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Does your Fireplace Burn Poorly? Does it Smoke too Much?
Let’s look at the simple explanations first. These may be simple problems to solve, but they are very serious problems. Soot in a chimney can not only hinder the up flow of smoke but also increase your risk for a fire. A bird’s nest can hinder the evacuation of smoke and exacerbate the formation of soot.
If you have soot or creosote build-up in your fireplace or a bird’s nest in your chimney, be sure to have it professionally cleaned by a chimney sweep before building another fire. We know some very good chimney sweeps if you need a referral.
If, in the course of getting your chimney cleaned, you are told of damage to flue tiles, or if you have cracked or deteriorated brick or mortar; you may need Brick Doctor’s services. We are masonry repair experts, and can inspect your fireplace and chimney for problems related to cracks or deterioration, lightning damage, water leaks, and, opf course, smoking problems.
For fireplace and firebox repairs, you have found the experts—Brick Doctor craftsmen restore both beauty and function to masonry fireplaces across the Metroplex.
Do you have design issues with your Fireplace?
If the chimney is clean and your fireplace still seems too smoky or just don’t seem to burn right you, just might have a serious design problem in the construction of your fireplace. The firebox was probably constructed with improper dimensions.
The proper building of a full masonry fireplace is sadly becoming a dying art—especially in the southern states, where fireplaces are used less and prefabricated metal fireboxes are taking their place.
Very few residential masonry contractors are qualified to build a safe and efficient fireplace from the ground up these days, and many built in the Dallas-Fort Worth area since the 1970s, have significant problems.
Shared fireplace between rooms had issues with smoke entering the room. Brick Doctor was called to help.
Repairs complete. The smoke chamber design issues were eliminated and the smoking problem is gone.
Maybe you have a design issue with your chimney
Common design flaws include chimneys that are too short to prevent downdrafts. Your chimney must be unobstructed and be a minimum height above surrounding building elevations to draw properly.
Maybe you have a design issue inside the smoke chamber.
The fireplace can also have design issues with dimensions wrong with in the smoke chamber of the fireplace. If the area of the fireplace and chimney between the lintel and throat is not tall enough to allow smoke to “roll” before passing the smoke shelf and if the smoke shelf is not properly designed, either of these or any bad combination can cause a fireplace to draw poorly—letting smoke into your living area.
Do you have a tight home? This might affect your draft.
There is also a modern dilemma of too tight homes for which adequate make up has not been provided. In decades past, houses leaked so much air, there was no chance that a stove or fireplace could lack for combustion air.
If you home is new and quite airtight, particularly in combination with powerful kitchen fans; then using a fireplace in combination with other air evacuation devices- kitchen fans or built in vacuum appliances or clothes dryers, just might be creating a negative pressure in your home that does not allow the fireplace to draw properly. Air added specifically for combustion air balance is called make up air.
Airtight is good. It saves energy and helps deal with humidity issues in the DFW area. But your fireplace just might need its own combustion air to operate properly.
You need to be aware of the dangers of Carbon Monoxide in your home.
It is critical that you have a properly functioning fireplace that has balanced combustion air. Carbon monoxide is a quite dangerous component of combustion gases, even from natural gas or propane combustion gases which cannot be seen and do not leave the room smelling smoky. Carbon monoxide is in the combustion gases and these must be vented out the chimney. A poor draw, or conditions in your home creating a poor draw can create the possibility that Carbon Monoxide is lingering in your home.
Carbon monoxide is deadly poison to living beings. Make sure you see our post on combustion safety. Any kind of draft issue can create a problem with carbon monoxide. If you have combustion appliances in your home, you might want to consider having quality carbon monoxide detectors in your home.
If your home is quite new, and inspection has revealed no issues with chimney or fireplace design, and you continue to have concerns about combustion gases, then talk to an energy auditor or home inspector who is trained in CAZ or combustion appliance testing.
Here is a great pdf which explains issues with combustion air and CAZ testing from the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs.
Do you have questions or concerns about a smoky fireplace or a fireplace that does not draw well?
Over the years, Brick Doctor has done just about everything when it comes to repairing and restore proper combustion in brick fireplaces and chimneys. We know what we are doing. Let us know if we can help you.
Don’t take our word for it. (Check out our reviews. We have done tens of thousands of projects all over the DFW Metroplex since 1986, including for some of your neighbors.
Have any particular questions or concerns about a how your fireplace is not burning well or is too smoky? We can help.
Brick Doctor is always ready to answer your questions, address your concerns or provide an estimate for repairs designed for the scope of your needs. Feel free to contact us.