A Dorset chimney sweeps guide to the 3 stages (Degrees) of creosote / soot

3 stages of creosote

What is creosote / Soot

In chimney speak, The term creosote & soot refers to the black stuff that sticks to the inside of your chimney.

Soot is used to describe a powdery residue of un-burnt particles including whats known as stage 1 creosote.

Creosote is generally used to describes a more tar like residue of unburned carbon which can form from poorly bunt wood.

There are, as a rule, three sorts of creosote that are found in chimneys and they are normally called "stages" or "degrees." All three stages are flammable and should be removed regularly by a professional chimney sweep.

Stage 1 creosote (first degree)

This is a light & fluffy good quality soot. 
The fuel that has been burnt is burning efficiently and the wood has had lots of air for the combustion process. The appliance is likely to be in good working order with high flue gas temperatures.
The soot can be removed effectively by a chimney sweeps doing a manual or power sweep.

Stage 2 creosote (Second degree)

This is a honeycomb/ flaky / biscuit type of substance.
This highlights something might not be quite right and it might be time to change your burning / chimney sweep patterns before it gets worse.
Follow this link fo the list of actions that could be causing creosote issues in your chimney.

Stage 3 (Third degree)

This is where the un-burned carbon particles sticks to the flue in the form of a tar like substance. 
It is a concentration of fuel and is extremely difficult to remove by traditional sweeping methods. To remove requires either chemical removal or a flue reline. This is caused by the same issues that can create stage 2 and is usually formed over longer exposure to poor burning conditions.
Follow this link fo the list of actions that could be causing creosote issues in your chimney.

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: Five reasons to book Jim as your Dorset chimney sweep?

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

What can cause stage two & three creosote - Tar in the chimney

List of issues that could cause stage two & three creosote in your chimney or liner.

• The chimney may not have been swept regularly enough.
• The wood burnt may not be fully seasoned (Seasoned = below 20% moisture level). 
• #7 ways to tell if your firewood is seasoned and ready to burn
• The wood is burning at a lower temperature by having her vents shut (slumbering), which burns the wood slower by restricting the amount of oxygen.
• Why slumbering your wood burner can cause a chimney fire?
• The Chimney is un-insulated (or any other reason the chimney is cold).
• When the house is tight and can’t draw sufficient combustion air.
• Air condition in the room competing for the air.
• Other heating appliances competing for the air.
• Blockages in the chimney such as a birds nest.
• Damper closed or half closed.
• Incorrect cowl - Many people confuse a vent with a live cowl.
• Chimney cowls
• Incorrect installations.

All the above can be explored by your chimney sweep.

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: Five reasons to book Jim as your Dorset chimney sweep?

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

Gas fires need sweeping Too - Bournemouth Chimney Sweep Advice

Gas fires need sweeping too - Jim Chimney, Dorset Chimney Sweep

Did you know that Gas fires also need sweeping?

This is to ensure a good updraught for the fumes to escape the property via the chimneys flue.

As you can see in the picture, its usually a mixture of spiderwebs, fluff & dust that can block the chimney.

Some gas fires can be swept with the appliance in place, with no need for the gas fire to be removed but this Depends on the access to the chimney flue.

On occasions a gas safe engineer may be required to remove and put back the appliance.

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: How Jim Chim-in-ey investigates a suspected birds nest in a chimney.

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

CCTV inspection - Chimney Sweep Dorset

CCTV - Chimney Sweep

Did you know that all C.S.A members have CCTV inspecting gear on board as part of their chimney sweeping kit.

This can be used to fault find, investigate and remove blockages, determine capped stacks and to ensure the chimney is in good working order.

This is also great tool to check if there is any cables, wires or pipes running through a stack before installing a wood burner or multi-fuel.

Recommended article:  How Jim Chim-in-ey investigates a suspected birds nest in a chimney

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.
Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

Jim Chimney - Dorset's Chimney Sweep Specialist covering Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset

How often should your open fire be swept by a chimney sweep?

Open fires should be swept at least once a year - Jim Chimney - Dorset's Chimney Sweep Specialist

'Most of my customers chimneys are swept around once or twice a year,'

After every sweep a recommended date for the next sweep will be issued with the sweep certificate.
This date takes into account the quality of the soot, the amount of soot, the condition of the liner and the appliance condition.

As your chimney sweep I will be able to recommend how often you should be sweeping your chimney after inspecting your chimney, fuel and soot.

For a general guide on sweeping frequencies please read on. . .

Open fires - burning Wood

Low users - If you are burning good quality seasoned wood, your chimney is in good working order and are only burning around once a week during the winter, then your chimney should usually be swept around once a year.

For higher users or burners of wet wood, (which is never recommend) a quarterly sweep is recommended.

Open fires - burning Smokeless Fuel / Clean Coal

At least once per year

Open fires - burning Bitumous Coal / House Coal

Low users - If you are burning house coal, your chimney is in good working order and are only burning around once a week during the winter, then your chimney should usually be swept around once a year.

For higher users of house coal a quarterly sweep is recommended.

Check your Insurance policy

It is also worth checking with your insurance policy what the recommended sweep frequency is. This is because some company have different expectations and some insurance company's will not pay out for a chimney fire or soot fall if their recommended sweep frequency has not been met.

Recommended article: Why you should not burn unseasoned firewood?

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.
Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

Jim Chimney - Chimney Sweep for Bournmeouth, Poole & Dorset