Creosote is a concern for any homeowner with a wood-burning fireplace. Creosote builds up in your chimney to some degree whenever you use your wood-burning fireplace or stove – and since it’s combustible (and can obstruct proper ventilation) it can’t safely stay there.
Regularly removing creosote is a must, but your chimney isn’t exactly the most accessible place in your home. Enter creosote sweeping logs, also called chimney sweeping logs. This product is advertised to reduce creosote build up. …which sounds ideal – burn the log, and address those hard-to-reach areas of creosote accumulation.
So you may wonder: Do these logs actually work? And if so, how?
How Do Creosote Sweeping Logs Work?
Creosote or chimney sweeping logs, which are readily available at most home improvement or big box stores, are a chemical cleaning method. They’re made from a mixture of natural ingredients and chemicals that are designed to break down the creosote deposits they encounter when burned. The compounds released in burning the log are supposed to act on the creosote to make it more powdery, making it flake off more easily.
Chimney sweeping logs can be useful for light maintenance, but they shouldn’t be considered a substitute for professional chimney sweepings.
…but do creosote sweeping logs actually do the job? The answer is yes…and no. Or more accurately – it depends.
- First, it depends on your expectations for the logs. Will they loosen creosote? Yes, they should. Will they thoroughly purge creosote from your system and verify that it’s safe for continued operation? No, they won’t.
- Next, the effectiveness of a chimney sweeping log will depend on the situation. What type of creosote has accumulated? How severe is the build up? How often are the logs used? These types of factors will impact the effectiveness of using creosote sweeping logs.
- Finally, be cautious about the ventilation in your home while using the sweeping log. Carefully follow manufacturer instructions for use to avoid harming your chimney lining.
Can Creosote Sweeping Logs Replace Professional Sweeping?
Chimney sweeping logs can be useful for light maintenance, but they shouldn’t be considered a substitute for professional chimney sweepings.
Creosote sweeping logs are fairly inexpensive and simple to use. They can do a pretty good job of loosening creosote, especially when build-up isn’t severe. However, creosote sweeping logs do have some limitations.
- If build-up is heavy (which can’t fully be determined without seeing inside your chimney flue), a sweeping log is unlikely to do much to alleviate the problem. This is especially so if you need to tackle hard, glazed creosote.
- Since using a creosote log is a blind process, it’ll remove what it touches – but not necessarily all the creosote that’s there. Furthermore, flaked creosote may drop down, but you don’t have control over where the flakes land within your system. In that regard, you may have moved the issue, but not necessarily removed it.
- Creosote sweeping logs won’t remove other potential obstructions, such as leaves and debris, if they’re present. And they can’t spot damage or deterioration that needs addressing.
When you hire a chimney sweep, you get well-trained eyes on your system from top to bottom. A sweep will identify creosote and persistently work at it until it’s fully removed.
In addition to thoroughness, a benefit of professional sweepings is that not only creosote will be addressed. If your technician spots any other issues in your system, you’ll have the advantage of knowing early so you can address them while they’re small and easier to remedy. Corrosion or damaged components can easily go unnoticed by a homeowner – but ‘out of sight, out of mind’ doesn’t mean ‘out of trouble!’
If you’re doing for a chimney sweep in the Indianapolis area, book with us today.
How Does Creosote Get Into My Chimney?
Your chimney is designed to direct smoke and combustion gases up and safely out of your home, but as these fumes rise, they start cooling – and as wood smoke cools it condenses on the interior chimney walls. The result is a sticky, tar-like substance (creosote) that won’t just drop off on its own. Instead it accumulates.
You can slow the build-up of creosote by burning wood that’s seasoned well – in other words, that’s been allowed to dry out. Damp wood or wood that’s been too recently cut will have too high of a moisture content to facilitate clean, easy burning. Instead, the fire will waste a lot of energy burning off the moisture, resulting in a smokier blaze with a lower temperature and – you guessed it – greater creosote production.
Even with beautifully cured wood, however, you’re going to get some creosote build up. And since it’s hazardous and challenging to remove, finding an effective way to routinely free your chimney of it is imperative.
What’s the Verdict? To Burn Creosote Sweeping Logs…or Not?
Between professional sweepings, creosote logs can be helpful – but they can’t replace the trained skill and expertise of a chimney professional. And with the safety and preservation of your home at stake, trusting a log versus a professional isn’t really a question. If you’re in need of a chimney sweeping, inspection, or other service, don’t hesitate to give our team a call!