How Often to Remove Soot from the Chimney for an Oil Burner?

Damage

• Oil soot, which contains unburned carbon and sulfur, is a by-product of the incomplete burning of fuel oil. When it builds up inside your chimney, it causes chimney fires, destroys your flue and directs carbon monoxide back into your house. It also causes your furnace to burn inefficiently. In addition to soot, burning oil produces nitrogen dioxide, acidic water vapors and other ingredients that corrode the chimney’s interior, causing it to decay and allowing heat and flue gases to escape through cracks and holes that develop in the liner.

Annual Cleaning

• The Chimney Safety Institute and the Environmental Protection Agency recommend annual inspections and cleaning because they’re concerned about carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas that’s produced when fuel oil doesn’t burn completely. The long, winter running-cycles of your furnace produce soot deposits that stick to the sides of your chimney and accumulate at the base of masonry chimneys. They can also fall into the top of your furnace if you have a metal chimney directly above it. The fallen soot cuts off the flow of flue gases and re-directs carbon monoxide back into your house. Soot build-up also contributes to the decay of your chimney liner.

Less Frequent

• An annual inspection that includes a thorough cleaning of the furnace flue pipe, barometric damper and chimney base, and the removal of soot build-up from the heat exchanger cavities inside the furnace, means that the chimney itself will seldom or never require cleaning, according to The Canadian Office of Energy Efficiency (TCOEE). The TCOEE reports it’s important to have your furnace adjusted for maximum efficiency at the same time.

Misconception

• Your oil burner company will usually shovel out the base of your masonry chimney and it might clean the connector pipes but, contrary to what many homeowners think, it won’t inspect your chimney or clean it out. Instead, call a chimneysweep to inspect and service your chimney. Search The National Chimney Sweep database to find a chimney sweep in your area.