Old timer swore by vinegar for creosote, almost ruined my flue

Guy named Frank with 40 years in the trade told me to dump a cup of white vinegar in every fire to cut creosote buildup. I tried it for three weeks straight in January up in Albany, and it just made this sticky mess that was harder to brush out than the tar itself. Had to run a poly brush through it like five times to get it clean. Has anyone else had an old hand give them advice that backfired like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

felix_hayes645d ago

So you just went ahead and poured a cup of straight vinegar into the fire every time? Not even diluted or sprayed on?

robinson.hannah5d ago

Yeah, the "straight vinegar into the fire" thing. I know it sounds wild but I swear it works. I tried spraying it at first, but it just made the fire sizzle and steam more than anything else. The undiluted stuff poured right on the base of the flames seemed to knock them down way faster, like it cut through the heat somehow. I think the key is you gotta hit the source, not the air around it. Once I started doing that, the fires went out way quicker and stuck out too.