Chimneys should be inspected and cleaned at least once a year to ensure their soundness and freedom from deposits. Some experts recommend twice a year.
You can inspect your Chimney from inside your home or through the chimney cleanout. However, the best view is from above, requiring using a ladder or being on a roof. Contact Chimney Cleaning Baltimore now!
Creosote is a flammable byproduct of burning wood and is one of the leading causes of chimney fires. A chimney fire puts your home at risk of damage and allows toxic gases like carbon monoxide to reenter the house. If the fire grows too large, it can cause damage to the chimney structure and even other combustible material on your property.
Ideally, creosote would fall down into the hearth of the fireplace to be swept away or to a chimney ash dump for disposal. However, most flues are built with bends and curves that prevent this from happening. Additionally, some products that claim to remove creosote from a fire, like the creosote sweep log, often don’t work well because they don’t address all stages of creosote buildup.
In the first stage, creosote is a flaky deposit that easily falls off of the walls of the flue. This stage is fairly easy for a chimney sweep to remove using brushes and chemicals. However, if left unattended, this creosote will eventually reach the second stage, when it becomes thick and resembles tar. This type of creosote is harder to remove and may require the use of more powerful chemicals.
The third stage of creosote is the most dangerous, as it looks like a continuous layer of tar inside your chimney liner. This creosote is extremely flammable and must be removed ASAP by a professional, as it can damage your chimney liner.
As the creosote builds up, it can also deteriorate your chimney system’s masonry, leading to cracks and voids in the lining. These can allow smoke and toxins to escape into your home, as well as other combustible materials in the home. This is why it is important to call a chimney sweep for cleaning on a regular basis.
The smell of creosote is a common sign that your Chimney needs to be cleaned. Fortunately, there are many commercial chimney deodorants that can help to eliminate the odor. A regularly scheduled chimney cleaning by a CSIA certified chimney sweep will also keep the odor at bay.
Creosote Buildup
Every time you burn wood in your fireplace, some creosote is formed. While this doesn’t seem like a big deal, it is a problem over time. Creosote deposits are highly flammable, and if left unattended, they can block the chimney airway and lead to flue fires. These chimney fires can then ignite the combustible material surrounding the fireplace and cause a house fire. Chimney fires caused by creosote are often difficult to put out and can be very dangerous, so they should not be ignored.
Creosote buildup happens in stages, and it’s important to keep an eye on the amount of creosote on your Chimney and fireplace. The first stage of creosote is a flaky deposit that looks like ash and soot and can easily be brushed away with a chimney brush. The second stage of creosote is thicker and resembles tar, but it’s still relatively easy to remove with a brush. However, if it is allowed to build up to stage three, it can become very hard to remove and will probably require a special rotary loop or chemical treatment.
Stage two creosote is also a significant risk for chimney fires because it restricts the flow of air, which can cause heat and pressure to build up within the chimney system. It can also ignite any combustible materials that may be nearby, and the resulting chimney fire is likely to spread into the home.
You can prevent the accumulation of creosote by putting out your fires promptly when they are done, and scheduling regular chimney cleaning services from a CSIA-certified chimney sweep. You can also reduce the amount of creosote that builds up in your Chimney by having a chimney liner installed. Chimney liners can prevent creosote from reaching the flue lining and can reduce the likelihood of a chimney fire by increasing the temperature at which your fireplace burns.
If you notice smoke blowing back into the house or a puffy appearance on the outside of your Chimney, these are signs that creosote is building up to unsafe levels. If you’ve noticed these symptoms or if it’s been more than a year since your last chimney cleaning, contact Felgemacher Masonry + Chimney to schedule your appointment today!
Creosote Removal
There are a variety of methods for removing creosote. Some of these are more effective than others, but none of them are particularly easy for the average homeowner to keep up with. Whether the creosote is in the form of thick coatings on the inside of the Chimney or a glazed layer of hardened creosote, it must be removed regularly to avoid dangerous and expensive chimney problems.
Using a chimney brush is one of the best ways to remove a thin coating of first degree or second degree creosote. This type of chimney cleaning can be done on a regular basis, but it is a bit more difficult to do with glazed creosote. For this reason, a professional should be called when dealing with glazed creosote.
For preventing creosote from building up in the Chimney, a powdered product like Meeco’s Red Devil Creosote Destroyer can be sprinkled on firewood and coal every third time a fire is lit. This chemical mixture prevents new creosote from adhering to the lining of the Chimney while also breaking down existing creosote. It is available in a 5-pound tub, enough to keep a chimney free of creosote for an entire season of use.
When it comes to removing a thick coating of creosote, vinegar and other household chemicals are generally not very effective. There are several products available that can break down creosote at a more rapid rate. These can be purchased at a variety of stores and typically come in liquid or powdered form. These products are intended to be sprinkled on logs as the fire burns, and they help to loosen the glazed creosote in order to allow it to fall off during a professional chimney cleaning.
A professional chimney sweep will use brushes and other tools to clean a chimney when it has a heavy creosote buildup. When a heavy layer of this toxic substance accumulates, it can be difficult to get it off without damaging the masonry and flue tiles. A sweep can remove a thick layer of creosote by scraping it with metal brushes and other specialized equipment. In some cases, the sweeping process can be very labor intensive and require a great deal of effort.
Chimney Safety
A chimney is a very important part of your home as it allows smoke, toxins and carbon monoxide to escape. However, the byproduct of burning wood is creosote that can stick to the chimney lining and make it more difficult for the fire to burn easily and safely. Creosote is also highly flammable and can cause chimney fires which are very dangerous. Chimneys that are not properly cleaned and inspected on an annual basis are much more likely to experience problems such as a clogged chimney which can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning in the house.
During the winter months, many homeowners use their fireplaces more often to warm up their homes. Unfortunately, a dirty chimney is not only dangerous to the people living in the home but can also pose a health risk to pets and children as well. A chimney that is not properly maintained can become a breeding ground for mold and bacteria as well as a place for animals to nest and seek shelter. The contaminants found in a dirty chimney can also aggravate respiratory conditions such as allergies, asthma and COPD.
Chimney sweeps use specialized tools to scrape away the creosote from the chimney lining. The main tool resembles a giant bottle brush that has metal bristles around the top and is used to clean chimneys from bottom up or top down. Before starting the job, a chimney sweep will put down a drop cloth to decrease soot levels inside of your home and will wear a mask to protect their nose and eyes from the chemicals in the creosote. After the Chimney is completely cleaned, a tarp will be placed over the top of the Chimney to keep rain and debris from falling on it.
It is recommended that homeowners contact a certified professional chimney sweep to perform a chimney inspection and cleaning once or twice a year to ensure it is functioning correctly. Some signs that the Chimney is in need of a cleaning include black stains on the inside of the flue, smoke that smells bad or is not rising up the Chimney, a damper that is hard to open or close and a cracked or crumbling masonry structure.