Chimney Care Company's Blog

The Dangers of Creosote & Reasons to Invest in a Certified Chimney Sweep

Every fall, fire safety, home improvement, and chimney experts caution homeowners about the importance of having their chimneys swept and inspected. If you have a wood-burning appliance, creosote is the primary concern with your chimney. Here’s why.

The dangers of creosote

Every time wood burns in a fireplace, creosote has the potential to form in the chimney. As the smoke from your wood fire travels up the chimney it cools, and forms condensation on the chimney walls. That condensation hardens into creosote. If the creosote isn’t swept away, it continues to accumulate on the walls of the chimney, and that’s when problems can occur. Creosote is highly flammable. When it builds to a thickness of 1/8 inch or more, it can easily catch fire. An errant spark or burning ember that enters the chimney from your fireplace can cause the creosote to ignite. When ignited by a spark, creosote can damage your chimney or even pose a risk to your home.

A fire risk isn’t the only danger creosote buildup can cause. Creosote can build up and block your chimney, restricting the flow of smoke up and out of the chimney and allowing the smoke and carbon monoxide from your fireplace to be forced back into your home. Creosote that flakes off of your chimney walls also can pose health risks, and, at a minimum, creosote can cause a foul odor to fill your home.

The value of a certified chimney sweep

The surest way to save your home from the dangers posed by a buildup of creosote is to hire a certified chimney sweep to clean and inspect your chimney. Chimney sweeps use high-speed rotating brushes to free the creosote buildup from your chimney walls. In addition, your chimney sweep also will perform a thorough inspection of your chimney and fireplace to ensure that there are no weaknesses, damage or other problems that could put your home at risk of a fire or carbon monoxide leak. Many chimney sweeps also will conclude their sweepings and inspections with a video inspection of the inside of your chimney so you can be sure that all of the creosote has been safely swept away, and you can see first hand the state of the interior of your chimney.

Save your chimney — and your home — from the dangers of a chimney fire with a certified chimney sweeping. If your chimney hasn’t been swept in recent memory, it’s time to schedule an appointment now! To remove creosote and reduce the risk of chimney fires, your chimney should be swept and inspected at least once per year, preferably in between fire-burning seasons. Before you light your first fire of the season, call the Chimney Care Co. to schedule your sweeping and inspection.

What Firewood Should I Buy?

It is important to know the right kind of firewood to burn in your fireplace to get the hottest, most efficient fire, but also to ensure you are keeping your chimney healthy. Wood with high moisture content that is not dried properly or well seasoned can cause build up of glazed creosote that is dangerous to your chimney and difficult to remove.

For any questions on firewood or to have your chimney inspected for creosote buildup, contact us at Chimney Care Company today.

What is Level 3 Creosote?

When you’re sitting in front of a cozy fire, the last thing you’re likely to be thinking about is the condition of your chimney. However, if you don’t give it some thought before you light that next fire, your enjoyment may be very short-lived. Dirty chimneys can cause chimney fires, which can damage structures, destroy homes and injure or kill people. These fires can burn explosively, causing flames and/or dense smoke to shoot from the top of the chimney. However, slow-burning chimney fires don’t get enough air or have enough fuel to be as dramatic or visible, but the temperatures they reach are very high and can cause just as much damage to your chimney’s structure.

THE FORMATION OF CREOSOTE

You’re probably asking yourself, “what exactly is creosote, and how, exactly, is it dangerous to allow it to accumulate inside my chimney?” It’s fairly easy to explain really. Your fireplace was designed to safely contain and expel the byproducts of the combustion process. As these byproducts exit the fireplace and flow up into the relatively cooler chimney, condensation occurs. When the condensation dries, it gradually hardens, taking the following forms: stage 1 creosote (velvety soot), stage 2 creosote (porous and crunchy), and stage 3 creosote (shiny, rock-hard glaze).

THE PROBLEMS WITH STAGE 3 CREOSOTE

The buildup of Stage 3 creosote is denser and harder than brick, and firmly adheres itself to your chimney’s inside walls, becoming a second skin. Chimney brushes can’t sweep it out and more serious abrasives that would be strong enough to break the glaze would, more than likely, damage the chimney itself. Fresh layers of creosote can build up rapidly, accumulating quickly when previously deposited layers of creosote don’t dry completely. These newly formed layers insulate the older layers from the heat of the rising wood exhaust, which eventually dries them and creates a heavy buildup of sticky creosote that eventually solidifies completely; this results in a rock-solid layer of creosote is often referred to as glaze. Increased amounts of creosote are formed from burning unseasoned softwoods in your fireplace than properly seasoned hardwoods as well.

The improper burning and/or venting of airtight wood-fire byproducts cause the conditions for excessive creosote accumulation to occur. To be more specific, stage 3 creosote deposits will form when there is a draft problem, when green or wet wood is burned, or when the draft control is set too low, which causes your fire to smolder. Stage 3 creosote removal is crucial, as it helps reduce the likelihood of a chimney fire.

Creosote becomes dangerous when it is allowed to accumulate in your chimney because it turns into a fuel source for a possible deadly chimney fire. Unfortunately, the build up of creosote can never be avoided completely; however, burning small, hot fires and using dry, seasoned wood can minimize the buildup. During your annual chimney inspection and sweeping appointment, the CSIA-certified professionals at The Chimney Care Company will come out to assess the situation and will prescribe the proper course of action to cure your chimney’s creosote woes. We will also clue you in on what caused the buildup in the first place and can suggest ways you can prevent future buildups.