c/chimney-sweeps

TIL I was using too much water in my mortar mixing

For years I'd mix my chimney mortar like I was making pancake batter... runny and smooth. Then about 2 months ago on a job in Greenville, an old mason named Pete watched me and said "son, you're washing out the lime." He showed me to mix it stiff, almost crumbly, and just tap it in with the trowel. Now my repairs hold way better and I don't get those hairline cracks after a week. Anyone else learn a mixing trick that changed their whole approach?

Why does nobody talk about how often flex pipes fail

I used to swear by flex pipes for tight chimney offsets, but one cracked mid job on a house in Denver last Tuesday. Water got into the liner and the homeowner's ceiling started dripping within 20 minutes. Had to rip it all out and replace with rigid sections. Has anyone else had flex pipes split on them randomly like that?

Found a 200-year-old chimney sweep log in an old house I was cleaning

I was working a job in an 1850s row house in Baltimore last month and found a handwritten log tucked behind a loose brick in the flue. The sweep back in 1832 recorded cleaning 14 chimneys in one day and noted which ones had "ill-drawn flues" that needed extra work. Who knew sweeps back then kept such detailed records? Has anyone else found old tools or notes tucked away in a chimney?

PSA: My creosote log nearly caused a chimney fire

I was out in Omaha last Thursday on a routine sweep for Mrs. Davison when I noticed this thick, flaky creosote buildup about 3 feet down the flue. She told me she'd been using those creosote sweeping logs every month thinking it'd replace a real cleaning. I had to show her the 2 inch layer of hard glaze that was still there, and explained those logs can actually make stuff worse by loosening big chunks that then block the flue. Have any of you run into clients who swear by those things?

Had an old-timer show me a trick with a shop vac and a wire brush today

I was cleaning a real nasty creosote buildup in a 1920s house in Oak Park and this guy who's been sweeping since the 70s walks up and says 'you're fighting it wrong.' He showed me how to tape a stiff wire brush to the end of the vac hose so you're sucking up dust while you scrub, and it cut my time on that job by like an hour. Has anyone else tried rigging up something like that?

Saw a chimney go from smoke belcher to clean burn in 20 minutes

Been sweeping for 8 years now. Had a job last week in Brookline where the customer said her fireplace smoked out the living room every time. Pulled out a massive creosote dam at the second flue tile. Thing was like a hockey puck wedged sideways. After clearing it she lit a test fire and the draft pulled perfect. No smoke at all. Anyone else run into a random obstruction that high up that was causing the whole problem?

Had a crown fall off mid-job and learned my lesson about over-drying mortar

I was up on a roof in Portland last Tuesday, mixing a small batch of mortar for a crown repair, and it crumbled right out of my hand when I went to set it. Realized I'd been letting the mix sit too long in the sun before applying. Now I only mix what I can use in 10 minutes flat. Anybody else had mortar go bad on them because of heat?

Switched from hand rods to rotary brushes 3 years ago

Used to spend 45 minutes per flue scraping with hand rods on every job. Finally got a rotary kit after a bad day in January 2022 left my shoulder sore for a week. Has anyone else noticed better results with rotary brushes on heavy creosote?

Wasted $150 on a cheap rotary brush set that fell apart in a week

Honestly, I thought I was saving money buying a no-name rotary brush kit off Amazon for my chimney cleaning. After three jobs, the bristles started shedding all over a customer's fireplace. Took me two extra hours with a shop vac to clean up the mess. Has anyone else had luck with a specific brand that actually holds up?

Back in 2005 I had a week that nearly broke me

It was a cold February in Buffalo and I had three flue relinings back to back. The first one was an old farmhouse with a liner so rusted I spent 4 hours just getting the old one out. Then the next day a customer tried to haggle me down from $800 because "it's just a pipe." By Friday my back was shot and I was eating gas station sandwiches in my truck wondering why I got into this trade. Anyone else have a stretch of jobs that made you question everything?

An old customer told me my brush technique was wrong and I actually listened

About two years ago I was sweeping a chimney for a retired mason in Newark. He watched me work for maybe five minutes and then said my brush strokes were wearing out his flue liner faster than normal. I was going up and down like I always did, figuring that was the only way to get the soot loose. He told me to use a twisting motion on the way up and keep the brush steady on the way down. Felt weird at first but after a few sweeps I noticed I was getting way less debris caught in the corners. Also my arms weren't as tired at the end of the day. Has anyone else had a customer change how they work and actually see better results?

Had a seven flue job last Wednesday that went smooth as butter

I showed up to this old Victorian in Cleveland and the homeowner said three sweeps already turned it down. Got up on the roof and every single flue was clean, just needed a quick brush and vac. Each damper worked perfect too, not a single stuck one. Finished the whole thing in under 4 hours including setup and cleanup. Anyone else ever get a big job that turned out way easier than expected?

Learned the hard way about creosote logs - wasted 3 months of cleanings

I used to throw one of those creosote sweeping logs in the fireplace every month thinking it was keeping my chimney clean. Pulled out my camera scope last week after a customer complained about smoke smell and found this thick crusty glaze buildup that those logs did NOTHING for. Had to scrape for 2 hours straight with rotary tools. Those logs probably made it worse honestly. Anyone else run into this or is it just me that got fooled by the marketing?

My old foreman swore by steel wool for soot stains and I argued for years

Dave from my first crew in Denver always said to use fine steel wool on ceramic glass panels. I thought he was crazy because it felt scratchy. Tried it on a customer's stove in Lakewood last month and it worked perfectly. Anyone else had a boss give advice that sounded wrong but actually saved you time?

TIL a brush spinner is way better than hand spinning on a tall flue

I did a 3 story flue in Denver last month and tried hand spinning the whole way. Arms were shot after one section. Buddy loaned me his Sooteater brush spinner and I finished the rest in half the time. Anyone else switch and never look back?

Cleaned a flue in Salem last week that had a 30-year-old squirrel stash inside

Pulled up to a house in Salem, Massachusetts, lady says her fireplace has been smoking for years. I climb up top with my camera and see the flue is basically packed to the top with acorns and old shell bits. Took me about 2 hours to vacuum it all out with my heavy duty shop vac. The difference after I was done was night and day - she could actually see daylight through the chimney. Has anyone else found a crazy animal stash like that?

Cleaned a 200-year-old flue in Concord and found a bird nest made of fiberglass insulation

PSA: I just read that a third of all home heating fires start in the chimney

I was looking up some safety stats for a talk I'm giving at our town's fire department next week, and I found this number on the National Fire Protection Association site. It really hit me. A third! That's a huge chunk. I guess in my head I always knew chimneys were a risk, but seeing that exact figure made it real. It makes me think about how many of those calls could be stopped with a simple sweep and check. I've been doing this for fifteen years, and it just drives home why our job matters so much. It's not just about cleaning soot, it's about stopping a house from burning down. Has anyone else used stats like this when talking to customers who are on the fence about a cleaning?

My old steel brush snapped clean in two on a brick flue

It happened Tuesday on a job in a 1920s house in Cincinnati. I was working on a big square flue, the kind with rough mortar joints, and I felt the rod go slack. The whole head, a 12-inch steel wire brush I've had for maybe five years, just broke off at the neck and fell down the chimney. Had to fish it out with a magnet on a rope, which took another forty minutes. I think the constant twisting against those uneven bricks finally did it. I'm done with that brand, honestly. What's a tougher brush you guys trust for old, uneven masonry work?

Had coffee with a retired inspector who said something about creosote that stuck with me.

He said, 'You can clean a flue perfect, but if the wood's green, you're just the guy who comes back next year.' He was right. I've seen it on jobs where the fireplace gets used a ton with wet wood. How do you guys talk to homeowners about fuel quality without sounding like you're just upselling?

Am I the only one who saw a 12-foot flue liner just sitting in a front yard in Bakersfield?

It was leaning against a fence, no cap, and the homeowner said they'd been 'getting to it' for over a year, which seems like a real invitation for trouble.

A change in how I check for hidden cracks in flue tiles

For a long time, I just used a bright flashlight and looked straight up. About eight months ago on a job in Tacoma, I missed a hairline crack in the back of a clay liner that a home inspector later found. Now I always use a mirror on an extension pole, or a cheap inspection camera from Harbor Freight, to slowly turn and check all four sides of every tile. The old way just doesn't catch everything, especially in older chimneys. Has anyone else switched up their inspection method after a close call?

Pro tip: a wet rag and a bucket of water saved my whole day on a job in Springfield

Was cleaning out a massive old fireplace yesterday, the kind with a ton of old soot and dust. Started to get that fine black powder everywhere, all over the client's nice rug... I remembered a guy at a trade show in St. Louis years ago saying to keep a wet rag handy. Dampened it down and wiped up as I went, and it trapped all the dust before it could spread. Made the final cleanup take maybe 15 minutes instead of an hour. Anyone else have a simple trick like that for keeping a job clean?

A job in the old part of town made me rethink my whole approach to creosote

I was working on a chimney in a house built around 1900 over in the historic district. The owner said it hadn't been cleaned in maybe 15 years. When I got my camera up there, I found a massive, rock-hard creosote deposit, about two inches thick, that my standard rods and brushes just bounced off of. I ended up having to use a chemical treatment and come back a week later, which the customer wasn't thrilled about. Some sweeps I've talked to since say you should always go straight to the heavy-duty tools on old chimneys, while others think that's overkill and damages the flue. What's your method for those really tough, old deposits? Do you start aggressive or try the standard clean first?

Saw a huge drop in callbacks after switching to a video inspection report

For years I just sent photos, but last month I started using a cheap borescope to record a quick walkthrough. My callback rate for 'needs more cleaning' went from about 1 in 10 jobs to zero in 30 days. Do you think showing the full video builds more trust, or does it just give picky clients more to nitpick?