Update: I thought those chimney sweep vacuums with the beater bar were a gimmick until a job in Boise changed my mind

Rowan Hunt · 2026-10-10T11:35:03.741017+00:00

I always figured a regular shop vac with a HEPA filter was all you needed for soot cleanup, so I blew off the guys telling me to get a vacuum with a beater bar for years. Then I did a 1940s bungalow in Boise where the creosote was baked onto the smoke shelf, and my shop vac just polished it into a stain. A guy named Rick lent me his setup with the beater bar for one flue and it pulled a full cup of dry flakes off in about 10 minutes. Anyone else running one of these on older fireplaces, or is it overkill for most of your jobs?

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Update: I thought those chimney sweep vacuums with the beater bar were a gimmick until a job in Boise changed my mind | Chimney Sweeps - HW Forums