Sooty Foot Chimney Sweep

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……..

07/09/2026

Everyone always asks me when the best time to clean your chimney is. When you get in your car, and the outside temperature is reading anything similar to this…..it’s time to get your chimney cleaned. There are some very good reasons for this.
1. You aren’t using your stove
2. You aren’t standing around with and arm load of kindling, and a pack of matches thinking about using your stove.
3. It is much easier for me to work around your schedule. If you wait, then you have to settle for whatever my schedule says.
4. If I tell you it will be two weeks before I can schedule you, it isn’t a big deal. ( See reason #1)
5. If you wait until it starts to get colder, everyone else will be thinking the same thing. (See reason #2)
6. When the cooler nights hit, and they will…. You will be ready with no worries.
7. If your stove, Furnace, pipes or chimney needs and repairs, or other maintenance, it isn’t a big panic. If you discover in late September or early October that your stove needs something replaced, and that part is 3-4 weeks away on the slow boat from Sweden, or China…that’s more of an issue.
I’m booking appointment times for the whole season now, and have been since March. These are the “any earlier”,and “that’s the earliest you have available?” Appointments that everyone in mid September last year were asking me about last year. Take advantage of the time. Book now, even if you want an appointment in September, October, November or December. If you wait until September or October to book a September or October appointment, you will likely be asking me “Do you have anything earlier….?”

07/06/2026

Hi everyone, been a little bit since I have had access to the internet. Was on vacation last week and am just getting back to work now. I have a lot of calls and messages to return and will be working away at phone calls and messages to get everyone booked in. Thank you for a little patience while I straighten out the quagmire. Everyone had a great time, Taya, Mia, and Zoe had a busy week of exploring new surroundings along with ducks, geese, and toads all while guarding their vacation yard.

06/19/2026

A little bit of activity on Bog Road this morning….slow action. She didn’t look like she was done doing her work.
Hopefully she finds her way back into the bog safely.

06/16/2026

Most Customers hang around and watch the cleaning process. We often chat along, and have a bit of a visit during my visit. Some Customers however don’t have a very good understanding of personal space, and are reasonably certain that they should help out as much as possible. Luckily, the cat decided to actually get out of the stove and give a little more room to the vacuum cleaner when it arrived on scene.

03/29/2026

Another great Masonry contractor in The Valley. New in business, but not new to the business. Jamie Brown has spent many years honing his skills with Lloyd Leblanc Masonry. Anyone who has had Lloyd for Masonry work, is certainly familiar with Jamie, his ability, and work ethic. Good luck Jamie, and all the best.

New logo just in, big shout out to panda print in newminas 💯👌

03/27/2026

Drivers…..this is 7000 pounds of truck coming at you with a green light right of way. It doesn’t stop as easily as you may suspect. If you’re not going to pay attention, at least consult with your passenger….they are the ones that are going to have to deal with a truck coming through the door at them.

03/26/2026

A good reminder for stove owners, about proper disposal of ashes. Ashes and coals out of your stove can stay hot not just for several hours, but several days in the right conditions. Also a reminder to place ash cans and receptacles in a safe area, well away from the house. On the back deck outside the door is never a good place to set down your ash cans. I have seen countless burn marks on wooden steps and decks from hot ashes in a metal container.

03/18/2026

Well, we’ve almost made it through another winter. Now, with a little bit of warmer weather it’s SNIRT, and SNIT season…..(us dog owners know what SNIT season is…..).
Soon it will be time to think about doing some spring cleaning.
Early cleaning, and even early booking for Fall cleaning is always a good idea.