Bristle brush vs. rotary whip on a heavy creosote job in Toledo, I made the wrong call first

Had a chimney in Toledo last month, straight run but about 9 years of buildup. Homeowner wanted a quick cleaning, and I figured the rotary whip would chew through it faster. Took me maybe 20 minutes to realize I was just polishing the top layer and spreading dust everywhere. Creosote was crusty, almost like tar. Swapped to the bristle brush and used a chain knocker first... that got the chunks loose. Whole thing took twice as long, but the flue actually looked clean when I was done. Do you guys stick with one method or switch based on what you see after the first pass? Has anyone else gotten burned by trusting the faster tool on older buildup?

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calebrivera3d ago

Ugh, that's the worst feeling! I've definitely been there, staring at a flue thinking I saved time and realizing I just made more work for myself. That crusty, tar-like creosote is a whole different animal, and the whip just bounces off it like it's nothing. Good call on the chain knocker first, sometimes you gotta break the hard shell before anything else will even touch it.