Sweeping Services For Wood-Burning Fireplaces and Stoves

It’s important to have chimneys professionally swept annually, regardless of fuel type, since each type of fuel creates byproducts that build up in the flue. With wood-burning appliances, a deposit called creosote is the main cause for concern.

When you’re burning wood in an appliance, some level of creosote is inevitable in the chimney. Because as your wood burns, the heated gases, hydrocarbons and small bits of debris that are created rise in the chimney and hit the flue walls, which, in comparison, are far cooler. Hot gases added to a cool surface result in condensation on the surface of the flue. It’s that condensation that leads to creosote buildup.

Creosote doesn’t always look the same: It can be black or more of a dull grey or dull brown color; sometimes it’s puffy, fluffy, or flaky, other times it’s gummy. But regardless of the way it looks, it smells unpleasant, restricts air flow within the flue, often contributes to a smoking chimney, and is always flammable. None of the potential threats of a creosote-layered flue are good, but regular sweeping can help keep creosote levels under control.

An Unswept Chimney Can Be Incredibly Dangerous

Even well-built tile flue liners develop imperfections over time, and creosote, in its liquid form, can make its way into even small cracks and gaps. That creosote can then ignite, causing a chimney fire that you may not even know about. In fact, it’s surprisingly common for contained chimney fires to burn and extinguish without the homeowner’s knowledge. But whether you’re aware of it or not, even a small chimney fire will cause liner cracks, making another chimney fire highly likely and a home fire possible. Regular sweepings and chimney inspections will help keep you abreast of the state of your flue liner and your chimney, so that you can avoid harsh surprises and dangerous circumstances.

Ways To Minimize Creosote Buildup In Your Flue

A certain amount of creosote is expected — even unavoidable — as you use your fireplace. But there are a few things you can do to minimize the amount and avoid the development of glazed creosote, which is much more difficult to remove.

A few good practices that limit creosote build-up:

• Have your flue routinely cleaned to keep the creosote at manageable levels
• Always burn seasoned wood, which is dried properly and will result in less condensation
• Build smaller fires that will burn hotter, rather than piling up more wood in an attempt to have a longer-lasting fire

For more tips or to schedule your annual chimney sweeping, give us a call at 631-288-9009!

We also do sweeping for pellet, oil and gas appliances, so ask us about these sweeping and cleaning service today.