Hot take: People think a clean chimney means no more creosote risk

I was at a friend's house in Boise last month and they had a fire going. They said they had the chimney cleaned 'a while back' so they were good. I asked to see their woodpile and it was all green, unseasoned oak. That's the thing, a sweep removes buildup, but wet wood makes new creosote crazy fast no matter how clean the flue is. I told them to get a moisture meter and let that wood sit for another year. How do you guys explain the link between fuel and buildup to customers without sounding like you're just upselling another service?

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3 Comments

shane_perry295mo ago

Dry wood is half the battle, honestly.

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coleh515mo ago

Is dry wood really that big of a deal, @shane_perry29? I've started plenty of fires with wood that wasn't perfectly dry. Sure, it smokes more, but it still gets going. Maybe it matters more for a perfect cooking fire, but for just staying warm it seems like people stress over it too much.

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troy_gibson434mo ago

My buddy Mike tried burning wet oak once, chimney caught fire within an hour.

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