Found out that 90% of chimney fires happen because of creosote buildup that's less than 1/4 inch thick

I was reading through some NFPA stats last night and that fact blew my mind since I always thought you needed a thick layer for trouble. Has anyone else been surprised by how thin that stuff can be when it ignites?

2 comments

2 Comments

the_eric19d ago

Whoa wait, that can't be right! I've been cleaning my chimney for years and always figured a thick crust was the real danger. A quarter inch is basically nothing, like a thin coat of paint almost. I'm gonna have to be way more careful about scheduling cleanings from now on because I definitely let it get a bit thicker than that sometimes.

alice8919d ago

Honestly yeah, I was shook when I first heard that too. I remember reading this thing from a fire safety site that said even like 1/8 inch of buildup can be enough to start a chimney fire if the conditions are right. It's wild because you think you're being careful by cleaning at all, but letting it get past that quarter inch mark feels like a big gamble after you learn that. A friend of mine had a close call last winter and his sweep told him a lot of folks don't realize how little buildup it actually takes to be dangerous. Definitely makes me want to check my own schedule more closely now.