That one Tuesday where everything went wrong from the first job

I had a day last spring where I showed up at a house in Beaverton and the homeowner had stuffed a trash bag full of wet newspapers up into the flue to stop a draft. Took me an extra 45 minutes just to pull all that soggy mess out with a shop vac. Then the second call had a raccoon nest that had been there so long the bones were crumbling when I touched them. Has anyone else dealt with homeowners trying to fix drafts with household junk like that?

3 comments

3 Comments

dakotawood19d ago

Oh man, wet newspapers in a flue is a new one for me but I've pulled out everything from old tshirts to a whole roll of fiberglass insulation someone just shoved up there. The raccoon bones thing is rough though, I had a similar situation where a squirrel got stuck and decomposed so bad the smell hung around for three days no matter how much I cleaned. Best bet for drafts is just getting a proper flue balloon or having a pro install a top sealing damper, stuff like newspapers and rags just causes moisture problems and makes a mess you'll have to deal with later.

nancybailey19d agoTop Commenter

@dakotawood you ever try a chimney sheep? Sounds weird but it's basically a wool plug you stuff up there. I had the same draft problem last winter. Put one in and it stopped the cold air completely. No moisture issues either since wool breathes. Way easier than messing with newspapers or rags that just turn into a moldy mess.

miam753d ago

Wool's the only thing that won't trap moisture or rot like everything else.