Found out a 5 gallon bucket of soot weighs close to 40 pounds, learned that the hard way on a job

Avery Stone · 2026-10-12T09:55:03.966071+00:00

I was on a two story place near Davenport with a big open fireplace that clearly had not been touched in years, and I filled bucket after bucket without thinking much about the weight. Around the fourth one I went to lift it off the hearth and my shoulder popped, then I actually put it on a scale back at the truck and it came out at 38 pounds. I always figured soot was light like ash from a grill, but that fine powder packs down way tighter than I expected. Now I only fill buckets halfway and make two trips, plus I keep a cheap bathroom scale in the truck to check loads. Anyone else get surprised by how heavy a full cleanout gets, or am I the only one who never thought about it?

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Found out a 5 gallon bucket of soot weighs close to 40 pounds, learned that the hard way on a job | Chimney Sweeps - The Community Guide