There is nothing worse than coming in after a hard day and when you finally get a decent fire going, all you get is smoke coming back into the room. It burns the eyes and lungs, and you wind up having to open windows and doors to let the cold air in to air the room out. That smell gets into all of the fabrics in the house as well as in your clothes, and it seems to take forever to get rid of it.
These at least hit the highlights of what could be the problem when dealing with that annoying smoking problem. There are other possible reasons for this problem, so if following the corrective actions presented here don�t take care of it, the best advice I could give would be to contact a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep in your area and put him to work figuring it out. Good Luck!A large portion of a whole house remodel is new finishes. Consider green materials such as low VOC paints, sustainably harvested wood floors, natural carpets, and other materials that do not off-gas. Use the remodel as an opportunity to incorporate as many green materials as possible. This will result in a better interior living environment with less chemicals off-gassing, and it is better overall for the environment.Fairy lights or church pillar candles set a welcoming scene. Lanterns in bright colours also look good. The image shows Split face uncalibrated slate linear mosaic tiles, at pounds 17.13 per sheet (www.toppstiles.co.uk, 0800 023 4703).ZENA SAYS: That's a shame Grace, but here's an idea for you - how about chopped logs? They create a contemporary statement, just like in our photo. Try www.thelogbasket.co.uk, 01594 832404.Get Rid of HallwaysLook at turning hallways into part of the space of the adjacent rooms. This is not always possible, but hallways don't generally make a house feel larger or more expansive. They generally are perceived as being wasted space. By connecting rooms to each other without hallways, you'll end up with a space that feels larger and flows better.Don't Forget the Outside5) Chimney Not Built To Proper Dimensions-Many times the fireplace opening is too large or too tall, especially in relation to the chimney flue size. This can give smoke a choice of going up the chimney or coming into the room. The solution could be adding a metal smoke guard to the top of the fireplace opening, since it shrinks the size of the opening. Also, many two-sided fireplaces have inherent smoking problems due to their sensitivity to air drafts in the house. In this case you might think about installing glass doors. One more thing, if the chimney does not have adequate height, you may need to extend the height of the chimney to improve the draw.7) The House Is Near a Canyon or Hillside� If the house is next to a canyon, hillside or slope, it can have smoking problems due to wind currents and downdrafts. The air is pushed down the chimney into the room. Many times a specially designed chimney wind cap will resolve this problem since the top part of it turns like a weather vane and the cap�s backside creates a barrier in the way of the wind.3) Fuel� Cut firewood must be aged a minimum of one year. It should be kept dry and protected from the rain. If the log is larger around than 6" in diameter, it should be split so that it burns efficiently. Also, some types of prefabricated �paper wrapped� logs can be prone to smoking.9) Air Pressure Difference� Because houses are built much tighter than they used to be, the air pressure inside the house can be different than outside the house and this will not allow for a proper draw of air through the flue as well as the fire not receiving adequate make up air. This will also happen if a house is retrofitted with new tighter windows and doors. To minimize the smoking problem, crack open a window or door (preferably at the same level as the fireplace) in the room.
These at least hit the highlights of what could be the problem when dealing with that annoying smoking problem. There are other possible reasons for this problem, so if following the corrective actions presented here don�t take care of it, the best advice I could give would be to contact a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep in your area and put him to work figuring it out. Good Luck!
Author: Rick Pocock
No comments:
Post a Comment