Showerthought: The difference 2 years of dry ash buildup made on a single flue

I cleaned a house in Raleigh last month where the homeowner swore they had it swept annually. Pulled out almost 4 inches of packed dry ash from the bottom 3 feet of the flue - the top half was totally clean. They had a wood stove insert installed 2 years back and never changed their sweeping routine. How do you guys handle customers who think one sweep a year is always enough no matter what they burn?

2 comments

2 Comments

oliver24217h ago

Heard an old sweeper say ash piles can actually trap heat near the base.

coleman.christopher1d ago

Whoa, hold up. I mean, is it really that big of a deal though? A few inches of ash in the bottom of a flue sounds more like a minor annoyance than a major hazard. Ash doesn't burn, right? It's just dusty. I sweep my own chimney and I'm pretty sure there's always some leftover crap at the bottom that never seems to cause any problems. Seems like you're maybe overthinking it a bit. Unless you're dealing with creosote glazing the whole thing, a little packed ash is probably just gonna sit there.