Once the smoke test found the blockage, this is the cleanout. We clear the packed soot and debris that were choking the flue until it pulls clean again and the chimney drafts the way it should, smoke up and out instead of back into the building.
Clearing a packed flue
Years of soot, mortar crumbs and debris had narrowed this flue until the draft could not keep up. We break up and remove the packed material through the full height of the chimney, working until the passage is back to its original open bore.
The building stays clean
A cleanout like this moves a shocking amount of black dust, so containment is half the job. Drop cloths, sealed openings and HEPA-filtered vacuum capture keep the soot in our equipment and off the walls, floors and furniture of the property.
Proving the fix
When the passage is clear we verify the draft the same way we diagnosed it, with smoke. Watching it rise straight through and exit the stack is the pass condition. The owner gets a chimney that works and the before-and-after footage that shows why it did not.
