Ever since the first stone rings around the campfire, fireplaces have been a source of warmth, a gathering place for families and friends. Today's modern fireplaces, although more carefully engineered still provide an ambient setting in any home. Despite the more technological approach to building a better fireplace, the ever increasing efficiency of casting as much heat as possible, some designs still don't work as well as others.
Remember that fireplaces work because, quite simply, hot air rises. So when you start a fire the air inside the chimney is much warmer and less dense than the air outside or even in the room surrounding the fireplace so the heat rises. When the warm air rises up the chimney, the cooler air from the room is drawn into the firebox which fans the fire and creates even more heat. Thus the cycle continues with cool air being converted to warm air etc.
There are probably more than 100 reasons to explain why your fireplace isn't working properly including air flow patterns, pressure differentials and the construction of the fireplace itself. Here are ten things you should consider.
1) Check your damper. Many people forget to open the damper before starting the fire. Over time the damper also begins to not fully open because of soot build-up so check to see that it is opening fully.
2) Check the wood. If the wood is wet, snow covered or still green in the center the result will be a pretty smoky situation.
3) This should go without saying, when was the last time you had the chimney cleaned? Soot builds up gradually over time so while it may seem like the problem occurred overnight the reality is that the performance has probably been decreasing over time. Little critters and birds also think the warmth of your fireplace makes a pretty nice home blocking the exit path for smoke. A good cleaning will make a big difference.
4) Oddly enough, though your fireplace may have been in the home before you bought it, the fireplace may not have been built properly. If the chimney isn't at least 10 to 12 feet in overall height,including 3 feet above the roof, and 2 feet above anything surrounding it, you're probably getting a back draft of smoke. You'll really notice this more often when the wind blows.
5) How about the chimney flue - is it wide enough to accomodate the opening? A good rule of thumb is that the fireplace opening can be no more than 10 times as large as the area of the flue. When a flue is too small the volume of smoke that is produced simply can't be processed and will flow back into the room. The solution to this is to make the room opening smaller using masonry or metal smoke guards.
6) Where is the chimney located? If your chimney is on the outside and it is cold outside the air inside the chimney isn't getting warm enough to rise. And warm air rising is the basic mechanics behind how the fireplace works so naturally the smoke will be falling back into the room. You might also find that this particular type of fireplace is more difficult to get started. This problem can be solved most of the time by taking a little extra time at the beginning of the burring process. Hold a lit, rolled up newspaper into the damper so it can warm up the air inside the chimney. Then, keep a bright fire going so the warm air continues to move upward. Unfortunately,
when the fire dies down, it will revert back to smoke falling into the room.
7) How big is the overall home? The main thing that gets a fire burning is air. If your home is too small there may not be enough air circulating to keep the fire going. Air in your home is being warmed and moved upward and out of the chimney, it takes a lot of air to replace what is being lost through the chimney. You may notice that your fireplace is sluggish or smoky. Modern homes are also well insulated for maximum heating efficiency and this can cause a shortage of circulating air. Oddly enough a temporary solution may be to open window slightly to let some air in for circulation.
This is actually a dangerous situation because carbon monoxide can be getting trapped in the home - get a repair person immediately!
8) Maybe your home isn't as well insulated, if your house is too drafty then it will overpower the draft necessary to keep the fireplace circulating. You may find that your fire won't stay lit or that the smoke is being drawn into the house and upstairs! Be sure all your doors and windows are shut tight and that the attic access, if any, is closed.
9) Check your air returns. Is there an air return in the same room as the fireplace? If so there may be a problem when the furnace comes on in conjunction with the cool air being circulated through the house to feed the fireplace. The air in the room is then drawn through the air return instead of up the chimney.
10) It's in the design. Generally if you've check the above list and there are still problems you may be stumped.
This is just a short list of ideas and possible solutions, if you tried the above and still have problems consider hiring an experienced, certified chimney sweep. A good cleaning and evaluations can really make a difference so you can begin enjoying the warmth and ambience a fireplace adds to the home.
