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That week in January where every job was a creosote monster
We had a cold snap in my town, and folks ran their wood stoves non-stop for about ten days straight. I went to six houses in a row where the flues were just packed with thick, tarry creosote, way worse than normal. The worst one took me over three hours with rods and a heavy duty brush to clear out. Has anyone else seen a spike like that after a sudden freeze?
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lily5745mo ago
Roll my eyes a little at all the panic. I swept my own flue last January and it was maybe 20 minutes of work, nothing crazy. People act like a little cold weather means the sky is falling but half those houses probably just needed a basic cleanout they ignored for years. Is it really that big of a deal if you do regular maintenance?
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evan4696mo ago
That cold snap was brutal, but the real issue is probably the wood people were burning. Wet or green wood makes way more creosote than dry stuff, no matter how cold it gets. I bet a lot of folks were caught off guard and burned whatever they had on hand. It's a good reminder to always keep a dry, seasoned stack ready for winter.
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nancy_owens6mo ago
You're right about the wood, but what about the chimneys themselves? A lot of those older houses haven't had a proper sweep in years. Add wet wood to a clogged flue and you're just asking for trouble. Maybe the cold snap just showed us how many people are behind on basic maintenance. Isn't it scary to think how many fires could have started?
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