Just spent a whole day on a blocked flue in a 1970s ranch house.

The damper was seized solid with creosote, took me 8 hours to finally get it free. Anyone have a better method than a torch and a big pry bar for that?

3 comments

3 Comments

logan65817d ago

Honestly, @vera195's acetone trick sounds way smarter than my usual brute force. Heard a heat gun can work better than a torch too, less chance of cracking the old metal.

vera19517d ago

My old boss swore by a mix of half acetone and half automatic transmission fluid to soak it. Let that sit for a day before you even touch a torch. Did you try tapping the hinge pin with a hammer and a small punch first? Sometimes that shock breaks the grip without needing to bend everything.

leewalker17d ago

Just a heads up, a heat gun can still get hot enough to mess up the temper on some old steel. Seen it happen.