What Causes Chimney Soot to Build Up?
Chimney soot can build up in your chimney for a number of reasons. Learning how to prevent it from building up is important because soot build up can lead to health risks and chimney fires.
At Best Chimney Services, we prioritize chimney safety through our professional and knowledgeable chimney services to homeowners in the Greater Boston area. If you’re worried about chimney soot or creosote building up, give us a call. We’ll make sure your chimney is clean and operating properly. In the meantime, learn more about the causes of chimney soot build up and how to reduce its dangerous risks, below.
Why Chimney Soot Build-Up is Dangerous
The main reason that chimney technicians pay attention to chimney soot build-up is the danger it puts your home and family in. Chimney soot is a powder byproduct of incomplete combustion of wood or coal, similar to creosote.
Both soot and creosote are flammable materials, so if the soot builds up enough in the chimney and the flue’s at a high enough temperature, it can cause a fire. Not only are you at risk of a dangerous fire, but soot build-up can also lead to health risks when inhaled. Learn how soot build-up happens and how to avoid it below.
Common Reasons for Chimney Soot Build-Up
Infrequent chimney cleaning
The most common reason for chimney soot to build up is because of a lack of regular chimney maintenance. This includes chimney sweepings and annual chimney inspections from professional chimney technicians. Without routine inspections and cleanings, you allow soot and creosote to accumulate over time, increasing the risk of chimney fires and health problems. Our biggest recommendation is to schedule your chimney inspection to avoid these dangers!
Obstructions
If there are any blockages in your chimney, such as bird nests, debris, or other wildlife, this will negatively affect your chimney’s ventilation. Without proper ventilation, your chimney will experience poor combustion and soot accumulation, building up in the flue and putting your chimney at risk of a fire. Make sure there aren’t any blockages in your chimney by booking a chimney inspection.
Cold weather
During cold weather, chimneys tend to be cooler, which can contribute to condensation and creosote and soot formation if it’s not operated at a sufficient temperature. With the winter months in full swing at the moment, it may not be a bad idea to book an appointment with a chimney technician to make sure this isn’t contributing to the soot in your chimney.
How to Avoid Soot Build-Up
So how can you avoid soot build-up and the dangerous risks it comes with?
Regular Maintenance and Cleaning
The Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) stresses that an annual chimney inspection done by a certified chimney technician can help identify and resolve problems that would otherwise worsen, including the intrusion of carbon monoxide.
Therefore, the ideal step to take in order to avoid soot build-up is to regularly hire a chimney technician to ensure your chimney is clean. A regular chimney sweep to keep your chimney clean is a proper way to help prevent fires. Avoid these risks and costly problems by scheduling your chimney inspection today.
Use Seasoned Wood
To help reduce the risk of soot build-up even more, there’s actually an ideal fireood to use for your fireplace. We recommend only burning well-seasoned wood with low moisture content (around 20% or less). Using seasoned wood helps to reduce the amount of creosote and soot produced during combustion, therefore reducing it at the source.
Keep Chimney Warm
As we mentioned previously, when your chimney burns at a low stack temperature, it can result in condensation and soot and creosote formation. Small hot fires are ideal to minimize soot build up and priming (or warming) the flue prior to lighting your fuel can help.
Call Best Chimney Services to Maintain Your Chimney
Regular chimney inspections and sweepings by qualified professionals can help mitigate these issues and ensure safe and efficient operation. Give us a call today to book your first chimney inspection with us!
The post What Causes Chimney Soot to Build Up? appeared first on Boston's Best Chimney.
