May 1 is National Sweep’s Day in Canada
Chimney Fires — What you must know
In honour of this day, we are including an article on chimney fires and what you should know.
CREOSOTE & CHIMNEY FIRES: WHAT YOU MUST KNOW
Fireplaces and wood stoves are designed to safely contain wood-fuelled fires while providing heat for a home. The chimneys that serve them have the job of expelling the by-products of combustion — the substances given off when wood burns.
As these substances exit the fireplace or wood stove, and flow up into the relatively cooler chimney, condensation occurs. The resulting residue that sticks to the inner walls of the chimney is called creosote. Creosote is black or brown in appearance. It can be crusty and flaky ... tar-like, drippy and sticky ... or shiny and hardened. Often, all forms will occur in one chimney system.
Whatever form it takes, creosote is highly combustible. If it builds up in sufficient quantities — and catches fire inside the chimney flue — the result will be a chimney fire. Although any amount of creosote can burn, sweeps are concerned when creosote builds up in sufficient quantities to sustain a long, hot, destructive chimney fire.
Certain conditions encourage the buildup of creosote. Restricted air supply, unseasoned wood and cooler-than-normal chimney temperatures are all factors that can accelerate the buildup of creosote on chimney flue walls.
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