Heard a homeowner in Boise say they clean their own chimney with a shop vac

I was grabbing coffee this morning and overheard a guy at the next table bragging to his friend about how he saves money by cleaning his chimney himself with a shop vac. He said he does it every fall and has 'never had a problem.' It made me think about how many folks don't know the risks. A shop vac can't get all the creosote, especially the dangerous glazed kind, and you can miss cracks or blockages. It's a small win for our trade when we educate people, but it's a big deal for their safety. Has anyone else run into a customer with a similar DIY story that turned out badly?

3 comments

3 Comments

phoenix3311mo ago

Never had a problem" was my motto until my neighbor's close call.

henry_martinez1mo ago

Yeah that's exactly how it goes, I started keeping a fire extinguisher in the garage after seeing how fast things can go sideways, just a small one clipped to the wall near the workbench.

sageross17d ago

My buddy Dave had a small fire start in his garage from a battery charger that shorted out. He spent 5 minutes running around trying to find something to put it out with. By the time he got back with a bucket of water, the flames had already reached some cardboard boxes stacked nearby. Almost lost his entire tool collection and an old project car. Now he's got two extinguishers mounted in there, one by each door.