Cerrito Chimney & Master Masonry

"The Pride We Take in Our Craft is Reflected in the Quality of Our Workmanship"
Serving Greensboro/Triad Area, Winston-Salem, High Point, Kernersville, Burlington, Gibsonville, Graham,Thomasville, Randleman,Liberty, Stokesville, Surrounding Areas, Charlotte & surrounding areas, Raleigh & surrounding areas
Michigan Oakland, Macomb & Wayne Counties
MI Call (248) 683-2800           NC Call (336) 274-1070
                          Chim Chimnee & Master Masonry  
                         Also Chimnee Cricket of Oakland County

"The Pride We Take in Our Craft is Reflected in the Quality of Our Workmanship"

 Creosote
 A time bomb in your chimney

Fireplaces and wood-stoves are designed to safely contain wood fueled fires, while providing heat for a home.  The chimneys that serve them have the job of expelling the by-products of combustion (substances given off when the wood burns).  These substances include smoke, water vapor, gases, unburned wood particles, hydrocarbon volatiles, tar fog and assorted minerals.  As these substances exit the fireplace, wood-stove, or furnace and flow up into the relatively cooler chimney, condensation occurs.  The resulting residue that sticks to the inner walls of the chimney is called creosote.

The buildup of creosote in your fireplace, wood-stove, and chimney is unavoidable.  A natural byproduct of the wood burning process, creosote forms a black/brown crusty, powdery, flaky, tar like, drippy and sticky or hard and shiny glazed coating on the inside of your chimney.  It is not uncommon to see all forms of creosote in one flue system.  What ever form it presents itself, creosote is highly combustible and a potential fire hazard: it’s the primary fuel in most chimney fires.

During a  chimney fire, the outside surface of the chimney can become hot enough to ignite the surrounding walls, floor joists, rafters, insulation, or roofing materials.  Suddenly, this can develop into an uncontrolled structure fire. 

Even without a chimney fire, creosote and soot can reduce the draft and diminish the efficiency of your heating system.

Certain conditions encourage the buildup of creosote.  Restricted air supply, unseasoned/wet wood and cooler than normal chimney temperatures are all factors that can accelerate the buildup of creosote on flue walls.  Air supply on fireplaces may be restricted by closed glass doors or by failure to open the damper wide enough to move heated smoke up the chimney rapidly.  [The longer the smoke lingers in the chimney, the more likely it is that creosote will build up in the flue]

Burning dry, seasoned, wood allows for higher burning temperatures.  If the wood is not seasoned, energy is used to initially drive off the water trapped in the cells of the (unseasoned) logs, which also results in cooler smoke temperatures. 

Burning hot fires with dry, seasoned, wood can ultimately help lower the amounts of creosote accumulation.