Last month I cleaned a chimney that hadn't been swept since 1987 and the homeowner argued I was being too thorough

After pulling out 3 full buckets of creosote and a dead squirrel the guy told me his grandpa always said a light scrape was good enough and now I'm wondering how many houses in this town are ticking time bombs waiting to catch fire.

3 comments

3 Comments

drew9652mo ago

That grandpa logic is wild considering how much built up creosote can go up in flames with just one good hot fire. Three full buckets is insane, that chimney was basically a fire waiting to happen with a few layers of tar and squirrel bones. Bet half the older houses in that town haven't been touched since the 80s either, just running on old man advice and good luck. You probably saved that guy's whole roof and he didn't even realize it.

thomas.tyler1mo ago

Drew nailed it about the creosote, but I gotta gently push back on the squirrel bones part. I've cleaned a lot of chimneys over the years, and animals usually build nests up near the top, not way down in the flue where the tar collects. You'd be more likely to find bird nests and leaves blocking the damper than bones mixed in with that thick creosote. The real danger is that heavy, shiny creosote that forms from burning wet wood or not getting enough air. That stuff hardens like a rock and is the main reason you get those freight train sounds during a fire. Still, the point about three buckets being insane is totally right, that chimney was a hazard waiting to go up. And Drew's right about old houses too, a lot of folks think "it worked for 50 years" means it's fine, but that's just luck running out.

troythompson2mo ago

Did you ever see a chimney fire in person? I had one years ago at my own place and it sounded like a freight train coming through the roof. That creosote build up is no joke. After that I started burning nothing but well seasoned hardwood and got in the habit of a yearly cleaning myself. You can buy a cheap rod kit and a set of brushes for less than one service call, and it beats guessing if the guy you hire actually did the job right.