Do the Chemical Cleaner Logs really work?
The Chimney Safety Institute, a non-profit, educational institution for prevention of chimney and venting hazards has issued a statement on the logs. “The use of these products alone is not an adequate substitute for mechanical chimney cleaning and inspection because it does not provide the same level of protection to the chimney system.” It may be creating a false sense of security among consumers. The chemical in the product has been used for many years by professional chimney sweeps. It is used to change the chemical composition of hard and tacky creosote called, 3rd degree creosote. It changes the creosote into a powdery condition so it can be removed by a chimney cleaning. Basically the creosote does not dissolve or just vanish, it must be swept out. In small print on the logs it states, “The Cleaning Log is not intended to replace an inspection and professional cleaning.” The log cannot detect any other problems that may be going on with your fireplace.
