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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.

Are You Suffering With a Smelly Chimney

Are unpleasant odors from your fireplace making your home’s air unbearable this summer? Chimney odors are extremely common and can be caused by a variety of issues. When those odors mix with summer’s heat and humidity, they can intensify and fill your home, causing you discomfort, frustration and embarrassment. The good news is that you don’t have to suffer with chimney odors.

What causes chimney odors?

• Animal infestation. Animals and birds often will seek refuge inside a chimney. It is a warm, dark place protected from the elements. Animals and birds will build their nests within chimney, and with those nests, they can leave behind bits of food or fecal matter. Those bits of food, that fecal matter and even the nesting materials can break down and decay, filling your homes with the unpleasant smells of rotting food and animal waste.
• Creosote. Every time you burn a fire, creosote forms on the inside of your chimney’s walls. You probably know that creosote left within your chimney can create a fire hazard, but you might not know that creosote can introduce an unpleasant burning smell into your home, particularly when the creosote is exposed to moisture and high temperatures.
• Water leaks. Leaking chimneys cause a host of problems, including chimney odors. A leaky chimney can fill your home with a wet, moldy smell.Leaves and other debris. Leaves, twigs and other debris can blow into your chimney and buildup. When the organic matter begins to decay, it can fill your home with a compost-like smell.
• Dead animals. Perhaps most unpleasantly, dead animals trapped within your chimney can fill your home with a strong decaying smell. Birds and animals can make their way down a chimney flue, become trapped and die. Unfortunately, the hot summer sun can intensive the already strong smell that comes from a dead, trapped animal.

How can you get rid of chimney odors?

Eliminating chimney odors begins with having your chimney cleaned. Your chimney sweep will be able to locate and clear away the cause of the chimney smell, whether the source is an animal, creosote or leaves. If a larger issue is at play, such as a water leak, your chimney sweep will be able to locate the leak and prescribe the best course of action for repairing your chimney. Your sweep also will be able to guide you in preventing future chimney odors. While regular chimney sweepings help keep odors at bay, other changes to your chimney, such as a new chimney cap or a top-sealing damper, can keep odor causing animals or debris from entering your flue. If your chimney’s draft is allowing odors to flow back into your home, your sweep may recommend a chimney exhaust fan to keep odors flowing up and out of your chimney rather than back into your home.

If you have been suffering with chimney odors penetrating your home this summer, don’t continue to endure those foul smells! Call Your Chimney Sweep to schedule a sweeping and inspection today to locate the source of the smell and eliminate the odor.