Talking to a firefighter in Denver made me rethink my creosote advice

I was finishing a job last week and got chatting with the homeowner's neighbor, who's a firefighter. He said they see way more chimney fires from 'glazed' creosote, the hard, shiny kind, than the fluffy soot we usually warn about. I've always told clients the fluffy stuff is the main danger. He said that glazed stuff can ignite at a lower temperature and is way harder to put out. It really hit different coming from someone who sees the worst-case results. So, should we be changing how we talk about risks with customers? Is fluffy soot getting too much of the bad rep?

3 comments

3 Comments

cameron7242mo ago

My buddy's cabin in Pine Grove almost burned down from that glazed stuff. The chimney sweep said it looked like black glass. They had to use a special chemical treatment to break it up before they could even scrape it. Makes you wonder how many people are getting bad advice. That firefighter is right to be worried.

noahcampbell2mo ago

So what's the fix for glazed creosote then?

holly_gonzalez611mo ago

Honestly, I used to think just getting it swept more often was enough. But after seeing a picture of that glassy stage three stuff, I changed my mind. From what I've read, once it gets that bad, you often need a pro with those special chemical cleaners to soften it up first. Trying to scrape it off yourself can just damage the liner.