Best Commercial Chimney (Cleaning + Sweeping) Tools in 2023

This post will outline the best professional commercial chimney cleaning tools for 2023.

A chimney sweep is quite literally a dirty job, but someone has to do it. It is the show Dirty Jobs come to life: hands (and other parts) coated in soot after a job well done. But it takes more than just a steady pair of hands to do a great job with commercial chimney sweeping.

As chimney cleaning technology continues to improve, so too do the tools that these technicians implement. Tools can range from basic to comprehensive, but chimney technicians should have several different pieces of equipment in their tool belts heading into 2023.

Chimney Sweep Brushes

This one seems like kind of a no-brainer, doesn’t it? After all, what is a chimney sweep without his brush? Every chimney sweep has the trusty wire brush that they rely on to take on those tough-to-reach nooks and crannies.

In your arsenal, a top-rated wire brush like the Master Sweep Wire Chimney Brush can make you more efficient and effective than ever. It is fitted with a heavy-duty, double-spiral spindle design for maximum effectiveness.

While this is certainly one of the best chimney sweep brushes around, it isn’t all you need. Brushes are meant to handle things like tarred or glazed creosote deposits along a flue, but sometimes, you must bring out the big guns for the big jobs.

Still, every chimney sweep technician should have this available at a moment’s notice. Besides, it would be weird for a chimney sweep not to have a chimney sweep brush.

Power Sweeping System

There might not be a more effective tool for the chimney sweep trade than a power sweeping system. Trying one of the best options available, like the SnapLok Power Sweeping Flue System, can make your life as a chimney technician much easier.

This rotary cleaning solution delivers the motorized capability of a traditional power tool with the durability that only solid nylon rods with a button lock system can offer.

The power sweeping system has an interlocking wire handle built to be incredibly strong while offering adjustability so that you can conquer any flue without having to break your back to do so.

Best of all, there are plenty of customizable cleaning head options. This allows you to deliver the right cleaning method that you need to sweep out an encrusted flue. It doesn’t matter if the job calls for a rotary mole brush or something heavy-duty like the Death Star PowerWhip; this type of cleaning system is one of the most powerful and trusted solutions that is currently on the market.

No chimney sweep technician should be without a power sweeping system to get at the toughest and worst grime and soot. You might as well invest in the best chimney sweep rods.

Polypropylene Brush

The traditional chimney sweep brush is made of wire to grind away the dirt, soot, and grime that can build up in a chimney. But a polypropylene brush is just the opposite of that, as it is a gentler alternative for cleaning chimneys with a certain type of lining.

When a chimney is lined with a more expensive metal, something like stainless steel, you want to ensure that the brush used will not damage or scratch the steel. Using a soft poly brush ensures that any warranty on the homeowner’s steel liner will not become null and void from needless scuffing and scratching.

An excellent choice is the Rock-Pro Poly Chimney Flue Brush. This brush will handle any stainless steel challenge with grace and aplomb. The polypropylene bristles make it capable of withstanding the acidic effects of coal, gas, and oil flues. These effects can wear down other chimney brushes far faster, meaning you will need to replace your tools before long.

Keeping this brush handy is a great idea, especially if you run across round, metal chimneys that are found most commonly in prefab units.

It is always ideal to have the tools necessary to take both the soft and rough approach. Having options like a chimney sweep technician is what every good technician should have on them.

Smoke Chamber Brush

Unfortunately, the flue lining is not the only area of the chimney that finds itself susceptible to creosote buildup. That is why having the right smoke chamber brush to help break up those creosote deposits is so important.

A good smoke chamber will not pose any hazards, simply performing the job as it was meant to. The Stiff Smoke Chamber ButtonLok Spin Brush is an excellent example of the range of motion in a smoke chamber brush.

This tool is ideal for getting into tiny corners or into cracks to get that soot that has become a problem for your chimney. Don’t ever battle those annoying, hard-to-reach corners that you have nightmares about for years.

Industrial Grade Chimney Sweep Vacuum

One of the measures of a great chimney sweep is the ability to do the job and keep the areas in someone’s home near the chimney as clean as possible. No one wants to hire a chimney sweep that will get the rest of the house dirty while cleaning the chimney properly.

A helpful tool for achieving this is an industrial-grade chimney sweep vacuum. One of these can help prevent messes as they build while also removing pollutants that might be released during the cleaning process. That latter part is crucial when considering the air quality in our homes.

And when working with the integrity of a home’s air quality, having an industrial-grade filter is also a must. Something like the SootMaster 641M is a must for chimney sweeps everywhere. It has a double filtration system that can stifle all the debris you can throw. Plus, it has a flexible hose that results in greater reach.

The metal hose and 6-gallon canister offer great resistance to hot coals, meaning your vacuum won’t accidentally combust when you are in someone’s home. This is undoubtedly the best choice for any savvy sweeper out there.

Being able to contain the mess as you go is something that customers will take note of and will help you to avoid any nasty messes that could leave the customer feeling upset.

Full-Face Respirator

This might sound shocking, but being a chimney sweep means constantly exposing hazardous chemicals. These carcinogens can be especially hazardous to your breathing over the long term if you don’t do anything to combat them.

Having a full-faced, powered air-purifying respirator (PAPR) is about as essential a tool as you need in your bag of tricks. These respirators come with a commercial-grade HEPA filter that provides you with clean air while removing contaminants from the air.

Even better, many of these industrial-grade respirator masks come with comfortable padding and an eight-hour battery to ensure that you are comfortable and that you don’t have to worry about the battery lasting for the length of a workday.

Powder-Based Creosote Remover

While several tools can help you get into those hard-to-reach places, they might not make for the easiest of experiences. That is where having an industrial chemical cleaner can go a long way toward making your life easier than ever.

Having a creosote remover like A.W. Perkins Creosote Remover can help you get into air-tight fireplaces. Newer homes tend to have zero-clearance fireplaces, making them a huge hassle to clean properly.

With a powder-based formula like this, you can not only properly clean the fireplace but also improve its overall performance of it by removing any accumulated soot and ash. This will also benefit the overall airflow when it comes to the fireplace.

Chimney Sweep Inspection Camera

One of the toughest aspects of being a chimney sweep is finding all of the areas that might be covered in grime and soot. It’s a dark area, and that soot is black in nature. This can mean missed areas become a common occurrence.

But with a chimney sweep camera, you can get superior results immediately. Using a camera like the Wohler VIS 400 Visual Inspection Modular System, you get a top-of-the-line camera that allows you to adequately inspect all areas of the chimney and fireplace for soot and grime.

You can use this camera as a marketing tool with LED illumination, a waterproof camera head, and a crystal-clear screen. After all, who wouldn’t want to hire a chimney sweep with a cool inspection camera to get into all the nooks and crannies of their fireplace and chimney?

These types of tools can come with an investment cost, but they will more than pay for themselves over the life of their use. Not only that, you can become the most efficient and effective chimney sweep in the business before long.

Having the right tools is half the battle, and these tools will allow you to win the war against soot.