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Just realized I've been cleaning fireboxes wrong for 3 years
I was working on a job in Portland last week, a big old Victorian with a masonry fireplace that hadn't been swept in like a decade. I did my usual routine, scraping and vacuuming, and thought I was done. Then the homeowner asked if I could show her how I clean the smoke chamber, and I realized I've been skipping that step entirely. I always assumed the vacuum attachments would get the soot off the walls, but nope, I had to get a wire brush in there and really scrape. The amount of creosote that came down was disgusting, like a full trash bag worth. Now I feel like an idiot for all the calls I've done where I left that area dirty. Has anyone else ever missed a key spot like that and only found out years later?
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oscarwilliams1d ago
Dude that "full trash bag worth" line hit me right in the gut. Ive done the exact same thing with a bathroom exhaust fan once, thought I cleaned it good then realized the duct was completely caked. Youre not alone on this one.
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diana_bell7415h ago
That "duct was completely caked" part is exactly what got me too. I had the same thing with my dryer vent last year, thought I was on top of it until I pulled out a solid tube of lint that must've been building up for years. Isn't it wild how we think we're doing a good job but the real mess is hiding where we can't see it?
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