the_tessa•2mo agoOG Member

I finally switched from a standard brush to a rotary whip system

For years I used the same old stiff brush and rods, and a job in a 1920s house in Cincinnati last fall was the breaking point. The creosote was so thick and hard it took me six hours and I was completely worn out. I bought a SootSweeper rotary kit the next week, and now that same type of job takes about two hours with way less arm strain. Has anyone else made a big tool switch that saved their back and their schedule?

4 comments

4 Comments

brianreed2mo ago

Six hours on one chimney in Cincinnati, that's brutal. I've seen some bad creosote but that sounds like a nightmare. I can't imagine going back to rods after that. What did you do with all the extra time on your next job?

claire_davis312mo ago

Honestly Brian, I don't see it as "extra time" on the next job. A six hour fight like that just means the next one feels easier by comparison, lol. It's all part of the grind.

vera1952mo ago

My buddy had a job like that last winter, took him forever and he said exactly what @claire_davis31 did, the next few felt like a breeze.

jakeb811mo ago

Yeah, that "six hour fight" feeling is the worst, it just drains you for the whole next day. My big switch was finally getting a good HEPA vacuum setup instead of just trying to tarp and sweep everything clean. It cut my cleanup time in half, easy, and my truck cab doesn't smell like soot anymore. That extra time lets me actually check the firebox and damper closely without rushing. It's one of those things you put off buying, but once you have it, you wonder how you ever worked without it.