Got stuck on a weird blockage in a 1920s flue for almost a full day

I had a job last week in the old part of town, a house from the 1920s. The owner said the fireplace hadn't drawn right in years. I went up with my rods and brushes, expecting the usual soot and maybe a bird nest. About 15 feet down, I hit something solid that wasn't rock or mortar. It felt like metal, but it was giving a little. I tried everything, my standard hooks, even a camera. Turns out it was an old, collapsed metal flue liner from a long gone insert, all crumpled up and wedged in there. I had to carefully cut it apart with a sawzall blade taped to a pole, piece by tiny piece. What should have been a two hour sweep turned into an eight hour puzzle. Has anyone else found something like that? What's the weirdest thing you've pulled from a chimney?

2 comments

2 Comments

roberts.diana7h agoMost Upvoted

Sounds like you made that job way harder than it needed to be. A good inspector with a proper camera would have spotted that liner collapse before you even went up on the roof. Sometimes the old school way just wastes a client's time and money, don't you think?

evana712h agoTop Commenter

Actually, a camera can't always tell the difference between a full liner collapse and just some normal settling (the shadows and angles can trick you). You still have to go up there to confirm it and see the full scope. The old school way finds problems the camera misses sometimes, like small cracks or weak spots around the edges. It's not about being harder, it's about being sure. So you use both to give the client the full picture, not just the easy one.