Figured out a way to clean a real heavy creosote buildup without using a rotary tool

Had a job last week on an old house in Portland where the flue was so packed I couldn't even get my standard brush through it... tried using a weighted chain first and it barely scratched the surface. Then I remembered an old timer telling me to soak a burlap sack in water and pull it through on a rope a few times, and it actually knocked loose about 2 inches of crust. Has anyone else tried something like that or got a better trick for the really stubborn stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

hayden7091mo ago

That burlap sack trick sounds sketchy as hell. You're basically dragging a wet rag through a chimney and hoping it doesn't snag on something and rip apart, leaving you with a stuck mess. I'd be worried about water damage too. Portland houses are old and damp already, and soaking the liner with a wet sack could make things worse or cause rust on metal flues. A weighted chain is still the most reliable way to chip off thick creosote without introducing moisture into the system. If a chain can't do it, you probably need a professional rotary tool or a chemical remover, not a gamble with a soggy sack. Plus, if that burlap gets caught on a sharp edge, you're not cleaning anything, you're just creating a bigger headache for yourself.

alice_kim1mo ago

Hayden, you're totally right about the wet rag thing. I tried that burlap trick once a few years back on my own chimney and it snagged on a joint, ripped halfway, and I spent like an hour fishing that stupid wet fabric out of the flue. Never again. And the water damage point is spot on too, I actually noticed some rust spots on my damper after that mess, took me forever to clean them off.

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