Hard, glazed tar and creosote cannot always be removed by an ordinary chimney sweep. Ablewight provides specialist two-appointment Cre-Away treatment for affected chimneys across Cambridge and the surrounding area.
The standard service includes two appointments. At the first appointment, we sweep the chimney and apply the Cre-Away treatment. At the second appointment, we sweep the chimney again to remove the treated tar and creosote deposits.
Most chimneys require only one application. Occasionally, the condition or extent of the deposits means an additional application is required. If further treatment is recommended, we will explain why and discuss it with you before additional work is booked.
Complete our contact form and tell us what has been found or what you have noticed. We will send you suitable appointment availability.
Routine chimney sweeping removes ordinary soot and loose deposits. Specialist treatment may be needed when deposits have become hard, shiny, glazed or firmly bonded to the flue surface.
The need for treatment is often identified during a chimney sweep. Possible indications include:
These signs do not establish the condition of the entire chimney by themselves. The appropriate treatment depends on what is found within the accessible flue and whether there are other faults or obstructions.
If smoke is entering the room, a carbon monoxide alarm activates, a chimney fire is suspected or you have been advised not to use the appliance, stop using it.
Move into fresh air and obtain appropriate emergency or medical assistance where necessary. Specialist tar treatment is not a substitute for investigating damage, appliance faults or other safety concerns.
We protect the working area and sweep the chimney to remove ordinary soot and loose deposits. This allows us to work on the harder material that remains.
Cre-Away is then applied to the affected deposits, and we explain any instructions that need to be followed before the return appointment.
There must be at least one week between the two appointments. During this period, the customer must light a minimum of five fires, each burning at a sufficiently high temperature for at least four hours.
Cre-Away requires heat to react with the hardened tar and creosote deposits. This reaction changes and loosens the deposits so that they can be removed more effectively during the second sweep.
Producing enough heat within the chimney is an essential part of the treatment. On the rare occasions when the Cre-Away has not worked effectively, it is usually because the fires did not generate enough heat for the necessary reaction to take place.
We will explain how the appliance should be used between appointments and any instructions that must be followed.
We return to sweep the chimney again and remove the treated deposits and loosened debris.
The accessible flue is assessed during the work, and a smoke test is completed after the chimney has been swept and reassembled.
If the chimney is safe to use following the completed treatment and sweep, we issue a Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps sweeping certificate.
If it is not safe to use, we issue a warning notice and explain the appropriate next step.
No. A CCTV chimney survey is not included and is not normally required for routine Cre-Away treatment.
A separate CCTV survey may be recommended if the cause remains unclear, concealed damage is suspected or a detailed record of the flue is needed. We will explain this if anything found during the work suggests that further investigation would be useful.
Tar and creosote form when combustible gases and particles in smoke cool and condense within the chimney.
The rate and type of deposit can be affected by:
Correct fuel and burning practice help reduce deposits, but they do not remove the need for sweeping or correct an unsuitable appliance or chimney arrangement.
For more detail, read our guide to creosote and tar build-up in chimneys.
Ablewight Chimney Services has provided professional chimney services since 1980. Our founder authored the City & Guilds Chimney Sweeping Qualification and established the Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps.
We provide tar and creosote removal throughout our service area around Cambridge, including Ely, Newmarket, Royston, Saffron Walden, St Ives, Huntingdon, St Neots, Bishop’s Stortford and surrounding villages.
Availability is subject to location and appointment scheduling.
Complete our contact form and tell us your postcode, appliance type and what has been found or observed. We will respond with suitable appointment availability.
Our tar and creosote removal service includes two appointments. The first appointment includes an initial chimney sweep and the application of Cre-Away treatment. The second appointment includes another sweep to remove the treated tar, creosote and loosened debris.
Cre-Away is a specialist powder applied to hardened tar and creosote deposits inside the chimney. Heat from the fires lit between appointments causes the treatment to react with the deposits, changing and loosening them so that they can be removed more effectively during the second sweep.
There must be at least one week between the first and second Cre-Away appointments. This provides enough time for the customer to light the minimum number of fires needed to activate the treatment before the chimney is swept again.
At least five fires must be lit between the two Cre-Away appointments. Each fire must burn at a sufficiently high temperature for at least four hours. This heat is essential because the Cre-Away powder cannot react effectively with the tar and creosote without it.
If the fires do not produce enough heat within the chimney, the Cre-Away treatment may not react fully with the hardened deposits. On the rare occasions when treatment has not worked effectively, insufficient heat is usually the reason. Further treatment or an additional application may then be required.
No. A normal chimney sweep can remove ordinary soot and loose deposits, but hard, glazed or firmly bonded tar and creosote may not respond to brushing alone. These deposits can require specialist Cre-Away treatment followed by a second sweep.
Most chimneys require only one Cre-Away application. Occasionally, particularly thick, hard or extensive deposits may require further treatment. We will explain what has been found and discuss any additional work before another application is booked.
No. A CCTV chimney survey is not included in our tar and creosote removal service and is not normally required. We may recommend CCTV as a separate service if concealed damage is suspected, the cause of a problem remains unclear or a detailed record of the flue is required.
Yes, provided the chimney is safe to use following the completed treatment, second sweep and smoke test. We will issue a Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps sweeping certificate. If the chimney is not safe to use, we will issue a warning notice instead.
We do not recommend attempting to remove hardened or glazed creosote yourself. Unsuitable chemicals or equipment can damage the chimney or appliance, leave deposits behind and make it difficult to establish whether the flue is safe to use. Hardened deposits should be professionally assessed and treated.
Creosote and Tar – It’s a Fire Hazard! As Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps certified professionals serving Cambridge and surrounding areas, we frequently encounter dangerous levels of creosote and tar
Up, Up and Away! As Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps certified professionals serving Cambridge and surrounding areas, we understand the critical importance of managing creosote buildup in chimneys. Creosote and
