Wood-burning fireplaces are rustic, attractive and they provide your home with plenty of warmth. There is a huge variety of fuel that you can burn in your fireplace, but which one produces the least amount of soot and creosote in your chimney? Both creosote and soot are responsible for a large number of chimney fires in the United States, which is why getting regular St. Paul chimney cleaning is so important. Read on below to learn about which types of wood you should burn in your fireplace to avoid creosote and soot build-up in your fireplace.
Whether you need chimney cleaning, repairs, inspections or installations – 2nd Generation Chimneys is here to help!
What are Soot and Creosote?
When you burn wood in your fireplace, it produces a number of byproducts including ash, smoke, soot and creosote. Soot is a black powder that is largely comprised of unburned materials. When it is first produced, soot can be easily vacuumed up or brushed off. But over time, as layers of soot collect on the inside of your chimney, they can form layers that will restrict the flow of air out of your chimney.
Creosote is more tar-like than soot, which is produced by the condensation of many different fire byproducts like wood particles and hydrocarbons. These substances cool as they exit up your chimney and collect as a sticky substance on your chimney walls. In order to remove creosote, you should call 2nd Generation Chimney for your St. Paul chimney cleaning needs. This creosote is incredibly flammable and can create a very hot fire that ignites within your chimney.
What Fuels Should I Burn?
As we mentioned above, there are a lot of different fuels that you can burn in your wood-burning fireplace. Here’s a quick list of some of the things that you can burn to make sure that you limit the amount of soot and creosote that gathers in your chimney.
- Avoid wet, young wood – When you try to burn wet wood that hasn’t had a chance to dry out, it will likely smolder and produce more smoke than heat. This can cause more creosote to build up in your chimney.
- Dry wood – There are a couple reasons to make sure that you burn seasoned and dry wood. First, the fire will burn hotter. A hotter fire means that more of the wood will be consumed which will reduce creosote. Also, a hotter fire will keep your chimney warmer and prevent the gases from cooling and condensing into creosote.
For any St. Paul chimney cleaning that you need, just call 2nd Generation Chimneys today.