Level 3 creosote is the stickiest chit ever. Highly unlikely it sluffed off and blocked off your chimney all of a sudden. Can you see any visible smoke coming out of the chimney or is fully plugged off? You need a visual of what's going on in there. If you can't get up and pull the cap and shine a light down there and see for yourself it's time for a pro.
Did the poor drafting happen abruptly or gradually? My thought is if it happened gradually it's creosote and if abruptly it's the liner. I'm not a professional or expert but this would make sense to me.
The stove wanted to smoke a little when I went to fire up that morning. I had some draft (very little) and I decided to clean the chimney. I cleaned it and there wasn't much debris in the cleanout so I tried again and it became blocked completely. I removed all the coals and ashes from the stove because I was afraid of smoking up the house. I tried again this morning to break thru the clog thinking it might after cooling down but no luck.
Just another thought- an 8x12 flue seems very large for a modern wood stove, if that is what you have. I'm just guessing but maybe the creosote built up over years and still left an adequate opening until this cleaning where it caught it all on the way down.
This happened to my brother when he had a stove too big for his house. And a chimney too big for his stove. He hired someone with "the right tools" to get the blockage out. The sweep got his "right tool" stuck. Big black blob just above the thimble. Right where the hot air from the stove meets the cooler air in the chimney. He had t0 replace his chimney. Twice.
I agree with your assessment. The 8 x 12 worked great for the stove at the time which was a Riteway 37. Currently heating with an "Old Timer" that I got a couple years ago from my Dad that rarely used it. Heating about 1500sf ranch style home with no effort
well there is always a chain and a big block of steel attached to one end to drop down on it until it comes loose or breaks up. if feeling gutsy cell phone recording video carefully lowered down so as to get a look see.
Absolutely! It's almost 4X what a modern 6" flue stove should have...even if it's an 8" stove, that's still double!
Forgive the dumb question there is no liner or pipe attached to the stove it just goes right up the flue? I am just trying to understand and learn and keep safe.
Stove sits about 30" from brick wall and has a 6" thimble into chimney. Chimney measures approx 22 ft from top to bottom with thimble and cleanout about 36" from bottom. I appears that the blockage is just above that
This is what I have been thinking since I started reading this thread. I regularly fashion a “harness” for my phone. Turn the flashlight on, set the camera to video and send it down the pipe for a look-see.
If I follow your measurements the block is not too far above the thimble. Can you pull the pipe out of the thimble and at least hold a phone in for a look upward.
A mirror reflecting sunlight down the flue can give you a much better look at it than most flashlights can.
You were on the end of Santas annual run and he had eaten too many cookies? All kidding aside, I'm puzzled myself. Let us know what the sweep finds.
