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TIL a squirrel nest in a flue can really test your vacuum setup
Was cleaning a chimney in a 1920s house in Tacoma and my main hose clogged solid halfway through pulling down a massive nest. I had to disconnect, clear it by hand with a plumbing snake from my truck, and reattach, losing about twenty minutes. What's your go-to method for clearing a bad vacuum clog on site without making a huge mess?
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valh321mo ago
Ever try using a leaf blower in reverse to blast it clear?
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vera_murphy1mo ago
Yeah, that's the worst. I keep a couple of short, rigid metal pipes in my truck just for this. If the main hose clogs, I disconnect it at the machine and feed the pipe through from the clean end to push the blockage out the dirty side. It's way faster than a snake and keeps most of the mess contained in the hose. For really packed stuff like mud or wet leaves, I'll sometimes just cut my losses and use the pipe to push the whole clog into a heavy duty trash bag taped to the end.
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