30 years in this trade and I just learned I've been cleaning wrong

Last Tuesday I was on a job in Cleveland on an old house built in 1927. I was scraping the firebox and noticed the customer staring at me. He asked why I was scraping up so much creosote instead of just brushing it out. Turns out I've been over-scraping for decades and wearing down the firebrick. A guy from the local guild confirmed it after I called him. Any of you old timers ever realize you've been doing something basic wrong for years?

3 comments

3 Comments

mason28318d ago

Tell me about it. @caseyw12 I did the same thing with wire brushes for like ten years before a old timer set me straight and showed me the grooves I was carving. Makes you wonder what dumb stuff we're all still doing right now.

valwest18d ago

Hold up, I gotta disagree with y'all on this one. You can absolutely over-scrape a firebox and wreck the brick if you're going at it like a maniac, but I've seen way more problems from people NOT scraping enough. Leaving a thick layer of creosote on there just bakes into this hard, glassy crust that's basically a fire waiting to happen. I'd rather replace a firebrick every few years than deal with a chimney fire because someone was too scared to scrape. That old timer might just be used to doing half-assed jobs, honestly.

caseyw1218d ago

You know, that "over-scraping for decades" part really hit home for me. I was the same way for about 15 years until a supplier saw me doing it and stopped me cold. I was using a wire brush way too hard on the flue tiles and actually scratching grooves into them. I thought I was being thorough, but I was just creating rough spots that grabbed more creosote later. It's funny how you can do something a thousand times and never once question if there's a better way. I still catch myself falling back into those old habits sometimes.