rose_grant78•13d agoProlific Poster

Pro tip: Magnetic sweepers for creosote chunks saved my back after 6 years of using a shop vac on every job

I was dead set against buying one, thought it was just another gadget, but after I dropped 200 bucks on a cheap one and it picked up a whole pile of soot and nails from a 1930s flue in one pass, I'm a total convert. Has anyone else had a magnetic tool surprise them on a job they thought was routine?

3 comments

3 Comments

olivia_carr713d ago

Honestly I read somewhere that some guys even use them for pulling metal shavings out of carpets in between jobs, which I never would have thought of. But my real surprise was when I finally broke down and bought one for the creosote mess, and it grabbed a whole rusty T fitting I must have knocked down the flue months ago without realizing it. That thing had been rattling around in there and I had no idea until the magnet latched onto it. Ngl it makes me wonder what else I've been missing in all those dark corners I couldn't see into before.

jessec3913d ago

Never really thought a magnet could be that useful for random shop stuff, figured a broom was good enough for most messes. But your story about finding the T fitting in the flue is wild, makes me realize I probably have all sorts of junk hiding where I can't see. Actually convinced me to grab one next time I'm at the hardware store, now I'm curious what I've been missing in my own dark corners.

matthew86413d ago

Exactly what happened to me. I had a 1930s flue that I thought was clear, ran the magnetic sweeper through it for kicks and pulled out a chunk of cast iron I had somehow missed for years. Feels like the thing pays for itself just in finding mystery metal before it does damage. Now I run one through every older flue before I even fire up the vac. Way easier on the back too, not gonna lie.