Types of Smoke Residue

1/13/2020 (Permalink)

Did you know there are different types of smoke residue? There are in fact four different types, and each type needs to be handled in different ways. 

• Dry smoke residues
• Wet smoke residues
• Protein smoke residues
• Fuel oil smoke residues

Some things that factor into what makes the residue dry or wet. 

• The rate of combustion
• The amount of oxygen present during the fire
• The type of material or substance that is burning

So, what is the difference between wet smoke and dry smoke?

Fast-burning, oxygen rich fires tend to produce a dry smoke, while oxygen-starved, slow burning fires produce a wet smoke. Typically, natural materials that burn make a dry smoke and synthetic materials make a wet smoke. 

Materials are generally more restorable when involved in a dry smoke loss. It will not stain surfaces as deeply like a wet smoke will. The problem though is that a dry smoke comes with a hotter fire, meaning that there is probably more heat damage.