Heads up on a stubborn creosote blockage in a flue with a weird offset

Spent nearly 4 hours on a job in Springfield yesterday because the homeowner's insert created a 45-degree bend that trapped a solid 3-inch crust. Anyone else run into a hidden offset that caused a massive delay?

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vera_campbell6mo ago

Didn't a buddy of mine get stuck on a job like that last winter? He found a whole bird's nest and a ton of scale packed behind a hidden offset in an old farmhouse chimney. Took him all day to chip it out. What did you end up doing to clear that crust?

3

dylan6046mo ago

Did he have to use a special brush for that?

6

keiththomas6mo ago

My cousin's place in Vermont had a flue so clogged with creosote it sounded like a drum when you tapped it. We ended up using a heavy duty chain flail on a drill, which was a huge mess but it worked. The real kicker was finding three perfectly mummified squirrels in the cleanout. That smell does not come out of your clothes, ever.

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