Talked with an old timer in Cincinnati about creosote logs

I was at a supply house last week and got chatting with a guy named Frank who's been sweeping for 40 years. He said, 'Son, those creosote logs are fine for a bit of maintenance, but they'll never replace a good brush and elbow grease on a real buildup.' It made me realize I'd been maybe trusting them a little too much for my regular customers. Anyone else have a rule for when you recommend them versus a full clean?

3 comments

3 Comments

alex80926d ago

Honestly, that line about "they'll never replace a good brush" is dead on. I read a safety bulletin from a fire department last year that said the same thing. They called those logs a "helper" at best for light soot, not a fix for real glazed creosote. Tbh, I only tell people to use them if I've just cleaned the chimney myself and they want to keep it tidy between my visits. For any actual buildup, it's just giving a false sense of security.

knight.xena11d ago

Ever see those ads where they show a clean chimney after one log?

gavinperez25d ago

Yeah, that's a good way to put it.