Why does nobody talk about the soot buildup behind flue tiles?

I was at a job in Phoenix last Tuesday, cleaning a chimney that looked fine from the bottom. But when I pulled the cap and ran my camera down, there was a half-inch of soot wedged behind a loose flue tile. The homeowner said they had it swept 6 months ago. Ngl, it got me thinking how many of us skip checking the tile joints or gaps in the flue lining. I've had at least 3 jobs in the last year where the camera caught hidden buildup that a standard brush missed. Anyone else finding this issue more common than people admit? What do you do to prevent it - re-line the whole thing or just seal the gaps?

3 comments

3 Comments

the_lee27d agoTop Commenter

Wait, you found a dead bird back there too? I pulled a dried up lizard out of a gap in Tempe last month, thing was totally mummified. It's crazy how much crap can hide in those spots even after a decent sweep.

violar3527d ago

Betcha there's a whole ecosystem back there we never see until we tear stuff apart.

-1

hall.joel27d ago

Bro, last week I found a dead bird stuck behind one and had to call the homeowner.