Switched from a basic brush to a rotary whip for a tough creosote job

I had this one house in Springfield with a chimney that hadn't been cleaned in maybe 15 years. The creosote was like tar, and my regular poly brush just wasn't cutting it, it was taking forever. After two hours of scraping, I was only halfway up. So I went and got my SootSweeper rotary whip head, the one with the chains. Put it on my drill and went back up. The difference was crazy. What took me two hours of hard work before, I finished the rest of the flue in about 20 minutes. The chains just shattered that glazed stage 3 creosote into dust. It was a total game changer for those really bad jobs. I'm never going back to just a brush for the heavy stuff. Anyone else have a go-to tool for breaking through that rock-hard buildup?

2 comments

2 Comments

white.seth18d ago

Honestly, how did we ever get anything done before power tools? I remember trying to chip away at that kind of baked-on mess with just a hand brush and a scraper. Felt like I was trying to dig a hole with a spoon. My arms would be dead for two days after a job like that. The first time I used a whip and heard that stuff just crumble, it was like magic. Total back saver.

haydenj9018d agoMost Upvoted

Ever try a wire wheel on a drill?