Chimney Safety in Blaine

If you are looking for a chimney safety team that will go above and beyond for your Blaine home’s needs, you need to call Lockwood Construction LLC today. Trained and professionally certified in all aspects of chimney safety, our specialists can provide a straightforward and stress-free service that will provide you and your family with an invaluable sense of peace of mind. And, at the end of the day, what price can you place on this value? So, if you have noticed that your home has an added buildup of soot, creosote or debris recently or if you think that there are excessive amounts of leaks entering through your chimney, then we can help. Don’t settle for second best when it comes to your family’s health, safety and convenience. Instead, call Lockwood Construction LLC today and allow our skilled team of chimney safety experts cater to your every need in a clear and deliberate fashion.

Three Stages of Creosote Buildup

To put it bluntly, creosote is essentially one of the components, aside from ash, that is left over after wood has been burned. In general, the mix of tar and soot is called creosote. One of the other unique aspects of creosotes is that the term refers specifically to the soot that results following the burning of wood. When referring to the residue resulting from the burning of oil or gas, that is simply referred to as soot. In general, there are three stages of creosote buildup and they include:

• 1. First Degree Creosote Buildup: In general, first degree creosote buildup will contain a high percentage of soot and can be removed effectively from a chimney with a functioning chimney brush and a good dollop of elbow grease. Usually, first degree creosote will develop when there is relatively good wood combustion or relatively high flue gas temperatures. First degree creosote is generally what is formed when people thing of a strong open fireplace containing lots of air mixing with wood being burned.
• 2. Second Degree Creosote Buildup: Compared to first degree creosote, second degree creosote is generally a little trickier. The reason for this is simple: in second degree creosote, the buildup generally contains shiny black flakes. So, if you have detected a high volume of dry, shiny, hard-tar flakes then this is most likely second-degree creosote. This level of creosote is slightly harder to brush away but is still relatively moveable. On average, second degree creosote will occur when incoming air is restricted.
• 3. Third Degree Creosote Buildup: As you may have guessed by now, the most damaging type of creosote buildup is third-degree buildup. This level of buildup usually occurs when flue temperatures are low and wood burning combustion is incomplete. Third degree creosote will generally look like tar coating running down the side of your home’s chimney. This is an extremely concentrated fuel and can expand to a thickness of one inch of left undetected. Don’t let this happen.