Lesson learned on flue cleaning time

[Holzstapel]

I started burning mid February 2015 and burned till about the 2nd week of April. Around the beginning of May I received a coupon from my stove installer about a special on flue cleaning that expires in July. Well, i put it off and put it off and finally called them about 3 weeks ago. The next available day for a flue cleaning is November 2. I'm kicking myself for not taking care of this earlier so i could start burning already. I'm already using oil to take the chill out of the house when we are home. Part of me says I could fire up the stove, the other part says to not take any chances and wait for the flue cleaning.

At the end of this upcoming season, I am going to jump all over that coupon and get my flue cleaned in the summer.

 

[Woody harrelson]

buy some rods and a brush and do it yourself, or call someone else

 

[Z33]

buy some rods and a brush and do it yourself, or call someone else

This was what I did last year. You wont catch me waiting on someone else again

 

[TheRambler]

+1 sace the money and but a brush and rods or a sooteater depending on your setup and be done with it. Some of the best money i have spent

 

[baysideburner]

+1 sace the money and but a brush and rods or a sooteater depending on your setup and be done with it. Some of the best money i have spent

I decided one year im not paying I can do thsi myself..well...I bought a new brush Which when new are stiff and maybe new a trimming for a smooth flight. Well I didnt kniw this and with reckless abandon got on my roof and shoved that sucker straight in
My chimney stands about thirty feet high with a bout fifteen of it free standing. It takes one ladd er to get on the roof another from the roof to the peak so lets say it gives a sense of vertigo and lacks a good foothold.

So I jam this brush in an meet some resistance about two feet down..no problem ill back it out and try again. Im still feeling good. Ok reverse thrusters. Pull..pull chit its not moving. Maybe it will go down now so I give it a little more mustard. Nothing. Oh boy! You know that feeling when u realize u may have just made a costly mistake. well I still didn't yet and back and forth I go, this dam brush wont budge either way the ladder is shaking and im starting to panic. Its mid December and im thinking all the worst possible scenarios.
So being a firefighter and knowledge about knots and leverage I rig a pulley system connected to the brush which is just within reach completely jammed in my liner. This will work. So I twist on my three to one advantage. ..holy smokes Its lifting my entire liner out of the chimney. . Im cursing like a madman my neighbor is beside herself laughing but this chit is not funny, wtf am I gonna do. I was at this all day with no luck.
I did some soul searching, took a mental break and collected my options.. knock down too of chimney cut liner and pretend its supposed to look like that or regrettably call a chimney company who maybe has some experience with this. A cheap diy was now turning into a financial nightmare.
I spent the next three hours finding any one who sounded on the phone like they could even try to remove this brush for under 300 bucks which I would be ecstatic to pay at this point.

 

[Woody harrelson]

I decided one year im not paying I can do thsi myself..well...I bought a new brush Which when new are stiff and maybe new a trimming for a smooth flight. Well I didnt kniw this and with reckless abandon got on my roof and shoved that sucker straight in
My chimney stands about thirty feet high with a bout fifteen of it free standing. It takes one ladd er to get on the roof another from the roof to the peak so lets say it gives a sense of vertigo and lacks a good foothold.

So I jam this brush in an meet some resistance about two feet down..no problem ill back it out and try again. Im still feeling good. Ok reverse thrusters. Pull..pull chit its not moving. Maybe it will go down now so I give it a little more mustard. Nothing. Oh boy! You know that feeling when u realize u may have just made a costly mistake. well I still didn't yet and back and forth I go, this dam brush wont budge either way the ladder is shaking and im starting to panic. Its mid December and im thinking all the worst possible scenarios.
So being a firefighter and knowledge about knots and leverage I rig a pulley system connected to the brush which is just within reach completely jammed in my liner. This will work. So I twist on my three to one advantage. ..holy smokes Its lifting my entire liner out of the chimney. . Im cursing like a madman my neighbor is beside herself laughing but this chit is not funny, wtf am I gonna do. I was at this all day with no luck.
I did some soul searching, took a mental break and collected my options.. knock down too of chimney cut liner and pretend its supposed to look like that or regrettably call a chimney company who maybe has some experience with this. A cheap diy was now turning into a financial nightmare.
I spent the next three hours finding any one who sounded on the phone like they could even try to remove this brush for under 300 bucks which I would be ecstatic to pay at this point.

moral of the story, don't jam a 8inch brush down a 6 inch liner.

 

[bholler]

moral of the story, don't jam a 8inch brush down a 6 inch liner.

I have had plenty of properly sized brushes get stuck in chimneys and it sucks.

 

[Woody harrelson]

I have had plenty of properly sized brushes get stuck in chimneys and it sucks.

was just joking, and I could imagine it really sucks especially with that roof

 

[TheRambler]

Another reason i like the sooteater

 

[bholler]

was just joking, and I could imagine it really sucks especially with that roof

I know you were sorry if it came off the wrong way

 

[baysideburner]

The company I found was as shady as they come but what the hell he said on the phone "hey man no problem" lol.
After an hour of pacing on my lawn here it comes, smoke blowing out the exhaust pipe and hip hop blasting out of the stereo, ahhh my saviors.
"Hey im Mickey nine fingers heard some dummy got his brush stuck"
"Yeah me" I giggled
"Nice job bro" he condescending said.

And with that he places his four fingers and lets out an snapping quick whistle. I hear the rear of the box truck slam open and out comes a giant Russian boy no older than 17 dresses in a dirty white t-shirt and ripped pants. His feet must be a size 17 he is lean and apparently not affected by the cold.
His boss gives him a couple hand gestures like a dog to retrieve my brush. Well Igor understood and single handily flung up a 35 extension ladder to the tip of the chimney all by himself.
This fearless russian climbers this ladder better than half the veteran smoke eaters I've ever seen and climbs on top of my chimney in one swoop. I could not believe what I was seeing . Talk about balls of steel. Well Drago looks down and says" haha brush stuck!" Stickshis massive paw in and as easy as picking a vegetable out of the dirt slides out the brush head. My jaw hit the goddam floor.
"Is that the brush sir, that will be one fifty please."
Best money I ever spent

 

[baysideburner]

Trim your new brushes guys

 

[Woody harrelson]

The company I found was as shady as they come but what the hell he said on the phone "hey man no problem" lol.
After an hour of pacing on my lawn here it comes, smoke blowing out the exhaust pipe and hip hop blasting out of the stereo, ahhh my saviors.
"Hey im Mickey nine fingers heard some dummy got his brush stuck"
"Yeah me" I giggled
"Nice job bro" he condescending said.

And with that he places his four fingers and lets out an snapping quick whistle. I hear the rear of the box truck slam open and out comes a giant Russian boy no older than 17 dresses in a dirty white t-shirt and ripped pants. His feet must be a size 17 he is lean and apparently not affected by the cold.
His boss gives him a couple hand gestures like a dog to retrieve my brush. Well Igor understood and single handily flung up a 35 extension ladder to the tip of the chimney all by himself.
This fearless russian climbers this ladder better than half the veteran smoke eaters I've ever seen and climbs on top of my chimney in one swoop. I could not believe what I was seeing . Talk about balls of steel. Well Drago looks down and says" haha brush stuck!" Stickshis massive paw in and as easy as picking a vegetable out of the dirt slides out the brush head. My jaw hit the goddam floor.
"Is that the brush sir, that will be one fifty please."
Best money I ever spent

that's funny as hell, thanks