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Saw a guy in Denver using a shop vac on a creosote log fire
Stopped by a job site last week where a newer guy tried vacuuming out a hot creosote log fire instead of using rods. The shop vac melted in about 30 seconds. Anyone else run into rookies who won't listen about letting stuff cool down first?
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michaelgrant1mo ago
You let it cool twenty minutes? I wait a full half hour minimum for creosote fires. Had a guy once who thought he could speed things up with a spray bottle of water. That just made steam explosions and hot chunks fly everywhere. Now I bring a folding chair and a thermos, sit there watching the chimney top until I see zero smoke. Patience is the only tool that works for this stuff.
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sean_green441mo ago
Fifteen years back my first boss made me sit and watch a five gallon bucket of creosote cool for a whole afternoon after I tried to scoop it out hot. He explained that creosote can reignite with just a tiny spark and the bucket could have exploded in my face. That stuck with me. I started using my phone timer to mark twenty minutes minimum before even touching a fire I cleaned. Now I just tell the new guys to go grab coffee or check their phone for a bit while it cools. Works way better than yelling at them.
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