Serious question, has anyone else had a chimney go from a solid 2-inch creosote plug to completely clear in under 24 hours after a heavy rainstorm?

I inspected a flue in Portland yesterday that was almost blocked solid, but after last night's downpour, the homeowner called back today saying their draft was perfect, and sure enough, the water had softened and washed the whole mess down into the ash dump.

3 comments

3 Comments

rileyw571mo ago

Seen that exact thing happen with my neighbor's wood stove last winter.

the_pat1mo ago

Hold on, a two inch plug just washed away like that? I gotta be honest, that sounds a bit too perfect. Water can soften creosote for sure, but turning a solid block into nothing overnight seems like maybe it wasn't as bad as the first look made it seem. Inspections can be tricky in bad light, maybe it was more of a crust than a full plug. Still, if the draft is good now, that's what matters I guess.

emery_craig1mo ago

Yeah, that's nature doing the chimney sweep's job for free (and making us look bad). Rileyw57's story checks out, because I've seen rain turn a scary plug into a wet sludge pile overnight. Guess I should start checking the weather report before giving quotes.