07/17/2026
Often in my visits to Customers, I am asked, what does creosote look like. That is a difficult question, because creosote has different stages, and different levels of concern. This is actually the only time that I will ever mention the different stages of creosote. I prefer to speak straight up, and in a manner that everyone understands. If I tell you that you have stage 2 creosote…..that means absolutely nothing to you. I prefer to help people understand, rather than baffling them with BS. So, after this post….we will leave the stages of creosote to those that are trying to impress and make themselves feel more important than others.
Stage 1 creosote. It is a powder. It may have small flakes of shiny creosote mixed in, but nothing significant. The way I describe this, little flakes, like the old school mashed potato flakes. Yes, they can catch on fire, and often it looks like little sparks coming out of the chimney. Most times, they burn out like a spark, and you never know they happened unless you seen them.
Stage 2 creosote. This is often flakes, much like cornflakes cereal, crunchy nuggets, and every combination between those two . This type of creosote is often crunchy, and crumbly. Yes, it can burn. Normally, this type of creosote can burn up in the chimney, causing extreme heat for a short period of time, but typically doesn’t clog the chimney off, unless it has significantly built up. When this type of creosote burns, think of an old coal burning train engine spewing black smoke out of the stack. If you have black smoke coming out of the top of the chimney….its a chimney fire.
Stage 3 creosote. This creosote is shiny, hard, and extremely difficult to get rid of because it sticks to everything like cement, or warm 💩 when it’s gummy. It is actually very pretty when it is hardened. I describe it like black glass. Given the right conditions….this type of creosote burns hot, fast, sounds like a freight train coming through the wall, often clogging off the chimney, and flames can actually shoot out of the chimney top. This type of creosote can also be liquid. My best description is like gummy, liquid tar.
It is not watery at all, it is like the worst gummy tar you ever touched. It does not come off of anything, including your chimney. How do you get it off? Most times you have to beat it off,. If it’s gummy tar…sorry, you are not getting that off until it dries out. Traditional brushes have very little if any effect, and mostly just smear the mess around.
Every chimney has some form of creosote. It isn’t uncommon that all three types of creosote would be found in any chimney.
Ultimately, you want the Level 1 creosote. That has the least amount of risk. Most chimneys that I deal with have all three types of creosote in them in various levels, and various levels of severity. The lower levels, closer to the stove may have a level 1 type of creosote. 3-6 feet from the top, can have a level 2 type of creosote. In the cap, and down six to 24 inches into the chimney top…..level 3 creosote. I have seen, however….level 3 ( liguid or shiny creosote from top to bottom.) options are limited from that period on.
In any event, whether you understand creosote levels or not, the best line of defence is a regular chimney cleaning and service. It is only a defence though. If you feel unsafe, if you think you have a chimney fire, please call the Fire Department. It is always better to be safe than sorry. Ask as many questions as you can during the service call. Understand your stove, and chimney. I prefer my clients to be educated about their stove. How it works, how to repair and fix things that could get you through an emergency until professional service arrives.
I hope this has helped some people understand creosote and the levels of creosote. If someone ever tells you that you have Level 1 creosote…..now you know the difference.
As always…..
I’ll let you know when it’s time to panic……..
