To use creosote logs or hire a chimney cleaner?
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The value of those logs is greatly debated. Some say they do almost nothing, others say they do nothing at all.
Inspect it yourself - if it looks dirty, clean it or call a sweep.
Inspect it yourself - if it looks dirty, clean it or call a sweep.
The logs are NOT a replacement for a mechanical cleaning (re:brush). They can assist by turning the gooey stuff into flaky stuff which brushes much easier (and is far less dangerous), but by no means are they a "sweep".
What these logs do is make existing creosote less flammable. The creosote will be changed a bit in composition and some will fall to the bottom. It will make whats left easier to brush away. It's not really a substitute for a real cleaning though. You could burn one and then have a few days worth of fires and then inspect to see if cleaning is really required. I burn one every once in a while but my chimney is so clean it's really unnecessary. In fact I'm going back to the once a year inspection and only clean every 5-10 years or as needed.
There is no substitute for a good manual cleaning. As others have stated, those "sweeping" logs are really designed to make some forms of creosote easier to remove by brushing. And their effectiveness in doing that much is debated.
I suggest a third option - manually clean it yourself. It really is pretty simple and much cheaper than hiring someone. I purchased a kit (rods/brush) online for about $65 in the spring and did mine for the first time.
My liner manual (Simpson) specifically says not to use chemical cleaner logs, and to manually sweep
It's all been said before, but worth repeating.
Chimney sweeping logs are not a replacement for sweeping . . . some folks swear by 'em, some folks say they only help loosen things up or make sweeping easier.
My vote: hire a sweep or go with option B and do as one other member suggested, buy a brush and rods and do it yourself to save money in the long run.
Chimney sweeping logs are not a replacement for sweeping . . . some folks swear by 'em, some folks say they only help loosen things up or make sweeping easier.
My vote: hire a sweep or go with option B and do as one other member suggested, buy a brush and rods and do it yourself to save money in the long run.
firefighterjake said:
Presuming you do it properly, you're saving money in the short run - the brushes cost half of one sweep visit - ~$75 for brushes, ~$150 for a sweep to come by
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