Tools Chimney Sweeps Use

While your fireplace and stove are taking the chill out of your bones, your chimney is working hard to remove the smoke and fumes from your living space. Its ingenious design enables the open flue at the chimney top to vent these harmful byproducts while keeping your firebox dry. Just like an ashtray needs cleaning to remove piles of ash and other remnants, so too does the chimney. But you can’t wash the chimney flue in your sink! It requires trained professionals and specialized tools and equipment to clean the chimney safely and efficiently. So, what tools do you need to sweep a chimney? To answer that question and more, here are the tools professional chimney sweeps use:

Chimney Brushes and Rods

Since a chimney sweep never knows what to expect, they carry several different kinds of brushes and rods to clean the flue:

• Wire Brushes: The stiff, durable wire bristles allow a sweep to aggressively scrape stubborn creosote and soot from the interior walls of traditional masonry chimneys with clay flue tiles.
• Polypropylene (Poly) Brushes: These brushes have softer, plastic bristles, making them ideal for cleaning metal chimneys, stainless steel liners, and more delicate flues without damage or voiding warranties.
• Smoke Chamber Brushes: Designed with a unique shape, this brush helps chimney professionals effectively scrub the curved, hard-to-reach masonry walls inside the narrow smoke chamber.
• Flexible Chimney Rods: This brush is attached to a long, interlocking rod, typically made of polypropylene. They allow the sweep to extend the brush all the way up the flue, even navigating around bends and offsets in the chimney.

Power Sweeping Systems

For heavy-duty or glazed creosote buildup, modern sweeps often use rotary cleaning systems. These motorized systems connect to rods and feature spinning nylon whips or specialized cleaning heads that use centrifugal force to scrub the flue walls quickly and thoroughly.

HEPA Vacuum 

Unlike a standard shop vacuum, professional chimney sweeps use industrial-strength vacuums with HEPA filters to prevent dust and harmful contaminants from spreading into your living space.

Video Inspection Cameras

A small video camera on a flexible cable is lowered or raised into the flue, so the chimney sweep (and the client) can see a clear and detailed image of the entire interior in real-time on the monitor. It exposes even minute cracks, loose flue tiles, missing mortar joints, or blockages that are difficult to see with the naked eye.

Creosote Remover

For particularly challenging third-degree or glazed creosote, a professional sweep may apply powder-based or chemical creosote removers that work to break down the hardened and flammable material, making it easier to remove with mechanical brushes.

Ladders 

Sturdy ladders, harnesses, and protection gear are critical for safely accessing the roof to clean and inspect the chimney crown, cap, and flashing.

Safety Gear

Professionals always wear protective gear, including respirators, masks, safety goggles, and gloves, to prevent inhalation and skin contact with hazardous materials in the chimney flue.

Call Advance Chimney Sweeps for Your Annual Cleaning 

Have you cleaned your chimney lately? As the most trusted industry professionals from western Pennsylvania to north-central West Virginia, Advanced Chimney Sweeps is the top choice for cleaning, inspections, repairs, and new installations. Our certified chimney sweeps proudly serve the Greater Pittsburgh region, including Trafford, Wexford, Finleyville, and Osage, WV. Contact us to schedule your appointment today!