Vent: Had a real stubborn creosote plug in a farmhouse flue yesterday

This old farmhouse near Burlington had a classic 8x8 clay liner that was almost blocked solid about 10 feet up. My standard rods and brush just weren't cutting it, they'd just push against it. I remembered a guy at a trade meet years ago talking about using a weed burner torch to carefully heat the plug from below, just to soften it up. I was nervous, but I gave it a shot. I ran the torch on low for maybe 45 seconds, kept it moving, and let the flue cool for a minute. Went back up with the rods and the brush punched right through the softened gunk. Took me an extra half hour with the safety steps, but it beat trying to chip at it for hours. Anyone else have a go-to method for those rock-hard plugs that the brush won't touch?

2 comments

2 Comments

keithward1mo ago

Vinegar works but it's slow. I keep a heavy duty drill-powered whip attachment for those concrete-like plugs. You gotta go slow and let the chains do the work, but it chews right through. Just wear a good mask, the dust is awful lol.

martin.jessica1mo ago

My old boss swore by a half vinegar, half water spray to loosen those plugs overnight.