04/07/2026
Oh this one was BAD! Blocked And Dangerous! 😓👎
Somehow the tenant was still able to use the wood heater the day prior to me cleaning the flue. 😳
After cleaning out the cap and flue the best I could with my brushes, I ended up lighting up a couple of pieces of newspaper in the base of the flue, deliberately catching the flue on fire for a few minutes to burn out any remaining creosote of the sides of the flue. (I only did this because the flue was inside a brick chimney).
When the flue fire had gone out I gave the flue a good rattle, and so much creosote came off the sides of the flue it almost filled the heater again!! In total, I reckon I removed close to 30 litres of creosote from this flue and cap.
I am almost positive an uncontrolled flue fire would have occurred within days if I hadn't been called out to clean this one. And if the flue had caught fire with the cap and flue being as blocked as it was, it would have burnt for hours rather than a few minutes. Which could have ended in disaster!
Stay safe people! Try to burn dry, well seasoned firewood, and if you have your fire choked down, for long periods of slow and low burning be sure to get your flue checked, at the very least annually, by a good reliable chimney sweep.
If outside the North West of Tassie I recommend calling the lads below.
Southern TAS Chimney Sweep
(Hobart and surrounds)
Mr. Sweepy (Launceston region)
