Can you burn creosote

It can be normal to see small amounts of creosote building up in your chimney throughout the year when having clean burning fires with dry wood. Issues with your fires such as insufficient air supply or burning wood that is too wet can lead to thicker deposits of creosote building up within your chimney.

Stage 2 creosote is harder to remove and can resemble black tar-like flakes, and is at more of a risk of starting chimney fires. More specialized tools may be required to remove this Second Degree Buildup.

Extremely unfavorable burning conditions can result in a concentrated layer of thick tar-looking creosote lining a chimney. This highly concentrated buildup of creosote is much harder to remove and can be a result of incomplete complete combustion of wood due burning wood that is far too high in moisture content, severely restricted airflow to the fires or a reduced draft due to existing creosote buildup.

If you have a stove, fireplace insert or damper blocking the view of your chimney or flue it can be hard to see if there are any visible signs of creosote building up. However, there are a few things to look out for that can be as a result of creosote buildup causing your fires to behave differently. If a fireplace is swept as part of the recommended annual cleaning then it can be normal to see a couple of cups worth of creosote being removed.

An annual clean using a brush will generally be able to remove this form of creosote buildup without any issues. Small amounts of creosote can be expected as part of a normal operation of a wood burning fireplace or stove, but in larger quantities creosote can become more of a danger to your home. One of the main causes of creosote buildup is a poorly burning fire due to a problem with either the air supply to the fire or a problem with the wood.

An issue with either of these can lead to incomplete combustion of the wood, where a struggling fire can release more creosote than usual. While a fire is having to burn off excess moisture in wet wood, incomplete combustion of the wood can lead to increased creosote production. If your fires are smoldering then look to open any air vents in the same room as your fireplace or stove, or crack open any windows also in the same room.

Buildup of creosote can reduce the opening of a flue or chimney and reduce the draft. This in turn can lower the speed of the air leaving the fireplace up the chimney and cause more creosote to settle.

Excessive creosote buildup can be a combination of all these factors, but in particular burning wet wood, inadequate air supply and a poor draft can be the main cause of excessive buildup. Understanding how creosote is formed and why it builds up can help you to stop it from being produced and settling. Press ESC to cancel. Skip to content Home Cover Letter Can you burn wood that has been treated with creosote?

Cover Letter. Ben Davis March 5, Can you burn wood that has been treated with creosote? Can you burn creosote post? Is breathing creosote dangerous? What dissolves creosote? Can creosote cause cancer? Is creosote dangerous to your health? Burn it up. Or just dump it out. It's not worth a ton of heat if you're worried about the trouble. A small pile sitting at the bottom of some logs isn't going to have the surface area to cause a problem.

My bet it will burn down like charcoal. If you sprinkled it all over the top of wet wood it might drift up and reattach itself. If you injected it under pressure to in effect atomize the particulate matter and provided a combustion source like a spark plug drilled into the side of firebox hooked to an igniter coil pushing 20k volts, it might explode.

I wouldn't do that. Dave, can you add your stove to your signature line? How long was the wood seasoned that was burned and what species? Realstone Lord of Fire.

Jan 20, Southern ON Realstoneflooring. Creosote is the cholesterol of wood burning. Interesting to note that eating food with cholesterol does not add to our own cholesterol. Oct 28, 2, Soutwest VA. I would not want to light a chimney off with a lot of the stuff.

Sounds like you may have some wet wood. Realstone said:. Elderthewelder Minister of Fire. Nov 1, Everett, Washington Visit site. Dave Your user name and your location do not quite jive. Treacherous Minister of Fire. May 13, 1, WA state. Sure, I added that info in there. It's a Lopi Declaration, an insert that I'm not entirely happy with. I think it comes up pretty short of the specs, especially on burn times.

Trying to run a low burn usually leads to a smoldering mess, so I've gotten away from doing that. Elderthewelder said:. Backwoods Savage Minister of Fire. Feb 14, 27, Michigan. Why not just take that black crap out and put it in the garden?

Or even in a flower bed. Get better use of it that way. As time goes on, creosote deposits cause more significant issues with incomplete combustion, leading to faster buildup of creosote.

These deposits can grow to cover the inside of your chimney more quickly than you think. Even small amounts of incomplete combustion can begin this process, which means almost any home will have creosote in the chimney. Creosote does a lot more than simply reduce the airflow of your chimney.

Exposure to creosote can have a wide-range of effects on your health. While some are simply irritating, other effects can be severe. Here are some of the most common symptoms associated with creosote exposure:. Irritated Skin — If you come into physical contact with creosote, you may notice rashes or other reactions. Irritated Eyes — Creosote can cause sensitivity to light or even symptoms that mirror chemical burns in your eyes. This risk is why you should always rely on an expert to safely clean your chimney.

However, studies have shown that creosote is carcinogenic, so long-term exposure is a risk. If you rent out a property with a masonry chimney, like many of the landlords in the Bowling Green, Ohio area , creosote exposure from a poorly-maintained fireplace could put your tenants at risk. This, in turn, puts you at risk for complaints or possible legal action! What is creosote doing in your chimney? Waiting to be burned! The deposits that are left in your chimney are flammable, and when it ignites it creates a scorching hot fire.

Unfortunately, while you may think of a fireplace or chimney as an appropriate location for a fire, chimney fires are dangerous.