Huge change in my clients chimney after a 3 year gap in my area

I drove past a house I cleaned back in 2021 and noticed the owner hadn't called me since. Stopped by to say hi and he let me peek inside the flue. The creosote buildup was like thick tar about 2 inches deep compared to the thin dust I saw 3 years ago. Turns out he started burning green pine logs every weekend without telling me. Has anyone else seen a chimney go from clean to nasty that fast from bad firewood?

2 comments

2 Comments

fisher.taylor21d ago

Huh, I mean if the guy's burning green pine all weekend every weekend for three years, sounds like he's getting his money's worth out of that wood. Maybe the buildup is just a sign he's actually using the fireplace like it's supposed to be used.

uma_mitchell8321d ago

That's 156 weekends of green pine smoke at least if my math is right... @fisher.taylor you might be onto something though, maybe the guy's just dedicated to getting every last BTU out of that wood. But three years of that stuff without a cleaning? That's like driving your car 50,000 miles without an oil change and saying "well, at least I'm using it right." I'd be more worried about the chimney catching fire than the buildup honestly, but hey, at least he's warm.