My dad always said to never trust a clean-looking flue... found out he was right on a job in Bellingham last week.

Oh man, that's a solid piece of advice. Sounds like your dad learned it the hard way. I guess the real trick is that a clean flue can lie just as easy as a dirty one. It's like judging a book by its cover, but the book could burn your house down. You can't just look at it, you gotta get in there and poke around. The liner could be toast or the bricks could be crumbling behind a fresh sweep.

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joseph5297mo ago

Know what your dad means, but I've seen some real trouble hiding under a layer of soot too. A clean flue can just mean it's been swept recently, not that it's safe. The real lesson is you gotta check the condition of the liner and the mortar, not just if it looks dirty.

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oliver_fisher6mo ago

Yeah, "you can't just look at it" is right. I used to think a clean sweep meant it was good to go. Now I know it's just the first step.

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