The brick on a 1890s rowhouse went from black to near perfect in 3 months

I cleaned a chimney on a house built in 1892 last fall, and the owner sent me a photo from the same angle this spring. The soot staining on the brick had basically vanished... but I didn't do anything special, just a standard brush and rod job. Turns out the previous tenants had a wood stove that was burning super dirty for like 8 years straight. The new owners switched to a modern EPA certified insert and the difference is wild. Has anyone else seen old stains fade that fast just from better burn habits?

2 comments

2 Comments

blairtaylor23h ago

My buddy's chimney did the exact same thing after switching inserts.

-1

the_cameron23h ago

Was it just the draft getting finicky, or something else going on?