Natural Ways to Keep Soot From Building Up in a Fireplace

Soot

• When wood burns, it yields heat energy and tiny, partly burned wood particles. These smoke and soot particles settle on the fireplace walls and in the chimney. As they cool, the particles stick to the surfaces and eventually build up in layers as flammable creosote. Soot buildup in a fireplace and its chimney reduce heat transfer by absorbing the heat and impeding combustion. By blocking part of the chimney air flow, the soot buildup creates hazardous conditions that may prevent the damper from opening and cause carbon monoxide poisoning.

Maintenance

• Cleaning is the most effective way to keep soot from building up in a fireplace. Scrub the inside of the fireplace chimney with a wire chimney brush. Designed specifically for chimney cleaning, brushes are made in various sizes and shapes. Choose the right brush to fit your chimney shape and diameter. Install a chimney cap as it prevents debris and wildlife from entering the chimney, reducing air flow and causing soot buildup. Check the damper, making sure it opens and closes completely, as a partly open damper prevents the chimney air from heating. Cool air contributes to soot buildup. Clean the fireplace itself, as soot buildup prevents air from circulating freely around the fire. Scrape or scrub off soot and creosote using cleaning products such as TSP (trisodium phosphate), washing soda or borax cleaning solutions.

Fire-Tending

• Use well-seasoned hardwood for an efficient fire. Build the fire with paper and softwood kindling for fast ignition. As the fire starts, the kindling rapidly heats the air so that it rises through the chimney instead of swirling into the room with smoke and other contaminants. After the fire is well started, maintain the fire with hardwood such as oak or hickory that burns clean with low sparking. These hardwoods produce heat over a long period with minimal smoke and soot. Good air circulation is critical to good combustion and low soot deposits. Build the fire on a grate and check for adequate room ventilation. A smoldering fire of green wood or improper combustion is cold and causes more soot deposits.

Considerations

• Chemical soot remover additives reportedly help creosote and soot burn away. Sprinkled or sprayed on burning fires, these products combine with the wood water vapors to create a weak acid. This acid does help some soot burn off more easily, but their effectiveness is limited and they are harmful to metal chimney parts. Do not add fire accelerants such as kerosene, gasoline or other combustibles, as they explode easily and cause rapid heating, resulting in chimney or house fires.