Fireplace Mega Deals

No matter how beautiful a fireplace is, it can soon lose its appeal if it houses a seriously smoky fire. We all know that terrible feeling of watering eyes and a sharp tickle at the back of the throat that can be induced by a smoke filled room. Any fireplace that allows smoke to escape into the room is very unpleasant and certainly a danger to health as smoke carries odorless but deadly carbon monoxide. Therefore dealing with the cause of your smoky fireplace and then finding the most efficient and cost effective solution to the problem is essential.

Smoke stains found above a fireplace can be seen as tangible proof as can soot stains. If you find soot stains inside your home they indicate air in your home has been exposed to dangerous fumes since soot and carbon monoxide are a natural byproduct of burning wood, gas, coal and oil – any carbon based fuel.

There are many reasons why you may have a smoky fire and one of the most obvious is the size of your fireplace. While large fireplaces can be an eye catching feature, it is essential that adequate care is taken over the planning and construction of something this big to ensure that it will always perform properly without causing a smoke problem.

If the fireplace opening is too big for the size of the flue, the chimney cannot completely remove the by-products of combustion. In other words the amount of air entering the fireplace must be commensurate to the amount of air that can exit the chimney.

Bearing in mind that it is usually much easier to reduce the size of the fireplace opening than to enlarge the chimney, other options should be considered. These could be to install a proper smoke guard, raise the fire itself either by laying a row of bricks on the floor of the fireplace, using a tall grate, rebuild the firebox or as a last resort put in a fireplace insert with a new chimney liner sized appropriately for the fireplace.

You should of course always check is that the damper has been opened before starting a fire and then if that’s all OK try priming the flue, bearing in mind that during the winter months the chimney will be filled with cold air. You simply need to warm up your chimney’s flue before you light the fire.

A convenient way to do that is to use a tightly rolled newspaper, lit one end like a torch, and hold it inside your fireplace as high as you can. The pre-warmed flue will ensure the smoke goes up the flue instead of into the room. Be sure to watch carefully for signs that the smoke is drifting up the chimney, then continue with lighting the fire.

It is also a good idea to see if your fireplace is getting enough air to replace the hot gasses it is sending up the chimney. You can test for this by opening a door or window near the fireplace to see if that fixes the problem. If your fireplace no longer smokes when a door or window is opened, installing an air supply ventilator is often the cheapest option. If your fireplace only has a smoke problem on windy days, the answer is probably to install a chimney cap.

In a nutshell this means that when the wind passes through the chimney cap, it creates a vacuum above the flue so the more the wind blows the more the smoke is pulled up your chimney – ergo all the smoke goes up your chimney and not into your room.

Chimney design is another factor that can cause a smoky fireplace. An exterior chimney always stays colder so before a chimney can regulate a draft properly it needs to be warmed, so an exterior chimney may present drafting problems. The chimney needs to be a good deal higher than the roof – at least three feet and on chimneys with more than one flue, the flue tiles should be staggered in height to help avoid one flue sucking smoke downward from the adjacent one.

Also an effective chimney should be erected so that its flues are as straight as possible; lots of bends and offsets increase resistance and slow the exit of smoke which can have a negative bearing on drafting problems. In addition bear in mind that extremely airtight homes can prevent chimneys from operating properly.

If all else fails don’t be afraid to bring in a chimney or fireplace professional who may be able to suggest some really hopeful alternatives to improve or cure your smoky fireplace. Don’t leave this unpleasant situation unchallenged, hoping it will all sort itself out – that will never happen.