The week a single brick in a 1920s flue nearly broke me

Got a call for a full clean on a huge old house in the historic district. Spent two hours just getting my rods up the main flue before they hit a solid block. Turned out a single brick had fallen from the lining and wedged itself perfectly sideways. Took me and a helper from my old crew almost a full day to chip it out without damaging the surrounding clay tile. Anyone ever run into a blockage that simple yet that much of a nightmare to clear?

3 comments

3 Comments

josepha3215h agoMost Upvoted

Man, that sounds like a special kind of frustration. I had a similar one last fall where a single terra cotta cap from a neighbor's roof had washed down into a shared chimney pot and got stuck. It was just sitting there, but the angle made it impossible to grab. Ended up having to use a mirror and a bent pick for hours. Sometimes the simplest objects cause the biggest headaches.

phoenix_grant3413h ago

Nah, that's just part of the fun. Half the satisfaction is finally beating that stupid piece of terra cotta after a good fight.

-1

blair_martin14h ago

It's crazy how a single piece of the wrong shape can lock everything up... josepha32's cap story is spot on. That perfect, immovable wedge just laughs at normal tools. Makes you wonder how many chimneys out there are one loose brick away from a full day's disaster.