Hit 500 flue inspections last month and the pattern finally clicked

I passed the 500th flue inspection for the year last month, which surprised me because I started this trade in 2019 with maybe 40 total. The number mattered because it forced me to actually log every job, not just eyeball it. Turns out 83% of the creosote buildup issues I saw were in homes with offset chimneys or capped tops that were too small. That stat made me change how I quote jobs, I now spend 10 extra minutes measuring the crown before I even open my brush kit. Has anyone else noticed a specific number of jobs changing how they approach a routine sweep?

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blake_williams12d ago

Damn right it clicks. I hit 300 furnace cleanings in my second year and suddenly realized every rattling blower I fixed had the same cheap filter someone shoved in sideways. That number changed my whole inspection checklist, now I check the filter rack before I even pull the access panel. It's wild how the volume forces you to see patterns you'd miss when you're just doing one-off jobs here and there. Ten extra minutes measuring the crown sounds exactly like the kind of thing most guys would skip, but it's probably saving you callbacks left and right. Good on you for actually logging the work too, most sweepers I know just go off gut feel and never see the numbers.