What kind of salt do I use for cleaning a chminey sweep?

Hi Gloria, A google snippets answer: Flue & Chimney Cleaning Chemicals | Home Guides | SF Gatehomeguides.sfgate.com › Home › Home Improvement:

Put a little salt in the fire while it is burning. The salt combines with the water in the burning wood to create a weak acid that travels up the chimney and dissolves small amounts of creosote. This method should be used with care, however.

Usually people will try to find the answer for you and post it here. There is no need to email you when you are on Hometalk forums and DIY questions. Good luck!

Sodium chloride, also known as table salt, is a simple chemical that is easy to find. Put a little salt in the fire while it is burning. The salt combines with the water in the burning wood to create a weak acid that travels up the chimney and dissolves small amounts of creosote.

You could also use something like this to remove soot from your chimney between sweeps. It's a brush that attaches to a drill to spin around and clean your chimney: https://www.walmart.com/ip/Nylon-Chimney-Brush-and-Rods-Kit-Electrical-Rotary-Drill-Drive-Sweeping-Cleaning-Tool-with-Long-Flexible-Rods/106577781

Put a little salt on the fire while it is burning and it will help to create a weak acid that floats up the chimney to help dissolve the small creosote deposits.

thanks everybody

Here's another article: https://www.woodsmanreport.com/burning-rock-salt-to-clean-chimney/

They make fire place cleaning logs that you can burn the help keep it clean too

i would use fireplace cleaning logs or simply call proffestional .. They do have deals all the time ..i think it is a safer way to go around

I would go with a fireplace cleaning log. doesn't say how much salt to use. Too little and it's a waste of salt. Too much and the acid may start attacking the masonry. Any acid over time will deteriorate the brickwork or liner.

I have a good friend and they are chimney sweeps. I asked Stan (the owner) and he told me the best way to keep your flue clean is several small very hot fires. The intense heat from the fire actually burns away the creosote.

Some people use aluminum cans. As the cans burn in a very hot fire, the manganese in the aluminum is released, which causes the crusty, tarry creosote to break down and flake and turn into powder. While the creosote powder or flakes may end up in the firebox and be easy to clean out the next day, it could also be caught in the elbows of the stove pipe if you have a wood stove. Clean the stove pipe, checking any elbows, the next day after the fire is out and the stove cool.

I got bids from local sweeps and it was very affordable, they inspected my entire chimney, even on the roof and then I got a receipt that says No cracks, no leaks & a clean chimney and a free clean if within a year.

Old mortar can have cracks which allows a spark or ember into the wood framing beyond the chimney.

Put a little salt in the fire while it is burning. The salt combines with the water in the burning wood to create a weak acid that travels up the chimney and dissolves small amounts of creosote. This method should be used with care, however.

You would be better off burning one of these logs: creosote burning logs.

Hi Gloria,

Comic answer: I don't think the Chimney Sweep would be very happy whatever salt you used. He/she may never come again!!