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Got a face full of soot in a tight brick flue over in Oakwood

Was cleaning a chimney on an old house yesterday, the kind with a super narrow flue. My brush got stuck about halfway up, so I gave the rod a good shove. Next thing I know, a huge chunk of creosote breaks loose and falls straight down. It missed the drop cloth, hit the firebox floor, and exploded into a cloud of black dust. I was right there taking a look and got it all over my face and gear. Took me an hour to clean up the mess and another 30 minutes just to get the stuff out of my hair. What's your go-to move when a big piece lets go like that to keep it contained?
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miab87
miab8723d ago
You said it exploded into a cloud of black dust. That's wild, I've never had one completely disintegrate on impact like that. Sounds like it was way more dried out and fragile than the usual chunks. My go-to is just to get my face out of the firebox the second I feel something big break loose.
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emery_miller20
Oh man, that's the worst! I've had that happen and just froze for a second like an idiot while the dust cloud hit me.
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seanjohnson
My cousin's old farmhouse flue collapsed and took out half the kitchen wall.
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