Found a way to clean really stubborn glaze off with aluminum foil

So I had this one flue last Thursday that was absolutely caked in that hard glossy glaze from a wood stove that burned way too hot. I tried my regular rotary brush kit and it barely touched it, spent 45 minutes just scratching the surface. A buddy who works on industrial boilers told me to crumple up some heavy duty aluminum foil and run it up and down the chimney a few times before using the brush again. Figured it sounded crazy but I was out of options, so I gave it a shot. That foil scraped off the worst of the glaze in about 10 minutes flat and then my brush finished the rest easy. Has anyone else tried something weird like this that actually worked for tough glaze?

3 comments

3 Comments

milacraig20d ago

Whoa, that is wild! Did the foil leave any scratches or gouges in the flue liner itself?

ellis.leo20d ago

@milacraig just used a heat shield gasket under the foil and that solved it for me.

the_amy19d ago

Wait the foil didn't leave any scratches at all? That's honestly shocking to me because I tried the foil trick once and it left these tiny little hairline marks all over the flue liner and I was so mad about it. I had to take a wire brush to try and smooth them out and it was a total disaster. The fact that someone a heat shield gasket under there and it worked perfectly is blowing my mind right now. I never even thought about putting something between the foil and the liner to stop the scratching. I guess I was just too rough with it or maybe my foil was a cheaper brand that was more abrasive or something.