Our Company Blog

What is Creosote and What does it do to Your Chimney

When it comes to chimney maintenance, creosote gets a lot of attention. You probably know that one of your chimney sweep’s primary goals is to remove creosote from your chimney. But what exactly is creosote and what does it do to your chimney?

What is creosote?

Very simply, creosote is a byproduct of wood burning in your fireplace. You know that your fire produces smoke, which travels up your chimney. As that smoke makes its way through your chimney, it cools and causes condensation on the walls of your chimney flue. That condensation hardens and forms creosote. Creosote is dark brown or black. It can be sticky and tarlike or shiny and smooth.

What is glazed creosote?

There are several circumstances that can allow thick, hardened creosote deposits, called glazed creosote, to build up on the walls of your flue. An improperly sized chimney flue, an improperly installed fireplace or woodstove or burning improperly seasoned firewood can cause a buildup of glazed creosote.

What does creosote do to your chimney?

The primary concern with creosote is that it is highly flammable and can cause a fire hazard within your chimney. If creosote is allowed to build up unchecked on the walls of your chimney, it can ignite and cause a dangerous and damaging chimney fire. Even without igniting, creosote can cause problems within your flue. Creosote is acidic and can eat away at the lining on your flue. If creosote is allowed to build up too thickly within your chimney, it can prevent smoke and carbon monoxide from exiting your chimney flue, forcing dangerous smoke and gases back into your home. Creosote also can cause an unpleasant smell to fill your home, particularly during hot summer months.

How do you protect your chimney from creosote?

A chimney sweeping removes creosote from your chimney and dramatically reduces your risk of a chimney fire. When glazed creosote has caked a chimney flue, a standard chimney sweeping with rotating brushes will not remove the creosote deposits. In those cases, a special chemical agent must be used to remove the glazed creosote.

How can you prevent creosote buildup?

There are some ways to help reduce the buildup of creosote with your chimney flue. Always make sure that you burn properly seasoned firewood in your fireplace or woodstove. Never partially close the fireplace doors on your open-hearth fireplace, and make sure that your damper is fully open when you have a fireplace burning within your fireplace.

To protect your chimney from the dangers of creosote, your chimney should be swept and inspected before each fire-burning season by a certified chimney sweep. If you haven’t had your chimney swept and inspected this year, call Your Chimney Sweep to schedule an appointment today! In addition to providing traditional chimney sweeping, we remove glazed creosote to keep your chimney functioning safely.

Why You Need an Annual Dryer Vent Cleaning

You know your chimney should be swept and inspected annual, but what about your clothing dryer vents? As with your chimney, the National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) recommends that you have your dryer vents cleaned and inspected annually to reduce your home’s risk of a damaging and dangerous fire.

The danger of clogged dryer vents

Each time you dry a load of laundry, bits of lint from your wash bypassing your dryer’s lint trap and cling to the walls of your dryer vents, and then to each other. Over time, that highly flammable lint builds up within the dryer vents. When the vents are blocked, it can cause a dangerous buildup of heat within the dryer and the vents, which can ignite the lint, and it can prevent dangerous gases like carbon monoxide from exiting your home.

The NFPA reported that washers and dryers were responsible for an estimated 16,800 structure fires in the United States in 2010. In addition to causing 380 injuries and 51 deaths, those fires caused $236 million in property damage. In 32 percent of the fires caused by clothing dryer, clogged dryer vents were the cause of the fires, the NFPA reported. That makes clogged dryer vents the leading cause of dryer vent fires. According to statistics, dryer vent fires have become more common in recent years. Where dryers have traditionally been located on exterior walls, meaning they required short vents, dryers are no commonly located in interior laundry rooms. Because of that, dryer vents can be up to 25 feet in length and include many twists and turns.

Dryer vent cleaning with Your Chimney Sweep

Your Chimney Sweep can help reduce your risk of a home fire with our dryer vent cleaning services. To clear your dryer vents, we will use our rotating brushes to loosen the lint filling your vents, and then we will use our high-powered vacuums to clear away the lint without leaving a mess in your home. We also will inspect your dryer vents for animal intrusions, vegetation blocking the vents at the home’s exterior, and any damage or potential hazards.

Other benefits of dryer vent cleaning

In addition to reducing your home’s risk of a dangerous fire or a deadly buildup of carbon monoxide, dryer vent cleaning brings other benefits. When dryer vents are clogged, your dryer has to work harder to dry your clothes. Clogged vents cause your dryer to work overtime. Cleaning your dryer vents can shorten drying times, saving you money on your home energy bills. Clogged vents also cause your dryer to overheat, which can burn out elements of the dryer, shortening its lifespan. Cleaning your dryer vent can keep your dryer vent operating efficiently for years to come.

If you don’t know the last time your dryer vents were cleaned, or if you have noticed a decrease in the function of your clothing dryer, call Your Chimney Sweep to schedule your dryer vent cleaning today!