DIY Network

Hello everyone,

I just moved into my new home, well new for me. I am wanting to make sure everything works properly before winter arrives. I lit the fireplace and everything seems to be working fine, but my question is..and please don't laugh at me when I open the vent up or whatever it is called black soot falls...does this mean the inside of the fireplace is clogged..like I mentioned it works, but is there a product I can buy to clean it, or do I need to call a professional. Or is all this normal?

If your home inspection did not include a chimney inspection, I would sure opt for a sweep to come and clean/inspect it. Peace of mind, and you sure don't want to risk a chimney fire. Plus a good sweep can show you how to start and have a safe wood burning fire, if you have never had a fireplace before.

If the home inspector did find every thing in order, then there may just be some loose soot on top of your damper, that is dropping. But I would still eliminate the possibility of either a heavy layer of creosote, damaged mortar or no rain cap on the top of your chimney prior to winter season use.

Conrad,

Thanks for taking the time to answer.

Yes we did have a home inspection, and everything was fine with the fireplace. there is a rain cap on top of the chimney, that I can see when I step out onto my deck. I guess when I noticed some soot falling it freaked me out.

But I probably agree with you regarding having a heavy layer of creosote. I noticed the last time I was at Home Depot they sold a log that you can burn and this is supposed to help...is this true?

Once again thanks for shedding some light on my dilemma.

Seems every situation is different? If you do a Google search on "do fireplace cleaning logs work?" most of the opinions seem rather negative. As for myself, I would rather have a sweep person do an actual cleaning.

We seldom, if ever have fires in ours anymore. A handful a winter, so have not had ours cleaned for years, but as I recall they used to say one cleaning for every full cord of wood burnt? But you do want to have good hot fires with dry hardwood, not just smokey, smoldering ones with unseasoned wood.

I used to clean fireplaces for a living, and the best product was a liquidspray called CSR, if I remember right. It needs to be used every time you start a fire and every time you add wood to the firebox. You can even spray the logs before putting them in. You may have to call a professional sweep to find it, but a little goes a long way. Like was said earlier, burn only dry wood, and you should have it cleaned once a year or after every cord. If you have a steel flue, the buildup should be less as the flue heats up quicker than a tile chimney. Better safe than sorry, but it sounds like it may only be some light soot on the damper. But, many inspectors do not know what to look for inside a flue, and will quickly look over things. Spend the money. Hire a sweep. Keep your family safe.

My sister has a wood stove. It has a pipe that runs to a hole in the wall.Why does she have black soot or something running out of this thing?Also what would stop this and also stop the smell?I feel sorry for her she has done a lot to make it stop. Any advice would be appreciated.

Is the black soot on the inside of the stove vent flue or on the outside of it or on the wall?

If it is on the outside, it seems as though she has a serious problem that she needs to have a professional look at, it is a extremely potential fire danger.

If it is on the inside, she seriously needs to have the flue cleaned. Which is another fire danger. Creosote, the by-product of wood burning in fireplaces and stoves, builds up in chimneys and flues and if not cleaned on a regular basis will catch on fire and potentially burn down a structure.

What has she done to remedy the problem. What sort of professionals has she had to investigate the problem?

ToolQueen

I was so glad to see this thread about fireplaces. I just moved into a new town home and we now have a gas fireplace with fake logs. The problem is we have to keep the gas on for a "fire". Is it possible for this fireplace to be used with wood? I spoke with my brother and he said to just take out the fake logs and it should be fine.

"Should be fine" and fireplace don't work well together.

Any ideas?

We had a sweep out since it had been 15 years (I know I know). He saw that log sitting there that is supposed to clean as it burns and he told us not to use it. He said that although it might take care of some things, it deposited other things. (can't remember what he actually said) The cost was only $99 in our neck of the woods, and he really cleaned it! He even got on the roof to check things out.
Our next door neighbors bought the fake logs to use with the gas starter, then sold the house. Our new neighbors said it deposits soot on her stone. They are going to just remove the logs and go back to the gas starter. Is this safe?