smart saving some cash. Saw this inspection camera online for $80, half the price of the good ones. The picture looked okay in the ad. First job, a simple ranch house, it worked fine. Second job, a taller two-story with a bigger flue, the cable got stuck. I tried to pull it back and the whole thing just snapped inside the chimney. Had to tell the homeowner I couldn't finish the inspection, refunded them $150, and lost the whole afternoon. The camera is trash now. I'm out over $200 total between the broken tool and the refund. Learned my lesson the hard way. What's a solid, mid-priced inspection camera you guys actually trust?

Got a raccoon family out of a brick chimney in Tacoma and it took 8 hours.

Honestly, the mom had wedged herself behind the damper and wouldn't budge until we used a live trap with cat food, so what's your best trick for stubborn wildlife?

TIL my old way of cleaning a flue was actually making things worse

For months I was using a stiff wire brush on this old brick chimney in my town, and the creosote just seemed to build up faster every time. I switched to a poly brush last week and the difference after just one sweep was crazy, like a whole new pipe. Has anyone else had a brush type totally change their results?

My old brush versus the new flexible rod system... it's not even close

I stuck with the same basic wire brush and poles for years, thinking it got the job done. Last month, I finally bought one of those flexible rod kits with the spinning head for about $180. Did a standard brick chimney in a two-story house yesterday, and the new setup cut my time down from almost 2 hours to just under 45 minutes. The way it snakes around offsets and gets into the corners is just... completely different. I feel like I was working twice as hard before for half the result. Has anyone else made this switch and noticed a big drop in shoulder strain?

Serious question, has anyone else seen more of those fake chimney caps?

Last week in Springfield I found a metal cap that looked fine from the ground but was just thin, painted aluminum that crumpled when I touched it. A client bought it online three years ago for a quick fix and never checked it again. What's the weirdest cheap part you've found up a flue?

A homeowner in Cincinnati asked me why I don't just use a leaf blower

I was finishing a sweep on a brick chimney last fall, and the guy watched me brush it out. He stood there and said, 'Seems like a lot of work. Wouldn't a leaf blower be faster?' I had to stop and explain about creosote flakes and soot getting everywhere, not just leaves. It stuck with me because he was totally serious. Has a customer ever suggested a 'shortcut' that just showed they had no clue?

Just found out the first known chimney sweep guild was in Germany in 1642

I was reading a history book about old trades and saw that. It was called the 'Chimney Sweepers' Guild of Frankfurt' and they had rules about training and pay. Kind of wild to think about guys in the 1600s dealing with the same soot and draft issues we do now. Anyone know if there are any old guild records still around that talk about their methods?

A chat with a firefighter in Springfield changed how I talk about creosote

I was having coffee with a local firefighter, Mike, after he called us for a post-fire inspection. He said, 'You guys see the slow build-up, we see the flashover. Tell your customers that.' It hit me that I'd been too technical, talking about stages and temperatures. Now I just show them a picture of a chimney fire and say 'this is what we stop.' How do you explain the risk to folks who just want a cheap sweep?

Pro tip: Check the damper before you start sweeping a fireplace in an old house.

Last week in a 1920s colonial in Akron, I spent 20 minutes trying to push my brush past what I thought was a bad offset. The homeowner finally mentioned the damper handle was broken off years ago, and the plate was stuck shut. Has anyone else run into a hidden damper like that?

Showerthought: I was cleaning a flue in a 1950s ranch house in Boise and realized my brush technique was backwards

I was getting way more dust than usual on a standard 8x13 clay liner, and the homeowner pointed out the soot pattern on their hearth. They said it looked like I was pushing debris down, not up. I'd been using a steady downward pressure for years, thinking it was more controlled. Anyone else have a moment where a customer's simple observation fixed a bad habit?

Shoutout to the old guys who taught me to listen to a flue

Three years ago on a job in Burlington, this retired sweep named Frank showed me how to tap the bricks and listen for the hollow spots. Last month I found a cracked liner in a 1920s house just by that sound, saved the owner a huge repair. Last week a new guy asked why I was knocking on the chimney before I even got my brushes out. Told him it's the first thing I learned that the cameras don't show. Anyone else still using the old school checks before they bring in the tech?

I thought a quick brush was enough for a basic cleanout

Did a job on a 1950s brick chimney in Springfield last fall, just gave it my standard sweep and called it good. The owner called me back this spring saying they had a small fire, and when I got up there with a camera, I saw a huge creosote buildup in a flue offset I completely missed. That one spot took me an extra hour to scrape out properly. Now I run the camera on every single job, no exceptions. How many of you guys do a full video scan as part of your standard price?

Just realized I've cleaned over 500 chimneys in the last 5 years

It hit me when I was logging a job in my book and saw the total, which is wild because I still feel like the new guy sometimes. Anyone else get surprised by a number that made you stop and think?

I finally cleared that old farmhouse chimney after my uncle's weird trick

My uncle, who did this job for forty years, told me to always pack a bag of rock salt. He said if you run into a really tough, damp creosote plug, throw a handful up the flue before you start brushing. I thought it was just an old wives' tale, but I had a job at the Miller farm outside of town yesterday. Their chimney hadn't been touched in maybe fifteen years. I got the camera up there and saw this nasty, tar-like blockage about halfway up. Remembered what he said, tossed some salt up, waited ten minutes, and went at it with the poly brush. The stuff just crumbled away like dry sand instead of gumming up my rods. Saved me at least an hour of fighting it. Has anyone else tried something like that, or was I just lucky this time?

A job in Sedona showed me why I'll never skip a full liner inspection again

I was cleaning a big stone fireplace in a rental cabin last month, and the owner said it was 'fine, just a little smoky smell'. I ran my camera down and found a 4-inch crack in the clay liner about 8 feet up, right where the flue bends. How do you guys explain that kind of hidden damage to a customer without scaring them off the whole fireplace?

I finally cleared a flue in an old Seattle house that had me stumped for a week.

The owner said it hadn't been cleaned in over 30 years, and the creosote buildup was like concrete. I ended up using a heavy-duty poly brush with a drill attachment, which finally broke through after three separate attempts. What's the toughest blockage you've ever had to deal with?

Got stuck on a flue liner that just would not line up

Had a job over in Oakridge last Thursday, a simple repointing and new liner install, or so I thought. The old terra cotta flue was a bit out of square, no big deal. I got the new stainless steel liner from the truck, a standard 6 inch round, and started feeding it down. About eight feet in, it just stopped. No amount of twisting, pulling back, or swearing would get it to budge. I spent a solid hour trying to figure out if there was a broken tile or some old mortar blob. Finally, I had to pull the whole thing back out, get my inspection camera, and go up on the roof again. Turns out there was a slight offset in the clay flue I completely missed on the first look, a real sneaky one. What should have been a 3 hour job turned into a 6 hour marathon. Anyone have a good trick for spotting those hidden offsets before you commit the liner?

Just cleaned my 500th flue liner and the number hit me

I always thought this job was just about getting the job done, but hitting that mark made me realize how many homes I've actually kept safe. Found a massive hidden crack in a terra cotta liner on number 498 that could have been really bad. Anyone else have a milestone that made you stop and think?

I always used a standard brush for my 8-inch flues, but after trying a poly brush on a job in Springfield last month, the difference was night and day.

Bought a $400 inspection camera and it found a crack I would have missed

I was cleaning a chimney in an old house in Springfield last Tuesday. The owner said they heard a weird noise, but everything looked fine from below. I ran my new camera up there and saw a hairline crack in the flue liner about ten feet up. It was maybe an eighth of an inch wide, but you could see daylight. Without that camera, I would have signed off on a clean sweep and missed a real problem. Has anyone else caught something big with a camera that a standard mirror would not show?