Our Company Blog

What is Glazed Creosote?

Your chimney system works all season long to vent the fires that heat your home. The chimney system endures high temperatures and corrosive materials that coat the inside. If you burn wood in your fireplace, your fire produces more than just smoke and soot, but also creosote. This material is made of mostly tar that can become quite the problem if not routinely removed from the chimney.

What is Creosote

Creosote is produced when organic materials such as wood are burned inside the fireplace. Burning unseasoned wood that often burns incompletely will contribute to even more creosote buildup. Creosote itself is as harmless as soot when removed from the chimney on a regular basis. However, when the fire is smoldered and improper wood is burned continuously, or the chimney system isn’t cleaned regularly, the creosote can become a problem.

The Problem with Creosote

Because creosote is sticky in nature, it builds up easily inside the chimney system. During the offseason, it may not do anything but cause nasty odors in the fireplace opening. During burn season, creosote can become quite dangerous. As the material builds on itself, it can obstruct the chimney flue, slowing the airflow and cause even more creosote to deposit.

As the air slows, the heated air in the chimney heats up the creosote, causing the water inside to vaporize and the material to transform. What’s left when the creosote cools is a hardened glazed mass that is made up mostly of condensed fuel (tar). This brittle material is highly flammable and very difficult to remove.

Removing Glazed Creosote

Regular creosote can be removed from the chimney system in the same way as soot and ash, with brushes and a vacuuming system. Glazed creosote is more difficult to remove. Many amateurs attempt to remove glazed creosote with chisels, chains, and heavy-duty tools—all of these things can damage the lining of the chimney. At Chief Chimney Services, we remove glazed creosote by using an industrial creosote remover that is sprayed or brushed onto the material. As it absorbs the remover, the creosote flakes away and can be brushed off and vacuumed out of the system.

You Can Prevent Glazed Creosote

1. Schedule routine services such as sweeps and inspections. You may not notice a creosote buildup, but your chimney professional will. We will clean it out of the system, and troubleshoot with you to determine the cause.
2. Burn only properly seasoned wood in your fireplace. Avoid burning paper, trash, clothing, or any other material that is NOT wood. The wood-burning fireplace is designed to only burn wood and vent smoke produced by wood fires.
3. Let your fire burn and avoid smoldering hot coals. Smoldering causes wood to burn incompletely, contributing to more creosote buildup.

In order to use your fireplace more efficiently, ask the professionals for recommendations to avoid creosote buildup. When you schedule your service with Chief Chimney Services, you will have the benefit of an expert in the home. Call Chief Chimney Services today at 631-863-2460.

Dangers of Carbon Monoxide

So you keep up with your regular maintenance with your fireplace and chimney. Did you know there are still carbon monoxide dangers lurking in your home? The most common cause of accidental carbon monoxide exposure is household items such as gas water heaters and furnaces, oil-burning furnaces, charcoal grills, portable generators, and small engines.

Any fire appliances that burn can produce carbon monoxide, and carbon monoxide is very dangerous. It is a silent killer with no smell, no taste, and no sound. No home should have a fire appliance without having a carbon monoxide detector too. At Chief Chimney Services, we want to help you understand all the dangers of carbon monoxide and how to avoid exposure to it.

Symptoms of Carbon Monoxide (CO)

Carbon monoxide is very hard to detect, and exposure of carbon monoxide poisoning is also very hard to detect. The symptoms of a person who is exposed are often confused for the common cold or flu. Whether sudden exposure to a large amount or a slow leak, there can be serious permanent damage to your health, if left unchecked. You should pay attention to the following signs and symptoms, as they include:

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Irritability
• Confusion and memory loss
• Disorientation
• Nausea and vomiting

Very serious symptoms of CO poisoning can mimic neurological or psychiatric disorders ranging from convulsions and seizures to paranoia, confusion, and coma. Prolonged exposure will result in permanent organ damage, organ failure, or even death.

Protect Your Family Against CO Poisoning

Exposure to carbon monoxide is highly poisonous. The existence of CO in the air you breathe causes a buildup in the bloodstream, eventually replacing the oxygen in the bloodstream and starving the tissues of oxygen. Since the symptoms are common to the same symptoms caused by viral infections and the common cold, it’s important to note when family members all exhibit the same symptoms.

You should see your family physician for symptoms of cold or flu so that proper tests can identify an illness. If your symptoms can not be diagnosed, this could be caused by carbon monoxide exposure—especially if symptoms subside when away from the home. Symptoms may reappear when you’re back in the home, or when seasonal appliances are used such as a fireplace or furnace. Additionally, you should make sure to never run a small engine indoors—even the garage. Open the garage door before you start your car, lawn mower, power blower, generator, or any other gas-powered tool.

Professional Care for Safer Homes

To protect your family against CO poisoning every day, every home should have a carbon monoxide detector on each level of their home. Follow all user guides and manuals for heat appliances and other household tools and appliances which burn fuel. Have your fireplace, stove, or gas log set serviced by a professional to prevent CO leaks.

A smoky fireplace can cause CO exposure. A damper malfunction, poorly-sized chimney flue, or obstruction is not only a fire hazard, but they are also a CO risk. When any part of your fireplace or chimney is not working, you should schedule an inspection with Chief Chimney Services to protect your family against CO exposure.

Choose Chief Chimney Services for your comprehensive chimney care, and we’ll make sure your chimney is safe. Concerned about a carbon monoxide leak? Call us for an inspection or contact your local fire department now. Call Chief Chimney Services at 631-863-2460 today!