Why should I clean my Chimney?

Unfortunately, there is no such thing as creosote or soot-free wood burning. Creosote (soot) accumulation will occur no matter what kind of wood is burned and regardless of whether it is a fireplace, free-standing woodstove or a woodstove inserted into a fireplace. What determines the type of creosote formed and its severity is how the fuel is burned. Solid fuel authorities agree that the amount of smoke, the temperature of the fire and the regulation of the air (turbulence) are the major variables that affect the amount of creosote accumulation. For example, a low-burning fire will cause incomplete combustion or "cool smoke", the number one cause of glazed creosote build up.

Test conducted at Underwriters Laboratories (UL) have shown a dirty chimney with as little as 1/8 inch of soot (creosote) is highly flammable and can support a chimney fire. A hot fire around 900o Fahrenheit or an innocent, errant spark from your cozy woodstove or fireplace could easily ignite the creosote into a ROARING CHIMNEY FIRE! At the height of a chimney fire, creosote can burn at temperatures approaching 2500^o F (5 times the ignition point of new wood). Flames and flying embers can land on the roof of your home or your neighbors', burn throught the flue and ignite the wood framing of your home. The intense heat can also cause the flue to crack or collapse thus allowing the interior walls of your house to become hot enough to burst into flame.