the_susan•11d agoMost Upvoted

Hit 100 sweeps this season and it finally clicked why I was wrong about magnetic sweepers

I used to think magnetic sweepers were a gimmick. Just another gadget to separate rookies from their money. But after doing over 100 cleanouts this season I ran into three jobs in a row where I kept dropping screws and clips down the flue. Picked up a cheap magnetic head last week out of frustration. honestly it saved me like 20 minutes of digging around in ash on the last job. Anyone else have a tool they swore off until they actually tried it?

2 comments

2 Comments

anthonyhunt11d ago

Wait, what kind of magnetic head did you grab? Was it the one that slides down like a little sled or that telescoping wand style? I keep seeing both at the supply house and can't figure out which one wouldn't just get caked up with soot in five seconds. I've been burned by buying the wrong version of a tool before and I'm trying not to make the same mistake twice.

sanchez.blake11d ago

I grabbed the little sled style one, and honestly the soot buildup isn't as bad as I expected. You just give it a quick tap on the side of the ash bucket and it all falls right off, no caking. The telescoping wand ones look like they'd bend or snap if you hit a tough spot, plus all those joints just give soot places to hide. The sled design is basically a solid chunk of metal with a magnet in it, so there's nothing to gum up or break. Only thing I'd watch for is getting one with a strong enough magnet to grab a clip through half an inch of ash, the cheap weak ones are just wasting your time.