The Lowdown About
Chimney Sweep Logs

Aside from pursuing with the regular chimney sweep, where a professional would scrub away the dirt from the insides of your chimney, now there is a more convenient and cheaper way of removing the creosote material from your chimney, and that is by using chimney sweep logs. This may sound absurd since chimney sweeping log, which shares the basic components of wood that caused the creosote buildup in the first place, would suddenly remove the creosote once used. However, this type of log contains materials and substance that help in the breakdown of the creosote.

Chimney sweep logs, also known as "supersweeps," emit the chemicals used by professional chimney sweepers to remove glazed creosote that cannot be chipped off using regular cleaning tools. The logic here would be that when these logs will be used in the fireplace, they will release the chemicals upwards with the other gases, and stick to the glazed creosote of the chimney. In time, the creosote will become brittle and will fall down to the fireplace, where you could clean it up afterwards. At the same time, the chemicals will limit the buildup of creosote in your chimney during future use of the fireplace.

Despite its seeming usefulness, there is a problem with using chimney sweep logs as an alternative for mechanical chimney sweeping. Much of this misunderstanding is due to the claims and advertisements made by the log manufacturers on their websites, stating that a chimney sweeping log would reduce the occurrence of creosote in your chimney by more than half than the usual. However, even if the claims were indeed true, and that the creosote would fall off eventually once the chemicals have taken its place in the chimneys, you would have a hazardous material on your fireplace which could potentially induce fire across your living room. Therefore, it would be wise to occasionally use a chimney sweeping log for maintenance, while leaving the manual cleaning to the professionals.

Although the use of chimney sweep logs may be a convenient way of removing creosote from your chimney, the drawback with this type of log is that it does not really determine the problem with your chimney. Using the logs would only assume that your chimney needs to be removed of the creosote. Also, if your chimney is encountering a different problem, such as having a blockage in the flow of smoke, the gases and chemical will most likely settle in your fireplace, causing harm to the room. Keeping such in mind would help you properly use chimney sweep logs.