Soot from a cleaning? Re-burn or trash?

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atvdave

Member
Hearth Supporter
Dec 12, 2008
203
Newburgh, IN
Hey all.

I cleaned my liner today for the first time. I've only been burning for about 7 weeks. So what do the rest of you do with the soot?. Do you re-burn it, or throw it in the trash?
 
I don't clean the same junk out of a chimney twice. I put the soot in the can with the other ashes.
 
Pretty sure mine from last summer's still in the shop vac. It'll go out with the trash someday. Rick
 
Mine went out with the ashes onto the compost pile. Mind you, it was 10 years worth, not 7 weeks.
 
Put it out on the vegetable garden or a flower garden or even mix it in with the dirt in flower pots. Yes, even indoors. Your plants will love it. If all else fails, go ahead and throw it in the trash, but what a waste.
 
:bug: Geeze, somebody else as anal as me. After all, if creosote can burn well in your chimney, it sure could burn well in your stove too. The only bad creosote is what condenses in your chimney system. Burn it hot and it should give off no more creosote than any other wood product. I'm sure most everyone just throws it out, or like Dennis, uses it as a fertilizer/ph adjuster. But you could burn it quite well I'm sure.
 
Thanks for the replies. I trashed it.
 
Burns very nicely, thank you... but I put it on a hot fire and engage the catalyst to 'keep it clean'.

By preference, I'd rather burn it than trash it than put it on the ground... I'm inclined to think it's neither harmless or benign, but can't readily find info on it's chemical constituents.

What do I know?

Peter B.

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Edit: I take part of the above back. It looks like you could sprinkle it on ice cream...

From the Web (it's gotta be true):

"Wood tar creosote is a mixture of chiefly guaiacol, creosol and other phenolic compounds obtained from wood tar (mainly beech) by distillation between 203 and 220 C. It is insoluble in water, soluble in methanol, acetone. It is used as an external antiseptic, expectorant, gastric sedative, deodorant, and as an antiseptic parasiticide veterinary use in the form of creosote carbonate. It is used in the synthesis of pharmaceuticals and vanillin."

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