Hot take: creosote logs are a band-aid, not a real cleaning tool

I keep seeing posts about throwing those creosote logs in every week instead of actually brushing the flue, but after pulling 3 years of buildup out of a client's liner last Tuesday from a house that swore by them, I gotta ask - do they actually prevent chimney fires or just make people think they're safe?

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phoenixb664mo ago

Hot take" is right. I read a study from a fire safety institute that said creosote logs only work on light, fluffy deposits, not the hard, shiny glaze stuff that builds up over years. After cleaning out a chimney last month that used them religiously, I pulled out a solid sheet of that hard stuff that was basically baked on. They might help a little with maintenance, but they don't replace actually scraping the liner.

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wells.reese4mo ago

I've cleaned three fireplaces that used them and found zero glaze buildup each time.

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