A real hearth with a roaring fire is a true pleasure. Not only do home fires provide warmth and light during the colder months of the year, but the flickering glow of orange flames as they burn through wood and coal adds instant character to any room.
However, if we don’t make sure our chimneys are regularly cleaned and well-maintained, the attractive special features can quickly become a source of real danger.
Joe Ochal, Founder of Chimney Scientists, knows better than most the hazards that can arise when people neglect to care for their chimneys. And whether it is discouraging an infestation of chimney swifts, protection against carbon monoxide poisoning, or preventing a blazing inferno from raging through your home, Ochal is determined to make the public understand the importance of chimney maintenance.
Now responsible for a staff of 20 chimney experts, Ochal set up Chimney Scientists as a one-person operation to help him pay his way through college. Realizing the potential for his business, he expanded the company into a full operation serving customers in Montgomery, Chester, and Bucks Counties as well as some areas of Philadelphia and Delaware.
In addition to installing fireplace add-ons, such as stoves and gas inserts, the chimney professional’s main focus is the inspection, cleaning, and restoration of chimneys, and he is an authority on the details of why you should always keep your chimney clean.
The Dark Danger of Creosote
The smoke produced when you burn wood fuel contains biomass particles. When this smoke is trapped inside a small space, such as a chimney, it forms condensation in the flue. The substance left on the walls is called creosote. Creosote is black or dark brown material that can appear either as dark, hard and glossy; crumbly and flaky; or even as a thick molasses-like substance.
Creosote is a complex mixture made up of hundreds of chemicals. When a chimney is first used, the layer of soot and creosote is pretty simple to clean, but with every subsequent use, the creosote deposits build up. Eventually, this build-up of highly combustible material will interfere with the flow of air through the chimney, increasing the likelihood of the creosote igniting and starting a chimney fire.
Chimney fires happen regularly, and often without the knowledge of the homeowner. Some warning signs to look out for include a powerful smell of burning tar, dense dark smoke, and unusual sounds, similar to a train coming from the chimney stack.
And, as Ochal points out, “the temperature for ignition doesn’t even need to be that high. Creosote is seriously combustible and can catch fire at just 451 degrees. That temp is easily reached, and often exceeded, by the average home fire.”
Sounds bad, right? But even worse, the heat of the fire can cause cracks to appear within the shaft. If you don’t have these repaired, moisture can enter the chimney’s brickwork, which, in a process called spalling, will freeze and expand, causing cracks and weakening the tile liner of the stack.
“During a chimney fire, a cracked tile liner can break down even further, allowing the fire to spread beyond the chimney, and before long, you have a full-blown house fire,” explained Ochal.
Pest Control
However, it isn’t just cracks in the masonry or the build-up of creosote in the chimney that homeowners need to watch out for when maintaining the safety of a home fire. All manner of birds, critters, and pests like to make their homes inside domestic flues and are another common cause of chimney ignition.
Raccoons, squirrels, and more are tempted by the promise of an uncapped smoke stack and will happily make their home there. Birds love to build nests inside a flume and their nests, constructed mainly from twigs and small branches, are extremely combustible and a significant fire hazard if not removed.
Ochal points out that even though you may not use a flue very often, maybe just a couple of times a year or less, fire hazards caused by nesting birds and rodents are greater than if you use them more frequently.
“Combustible blocks inside a chimney, caused by nests and animal waste like feathers and guano, will build up the less you use it. These materials are just as dangerous as creosote and will, in due course, cause a chimney fire.”
However, almost all chimney fires can be prevented. And by ensuring you have completed regular inspections and maintenance and that your chimney has been professionally capped, you can ensure the safety of your home and family.
Now you know what to do to prevent a fire and why — make sure you do it!
About Chimney Scientists
Joe Ochal is the Founder of The Chimney Scientists, serving the Philadelphia area. The Chimney Scientists is a full-service chimney and fireplace company that provides chimney and fireplace repairs, inspections, and cleanings, as well as historical restorations. To find out more about chimney repairs, please visit https://chimneyscientists.com/
