Your Chimney Needs Regular Cleaning And Here's Why
There are few things as cozy as sitting next to a wood-burning fireplace in the cold winter months. But many business owners forget that cozy fireplaces require clean chimneys, something that should be done on an annual basis. But why? In a word, creosote. Creosote is a dark chemical oil byproduct that is formed when wood or coal burns. When you light a fire in the fireplace, the resulting residue from the coal clings to the walls of your chimney flue. The longer you burn without having your chimney cleaned, the more difficult it becomes to clean off the creosote buildup. There are three different stages of creosote buildup that you should be aware of.
Stage One
First, creosote starts off as a flaky substance with a high percentage of soot. This is called stage one or first-degree creosote. If you have your company's chimney cleaned regularly by a commercial chimney cleaning professional, this is the type of creosote that the cleaners will likely find on the walls. Because of the high soot content, it's easily removed with the use of a just a chimney brush.
Stage Two
The second stage of creosote buildup is called stage two or second degree. In this stage the creosote contains hardened tar, resulting in shiny black flakes that build up faster than in stage one. The flakes are also thicker than those that build up in the first stage. Stage two flakes are usually the result of restricted airflow in the chimney.
Stage Three
The third stage of creosote buildup, or third degree, is the worst kind of buildup to have in your chimney flue because it's the most difficult to remove. It appears as a thick and sticky layer of tar buildup. It's highly chemically concentrated in this form, and because of that, it's also highly combustible, making it very dangerous to have in an area where there is regularly open flame. Fires in homes and businesses resulting from dirty chimneys are often the result of too much stage three buildup. There are several reasons that this type of creosote buildup occurs: insufficient air to the flue, burning unseasoned wood resulting in a lot of moisture and smoke, an insufficiently insulated chimney, and a flue that is too big for the space. In some cases, it may be too difficult to clean stage three creosote buildup and the chimney liner may need to be replaced completely.