Creosote buildup nearly caught my shed on fire last week

I was in Greenville on a routine sweep for old Mrs. Patterson when I opened the cleanout door and saw a solid inch of glazed creosote inside the smoke chamber. Ducked back out to grab my chain scrapers and spent an extra 45 minutes chipping it all away before I even touched the flue. Anyone else run into this much hidden buildup in houses built before 1980?

3 comments

3 Comments

vera30821d ago

Whoa, that's scary! I used a shop vac and wire brush attachment to clean mine out.

the_evan23d ago

Solid inch of glazed creosote" in the smoke chamber... did you check the thimble connection too?

clark.robin23d ago

Check that thimble connection right away. That's where chimney fires usually start if the creosote buildup is that bad in the smoke chamber. Even a small gap can let embers fall down behind the wall and cause a whole different kind of trouble. Better safe than sorry with that much glazed creosote involved.