Chimney Services
The methods behind creosote removal in Winter Springs
A poultice that dissolves glazed creosote
One removal system, SaverSystems' Poultice Creosote Remover, is made to remove third-degree glazed creosote from clay flue tiles or stainless steel liners. According to its data sheet, it dissolves and absorbs the creosote, and as it dries it loses its grip and falls from the flue walls.
Whatever remains is then removed by normal sweeping. The product is mixed to a thick, pudding-like consistency and applied to the flue, which is how it reaches glaze that a brush cannot shift. We explain the product and its steps before any work starts in your Winter Springs home.
Unseasoned wood and heavier creosote
EPA guidance explains that burning unseasoned wood takes a lot of energy just to drive the water out of the logs. That produces more smoke, and the extra smoke deposits more creosote as it moves up the chimney.
EPA describes well-seasoned wood as darker and lighter in weight, sounding hollow when two pieces are knocked together, and suggests checking it with a wood moisture meter. After removing the glaze from your Winter Springs chimney, we talk through the firewood you burn and how to tell when it is ready. Wood that hisses, steams or smokes heavily as it burns is a common sign that it is still wet.
A clear answer on using the fireplace
Between treatments, and until the liner has been checked, the fireplace may need to stay out of use. That restriction only helps if it is clear, so we write it down with the reason and the step that lifts it.
When the work is done and the flue has passed its check, you hear that in writing too. If the liner needs repair first, the fireplace stays unused until that repair is finished, and we explain why in plain terms. Keeping the fireplace cold for a few days is a small price for knowing the flue is sound.
Creosote removal from clay flue tile
Masonry chimneys are often lined with clay flue tile bedded in mortar, the construction BIA Technical Note 19B describes. Those tiles and joints are what a removal method has to protect, and they are also where a crust of glaze can hide cracks.
On a clay-lined flue, our specialists favor methods that loosen the deposit without hammering the tile, and inspect the joints and tile faces once they are clear. Any cracked tile or open joint is explained and priced before the fireplace is used again. Clay tile that has been under a heavy crust for years deserves a close look, joint by joint, from the smoke chamber to the top.
