Hit 500th sweep last Tuesday, got me thinking about speed vs. care

After 11 years I finally crossed 500 chimney sweeps, and honestly the number surprised me. I did my first few in Maryland taking 90 minutes each, now I can finish a standard flue in 35 if the setup is clean. But last Tuesday I finished one in 28 minutes and felt great, then the homeowner asked if I actually cleaned the smoke shelf. I pulled the camera back up and there was a gap I missed near the damper. So do we push for speed because that's what pays, or does taking longer just mean we're more thorough? Has anyone else hit a milestone and questioned if they got faster or just got sloppy?

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lisat6022d ago

That 28 minute job sounds like the real milestone, not the 500 count, because you caught your own miss before the homeowner had to push back. Speed only works when you build in a mental checklist that slows you down at the exact spots where mistakes hide, like the smoke shelf and damper. Getting faster means knowing which corners to double check, not just moving your hands quicker.