Vent: Homeowners keep using those creosote sweeping logs like they actually work
I was out at a job in Beaverton yesterday and the homeowner swore up and down she had her chimney cleaned last month. She showed me this half-burned log in the fireplace and said it did the trick. I had to explain that those logs just make the creosote brittle and flake off, they don't actually remove it from the flue. There was a solid quarter inch of buildup still stuck to the walls. Has anyone else had to deal with people thinking those things replace an actual sweep?
Man those logs are such a scam honestly. They just dry out the top layer of buildup so it flakes down into your firebox where it sits and can still catch. If you don't sweep the loose stuff out after using one you're basically just making a bigger mess for later.
@Gavin692 is right about that flaking problem. Had a buddy use one of those logs last winter, thought he was good, then woke up to smoke pouring out of his stove pipe. The creosote chunks were still glowing three days later and almost caught his roof on fire.