Heard a guy at the hardware store say he cleans his own flue with a chain and a brick

I was in line at the supply counter in Springfield yesterday, and the guy in front of me was telling the clerk he just ties a brick to a chain and drops it down his chimney. He said it 'works fine' and saves him three hundred bucks. I just stood there thinking about all the hidden creosote and cracked liners I've seen from DIY messes. How do you even start to explain the risk to someone who thinks it's that simple?

3 comments

3 Comments

brian_hart27d ago

That part about hidden creosote and cracked liners is exactly it. You see someone saving three hundred bucks, but they don't see the ten thousand dollar house fire waiting to happen. It's so hard to explain that a clean flue isn't just about the soot you can see, it's about the stuff you can't. I feel your pain, trying to get that across feels like talking to a wall sometimes.

riley_gibson1927d ago

Wait, people actually skip cleaning because they think it's just about the soot? That's insane. I mean, the invisible creosote is the whole point, it's like the most dangerous part. How do you even argue with that logic? It's like saying you only need to fix the brakes you can see. Maybe it's just me but that level of short term thinking makes my head hurt.

dixon.mia27d ago

See that everywhere with cheap fixes and shortcuts. People just look at the price tag right now and ignore the huge bill later. Honestly, it's the same mindset that gets you a bad tile job that wrecks your subfloor.