A lot of homeowners ask that question, particularly those who live in New Jersey, Connecticut and other cold-weather parts of the U.S., where fireplace use is heavy. As aggravating as a smelly chimney is, there are some fairly logical reasons for the odor and some tested ways to get rid of it.
National Chimney Cleaners provides homeowners in Fairfield County, CT, and Morris County, NJ, with strategies to help get rid of chimney odors and minimize them in the future.
Causes Of Smelly ChimneysHere are some of the most common reasons for a smelly chimney.
Creosote forms when smoke condenses in the flue. It contains a lot of oils that give off a pungent, smoky aroma. When mixed with a layer of soot and activated by excess flue moisture or a chimney leak, you can be dealing with an overpowering smell that no room deodorizer is going to fix.
If you run your chimney without a protective chimney cap, all kinds of debris can find its way into the flue. Common odor-causing chimney debris includes leaves, twigs, small branches and falling fruit and seeds from nearby trees. Also common are nests built by small animals.
Over time, all this material will begin to rot, causing some awful smells to float out of your fireplace and into your home.
Birds, squirrels, raccoons, rodents and other small animals like to shelter in chimneys. Unfortunately, some of them die inside the flue, unable to escape. The smell of a deceased animal is one you’ll never forget after you encounter it one time.
Having all those odors in a chimney flue is bad enough. But if you’re unknowingly pulling them down and into the home, it’s worse than bad.
Smells can be pulled out of chimneys in several ways:
Bathroom and kitchen exhaust fans create reverse air pressure. It’s subtle, but it’s enough to draw smelly air down through the chimney if the damper is open.
Some heating and AC systems also create reverse air pressure and can pull chimney odors into the home.
Newer homes and those that have been “modernized” usually feature super-airtight seals around windows, doors and other openings. This can prevent natural air from moving into the chimney and pushing odors up and out.
Here are seven tips, some of which have been alluded to above:
1. Have a secure chimney cap installed.
2. Make sure your fireplace damper is closed when the fireplace isn’t in use.
3. If the damper is faulty, have it repaired or replaced.
4. Burn only dry firewood, which creates less smoke (and therefore creosote) than damp, unseasoned wood.
5. Have your chimney cleaned once a year to remove excess creosote.
6. Schedule annual chimney inspections and get leaks repaired quickly.
7. Crack a window near the fireplace to add some incoming air to the room.
Keep Your Chimney Working At Its BestNational Chimney Cleaners provides expert chimney sweeping, licensed chimney inspections, chimney cap installations and all other services you need to keep your chimney as odor-free and efficient as possible.
When it’s time to deal with a smelly chimney, it’s time to call us. Reach out by phone or use our handy contact form.
