The white stains or powder-like material is often the result of water penetration of the chimney and known as efflorescence. During a rain, snow, or ice storm water is into the brick and mortar, as the mortar and brick dry lime and salts from within the brick and mortar are let behind on the surface.

There really is no hard fast rule, it depends on the stove, the wood you burn, how you burn it and how often you burn it.  I have seen as often as every month to once every decade.  However the Ontario Fire Code states that the chimney must be inspected and if necessary cleaned at least once per year.

As a general guideline the actual frequency of cleaning will depend on:

• How frequently you use the wood burning appliance
• The species of wood burned
• How dry the wood is when burned
• How you burn the appliance
• Weather it is a wood stove, fireplace or insert
• How efficient the appliance is – also related directly to age
• If chimney is lined or a factory built
• Location of chimney (indoors or exterior)
• If chimney has a raincap
• If the chimney also has oil in same flue

The Chimney Safety Institute of America recommends that open masonry fireplaces should be swept at 1/8″ of sooty buildup, and sooner if there is any glaze present in the system.  This is considered to be enough fuel buildup to cause a chimney fire capable of damaging the chimney or spreading to the home. Factory-built fireplaces should be swept when any appreciable buildup occurs. The logic is that the deposit is quite acidic and can shorten the life of the fireplace.

This is a tough one and it appears in various blogs throughout our website.  There is no single, simple answer to this problem.  If there were, I would post in big, bold text on the front page.  Realistically chimneys are always better if inside the home.  The problem you have can be related to flue size in chimney being too large, the chimney being masonry, the chimney being un-insulated or other reasons.

If you have a factory built (metal) chimney you may be able to move it inside, or build a chase around it (inside is better option of the two).  If it is masonry then moving is not possible, you could try an insulated insert/liner inside the chimney – which can in some cases make it almost as good as a metal factory built chimney.  You may say there is no way to run it inside, but there always is a way to do almost anything.

It is also impacted by how leaky or tight  your home is, if it is leaky at higher levels then the problem becomes worse.  (a two story home – with serious leaks on 2nd floor is a typical worst case example)
Try sealing up attic hatches, ceiling fixtures, 2nd story windows, etc.

There is no single – for sure solution to this problem – just as there is no single reason why the back-draft occurs to begin with.

Your appliance (wood-stove, fireplace or furnace) cannot be WETT certified.

I often get requests for :

• a WETT Certificate
• a WETT Certification
• a WETT Approval
• verification it is a “WETT Certified installation.

Sometimes people will ask if the company is WETT Certified.

Each of these is WRONG/INCORRECT.  None of these terms EXIST.

What should be issued is an inspection report, completed by an individual who is WETT certified.

There is no SUCH thing as a WETT Certificate.

The appliance may be CERTIFIED – but by the manufacturer and not by WETT.

The person performing the inspection is certified by WETT.

What you need to do is contact a WETT certified professional to inspect your wood-burning appliance. WETT has adopted a process to help identify the level of inspection required.  Generally the inspection is best performed by a Chimney Sweep or Comprehensive Inspector – normally either of whom can also clean the chimney if necessary.

For any level of inspection, you should receive a written report.  WETT has standardized forms which should be used as part of this report and should always be included.  At the top of each form will be the words “WETT RECOMMENDED INSPECTION CHECKLIST“.  In a properly performed inspection, you will receive two or more of these reports – one for the appliance and one for the chimney.  While members in WETT are encouraged to use these standardized forms, some vary and have made their own form template which they use.  Most competent inspectors will also include a short written report with a Level 1 inspection, Level 2 inspections and Level 3 inspections will always have a more complete written report with them and cost more due to the additional time onsite and in report preparation.  The report may also include photographs, or the inspector may retain these simply for reference in the future.

What you smell is actually creosote deposits within the chimney, this is a natural by-product of wood burning. The higher humidity in the summer and the lack of burning wood is what causes the odour to be more noticeable.  When wood is burning, there is a natural draft taking all odours up and out.  The problem is the air being drawn down the chimney into the home, a sweeping of the chimney in early spring/summer can help – a rain cap is mandatory – and a treatment with Ozone can eliminate any odour in the home (although if the source is not dealt with it will return.

A proper chimney sweeping includes the chimney flue and smoke chamber of a fireplace or the wood stove and chimney flue.  All WETT Certified  Chimney Sweeps will provide a Level 1 or Level 2 inspection as part of the sweeping – it is mandatory with WETT certification.  There will NOT be a written report unless you pay a bit more – but the sweep will still do all the necessary work involved in the inspection.  This is in fact why it is a WASTE of money for people hiring a Home Inspector to do a WETT Inspection – unless they are also a Chimney Sweep!  Have the chimney cleaned as well – you will need to do it when you buy the property & it will save you MONEY!  Level 1 and Level 2 inspections are detailed in the National Fire Protection Association 211: Standard on Chimneys, Fireplaces, Vents and Solid Fuel-Burning Appliances.  DO NOT HIRE ANY SWEEPS WHO ARE NOT WETT CERTIFIED CHIMNEY SWEEPS!

​You may have heard the term “Level 3 Creosote” and wondered what it was and if it really does exist.  The short answer is yes, there are three levels f creosote and Level 3 is the most difficult to remove.  Level 3 can not easily be removed, even by a professional.  In fact a professional will need to use professional-grade chemicals, generally in a powder form to change the glazed creosote into a for that can be removed.   The powder will require heat, often a small fire, t cause the chemical reaction to take place.  I have a post in the blog section on creosote modifiers which are the chemicals used to treat Level 3 creosote.   So, yes Level 3 creosote does exist, is dangerous and needs a professional to remove properly.   It is generally caused by less than optimal burning conditions and can be fairly expensive to remove as the chemical is not inexpensive to purchase.

In a simple answer, burning wood.  When wood burns or is heated it releases a gas which is a complex Hydro-Carbon.  It is actually this gas that is burning and not the solid wood.  When this gas is not fully burned in the firebox, and makes it way up the chimney, it will condense if it passes by anything cool enough in temperature.  Chimney operation is simple physics – pressure and temperature and creosote formation is mostly chemistry.  Yes you can do some things to reduce creosote formation but you can not stop or prevent it entirely in any wood burning system.  The black creosote is simply a condensation of a hydro-carbon gas released from the wood.  And no,, softwood does not produce more creosote than hardwood!  However green or unseasoned wood will produce more than dry or seasoned wood!  The only safe way to deal with it is to clean the chimney – and if you heat with wood you need to do that on an annual basis (or sometimes more frequently than that).

You may have seen the term “chimney flashing” on your Home Inspector report or somewhere else.  Flashing is the metal that is inserted into the brick of the chimney and goes down to interleave with the roof flashing, which is interleaved with the shingles (some beneath and part on top of the shingles).

We have customers who have had other Chimney Sweeps tell them their stove was worn out.    Does a stove wear out?  Yes it can but.. Some Chimney Sweeps will clean your chimney and then tell you your stove is worn out or needs replacement. It may, and it may simply be a suggestion. A suggestion? Well your stove may be old, inefficient and you could be better served by a new stove. Sometimes a second opinion is a good idea, from a sweep who does not sell stoves and has no alterior motive to make themselves more money!

Yes a stove can wear out, but often the clues are obvious with holes, rust, etc. I have seen perfectly good, but older stoves which the owners had been told were worn out.

If you have been told that, call today as I feel honesty and integrity is above profit making.  If your stove is old and inefficient we will tell you that, not that it is worn out.

Well in Canada the Chimney Sweep Certification is issued by WETT.  However, not all who are WETT Certified are Chimney Sweeps!  A dilemma for many to say the least.  They ask “Are you WETT Certified?” – a logical question and the answer may be “Yes”.  However, that does not mean they are a WETT Certified Chimney Sweep!!   The most basic WETT Certification is Basic Inspector – and there are hundreds with this credential as that is where we all started.  After that is the Certified Technician, then Chimney Sweep, then Comprehensive Inspector, Advanced Technician and Advanced Chimney Sweep.

So yes you should always hire a WETT Certified Chimney Sweep or WETT Certified Advanced Chimney Sweep to clean your system.  But be sure you ask the right questions!!   Some who perform chimney sweeping are NOT Certified – perhaps half of those who do the work – and sometimes they charge less.  But you often do get less value as well.  Protect yourself and your family and get Peace of Mind!