Prevent The Smoky Smell Of A Fireplace

The winter has been a long and cold one. So naturally, you have been frequently using your wood fireplace to keep your den and living area warm. But now after a couple months, you have a smoky smell drifting through your home when there is no fire or wood in your fireplace, although you have never noticed any sign of smoke coming into your living area while a fire is lit.

This is a problem that is experienced by many after a long winter. The fires will slow down, but there is still the unwanted smell of wood and smoke in your home.

First, you should make sure your fireplace is clean. From the bottom where you burn your wood through the top of the chimney, a dirty fireplace can hold the smell of smoke and wood. If necessary, a chimney sweep should be hired to ensure that the inside of your fireplace is clean. If the smell continues, there could be other causes.

A fireplace is a major point of airflow in your home. While you burn your fire, an updraft is created that pushes the smoke and fire through the chimney. However, when there is no fire and, therefore, less updraft the airflow is not pushed up and can actually reverse from other forces in your home, bringing the smell into your living spaces. This often results in something called the "stack effect."

In taller, leakier homes or those with chimneys on outside walls exposed to outdoor temperatures, thermal influences bring a smoky smell into your home. As warm, lighter air rises in your home, it may be replaced by the cold, heavy air that is looking to escape from your unused fireplace, allowing the smoky smell of wood creosote from your fireplace to infiltrate your living areas. Rainy weather can also accelerate the stack effect.

To prevent the stack effect and the accompanying smell, you need to create resistance to the flow of air from your chimney.

- Close the fireplace damper when you are not using it, and check to be sure that your damper is not leaky.

- Add a tight-fitting glass fire screen. This will keep air from flowing in from your chimney.

- Mount a top-sealing damper at the top of your chimney. These are opened and closed by a cable through the inside of the flue.

- Provide a source of outside combustion air to your other combustion appliances, like your furnace, wood stove or water heater, to reduce the demand for replacement air.

You can buy a deodorizer to temporarily rid your room of the smell of smoke and wood. However, making a few small changes will greatly reduce the chance of the smell returning to the inside of your home, regardless of how often you use your fireplace next winter.