What is creosote and what are the impacts from it?
Creosote is the result of condensation of flue gases. All wood burning or coal for that matter will produce it. It is the result of incomplete combustion and condensation of the gases remaining on a cold chimney.
Every stove or fireplace will produce it. Masonry chimneys are the worst and a masonry chimney lined with a stainless steel liner can be second.
Generally older masonry fireplaces can be bad, especially during the startup and dying stages. Older stoves and inserts are also quite bad, due to their poor ability to burn the gases properly and their ability for the user to choke the oxygen intake down so low.
A stage 3 or level 3 creosote is formed in these burns and is very dangerous and can not be swept out by any means – nor do the “creosote logs” remove it – although they can help in making it sweepable.
We can help with a product known as Cre-Away! It works..
The video below helps a lot in understanding of the three stages or levels of creosote and the dangers.