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Found a trick for cleaning out creosote buildup at a job in Chicago
I was working on an old house in Evanston last week and the flue was so caked with creosote I couldn't even get my brush through. Ended up using a shop vac with a drywall dust bag and a stiff plastic scraper to loosen it up before brushing. That combination saved me about 90 minutes compared to my usual method. Has anyone else tried something similar for heavy buildup?
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vera51419d agoTop Commenter
That "flaking off in sheets" line hits close to home, I feel your pain on that one man.
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taylor.sean19d ago
Did you try using one of those shop vac HEPA bags with the fiberglass prefilter too? I had a similar mess down in Nashville last winter, creosote so thick it was flaking off in sheets. I ended up going at it with a drywall knife first to get the big chunks out, then ran a soot eater with a shop vac attachment. Saved me from having to run the brush through three times like I normally would have. I find that on really heavy jobs, skipping the initial scrape just makes a bigger mess with the vacuum anyway.
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