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Just found out in a safety report that a blocked flue can fill a room with carbon monoxide in under 5 minutes.
I was reading a fire department handout from the local library and it said a partial blockage from a bird's nest can cause dangerous gas to build up way faster than I thought. That really shook me, because I always tell clients it's a slow risk. How do you guys explain the real urgency of a sweep without scaring people too much?
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gavin_kim7h ago
I mean, I get why people say that, but I feel like comparing it to a tailpipe is a little much. A car engine is way different than a fireplace, and most people don't sleep right next to their tailpipe. Idk, I think if you tell someone their chimney is basically a death trap, they either panic or just tune you out. I'd rather say something like "a blocked flue means the smoke and gas have nowhere to go but back into your living room, especially when the fire's really going," and then show them a picture of a dirty chimney. It's still serious but doesn't feel like a horror movie script.
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linda_reed2mo ago
Compare it to a blocked chimney in your car, you know? I tell folks their fireplace flue is the exhaust pipe for their house. If you wouldn't drive with a rag stuffed in your tailpipe, why risk it at home where you're sleeping?
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