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Finally cleared that 1920s flue liner blockage after three days
I was working on an old brick home in Portland, and the fireplace had been sealed for decades. The initial inspection showed a partial blockage, but once I got the camera in, I found a solid mass of mortar droppings and what looked like old nesting material about eight feet down. I tried rods, then a specialized whip head, but nothing would break it up. On the third day, I ended up carefully using a small rotary drill attachment on an extended flexible shaft to slowly chew through it. Has anyone else had to get that creative with a historic liner?
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grant7486mo ago
That sounds pretty risky to me. Using a rotary drill on old flue tile could easily crack it, especially if it's already brittle from age. Maybe it's just me, but I'd worry about causing more damage you can't see. Sometimes those blockages just need a different kind of whip or more patience with the rods.
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the_jade6mo ago
Oh, good point about the tile, but rotary drills for this actually spin really slow (like, slower than a power drill). It's more about steady pressure than speed, so it's way less likely to crack anything than trying to force a rod.
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felixa185mo ago
So you're telling me the secret is just... slow spinning? Man, the way you guys talk about this, I'm picturing someone trying to perform delicate surgery with a power tool in a dusty hole. What's next, using a tiny jackhammer to brush your teeth?
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