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

Friday, 25 August 2017

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.