Lots Of Creosote? Hire A Chimney Sweep!
When the weather is cooler and it is time for that first cozy fire in the fireplace
,before you strike that match,hire someone to clean your chimney. This action could save your life!
The days are gone though, when you could lower a small boy into a chimney with a brush and force him to clean the soot and creosote from the flue of the fireplace. That may never have happened, but the notion was immortalized by Charles Dickens in the stories of the orphan boy, Oliver Twist, who was sold to a chimney sweep.
It's a good idea to clean the chimney every year if you burn a lot of wood to heat your house in the winter. Soot and creosote build up and can ignite and cause a chimney fire that can really mess up a house by burning ignitable portions of dry roofs.
I have witnessed chimney fires and if it is a big one, it can look like a Roman Candle on steroids. If the roof is dry, it can be a big problem.
Why clean out the chimney before you use it? Gases from the fire travel up the chimney with the smoke. Depending on the temperature of the blaze in the firebox, the gases either solidify or liquefy. When they combine they form creosote, which is not a good thing because it's combustible.
Creosote sticks to the walls of your chimney in syrupy form or as a golden glaze inside the flue linings. This residue can ignite when there is a roaring flame coming out of the fireplace. Small flames in the top of the chimney that can't be seen from the ground, are culprits in many house fires.
Burning seasoned wood can keep creosote problems to a minimum. Oak that has been aged for at least a year is my preference in firewood. Hickory is a hot burner, but because of the sparks it emits, a fireplace screen is a necessity.
Dry pine might be good enough for campfires if there is nothing else available, but is a terrible idea for a fireplace or wood burning stove because it emits a lot of creosote. My experience with burning pine is that it just sits there and smolders without producing much heat.
Sweet Gum is another wood that produces a lot of smoke; therefore emitting a lot of creosote. Gum Trees are composed of grains that split off into different directions, like a loosely put together window screen. It also smolders without producing much more than smoke.
Seasoned oak is my choice of fireplace fuel, but even that will produce gases that can turn into creosote and stick to the inside of your chimney.Try to use wood that doesn't produce much smoke.
Since almost anyone can go to a hardware store and buy a set of flue brushes and a vacuum cleaner to clean up the mess, it's not a good idea to hire the first person you find in the yellow pages.
Members of Chimney Sweep Guilds as well as those who have had over 20 years experience in the business can usually be trusted to do a safe and thorough job. They will know how to dissolve creosote in your flue linings and usually can repair minor cracks and imperfections in your chimney.
Get your fireplace checked once a year. The peace of mind you receive in knowing the chimney is safe, is worth whatever price you have to pay for the cleaning.
by: Bob Alexander
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