Fireplaces, Heating Stoves, Flues and Chimneys - Chimney Fire

OK guys! My father has had two chimney fires in the last year! Thank goodnes chimney was bult to last! After first fire we cleanned it and I ran a camera down it and all was good! The wood he burns is three to five yrs old and he has been burning at this house for 25 yrs! My question is Why now and what has changed? Also I plan to clean and inspect again!

My first question would be: how often does he have the chimney maintained and how often does he use the fireplace?

This year we have noticed an increase in chimney fires; gas prices have increased drastically and people are using their fireplaces to supplement the heat in their homes. The problem (we think) is that there is creosote residue in a chimney that has not been used; the creosote becomes very dry from non-usage and is therefore highly flammable. That may not be the case in your particular situation, but it's an interesting trend.

My other questions are: what type of camera did you use for the inspection? And were able to take still shots of the flues? If you can take stills (or video) I would love to see them. It is somewhat rare to have two chimney fires and have no damage at all - assuming he has the orignal clay lining and not a stainless liner.

I don't know if the second fire did any damage! I have not had time to inspect it! I used a camera that we use to run in ductwork! I did not make a video of it when I inspected it in November but I can definitely do one know! Dad uses this primarily to heat with under 40 degrees so here in central VA it gets used a lot. Id say he burns about 4 truck loads a year! He cleans this twice a season but this year do to health problems it was only done once at the beginning!

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Four truckloads of firewood/year is alot of creosote. Seasoned wood is, of course, recommended because it burns hotter and smoke moves out of flue faster than cooler smoke from wet, green wood. There are other reasons that can expedite creosote buildup. Restricted air flow from closed glass doors or damper not opened wide enough restrict air flow and holds it in longer in flue where creosote builds up. Closing down damper or air inlets too soon or too much lead to creosote buildup. Wood stoves with with cooler fires that burn for long periods also lead to rapid creosote buildup.

Chimney fires can melt mortar, crack tiles, cause liners to collapse and damage the outer masonry material. First chimney fire may not burn down the house but often it is the second one that does. Remember that clean chimneys do not catch fire. Call a chimney specialist for a chimney inspection and for the safety of your family.