Rant: My Tuesday turned into a 12 hour creosote nightmare

I had a standard cleaning job in a 70 year old house, but the flue was packed with over 3 inches of rock-hard, glazed creosote. My standard rods and brushes just skated over it. I had to switch to my heavy duty chain flail, which took forever and made a huge mess. The homeowner was nice about it, but I was there from 8 AM until after 8 PM. What's your go-to method for tackling that really bad, glazed stuff? Do you have a special tool or chemical treatment you trust for jobs like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

river_scott1mo ago

Used to think chemical sprays could soften that glazed stuff enough to scrape it off. Tried a few different brands and let them sit for hours, but the creosote just laughed at it. Finally bought a chain flail after a job like yours and it's the only thing that works now. Still a miserable day but at least you know you'll actually get it clean.

alicelopez2mo ago

Ugh, that glazed stuff is the worst. Yeah, been there. For that rock hard stage three glazing, my only real fix is the chain flail too. It's a brutal, messy day every time. I don't trust chemicals to touch it, they just don't work on something that baked on. You just have to power through with the heavy tools and bill for the extra time.

robin_wright2mo ago

Did you ever try a pressure washer with a surface cleaner attachment? I heard it can cut through some of that glazing without needing the full flail setup. Honestly though, for the really bad stuff, you're right that brute force is the only answer.