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Warning: High-pressure air might just blow your morning coffee into next week
I used to think blasting out a chimney with a leaf blower was the fastest way to clear soot. Did it for years, even bragged about it to my buddy Dave. But last Tuesday on a job over on Maple Street, I aimed my new 200 mph air wand into a flue and forgot to close the cleanout door first. Whoosh. Covered the homeowner's entire living room in a fine black dust cloud, including their white couch and their breakfast toast. Now I vacuum from the top down with a filtered shop vac, slow and steady. Takes twice as long but at least I don't have to apologize for redecorating their home. Anyone else ever get humbled by a simple door you left open?
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the_jordan3mo ago
Take it from someone who learned the hard way that an open window can turn a quick air blowout into a neighborhood ash cloud. Now I tape plastic over every opening like I'm prepping for a hazmat scene.
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tylermurray5mo ago
Oh man, @sarahpatel you hit the nail on the head with the toast tasting like regret haha. I used to think I was being a genius with my leaf blower method, thought it was the pro move. But that cleanout door taught me a lesson I won't forget. Now I take the slow route too and double check every single door and seal before I even turn the air on. It's boring and takes forever but man is it better than cleaning a whole living room full of soot. I finally learned that fast doesn't mean good when you're working inside someone's house.
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sarahpatel5mo ago
Ugh, my buddy Dave definitely would have laughed his head off if he saw that. I had a similar moment where I thought I was being clever with a shop vac and a blower attachment, and ended up launching a puff of ash directly into my own face. Dust in the eyes and a sneeze fit for the next ten minutes, all because I was too lazy to check the seal on the filter. Slow and steady is definitely the way to go, even if it feels like it takes forever to get the job done right. At least you didn't have to explain to a customer why their toast suddenly tasted like regret.
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