Front Page Forum: Fireplace Smoke Fest
Does anyone have good advice on fireplaces smoke problems, or a referral to a great pro? During my 2004 gut rehab, I had my chimney system entirely rebuilt from cellar through the roof (like the cost!). Two fireboxes in that system, on the garden and parlor floors, were expanded so they could burn wood. Everything…
Does anyone have good advice on fireplaces smoke problems, or a referral to a great pro? During my 2004 gut rehab, I had my chimney system entirely rebuilt from cellar through the roof (like the cost!). Two fireboxes in that system, on the garden and parlor floors, were expanded so they could burn wood. Everything looks to spec, although the fireboxes themselves are rather small (dimensions below). They tested the fireplaces upon completion and they worked. But now, 30 minutes after lighting a fire, smoke comes into the rooms and I have to leave the house (the original mason, J & B Chimney, won’t return calls). What to do?
One culprit may be my air-tight house, so maybe cracking a window should do it, or creating an air inlet to the firebox. Another could be the dimensions: 21″ W x 28″ H (x 20″ D) and the flues are 8″ x 8″ square. This would be more than a 10:1 ratio of firebox opening to flue size. Is my firebox opening too large (or too small)? Thanks for any advice!
Has anyone had good luck with wood fireplace inserts? Do you know any local showrooms or recc. models? I also have a shallow firebox and am unsure if chimmney is fully lined. As part of a major renovation, we’d like to try going with an EPA approved wood fireplace instead of rebuilding the old one into a working open new one.
If your fireplace is shallow–as mine is–you won’t be able to lay a traditional horizontal fire–with andirons and three or four logs stacked long-wise. The better way is to build a teepee (like a campfire) against the back wall of the firebox.
Why not ask Santa? He knows a lot about fire places.
I too have been interested in restoring our brownstoner fireplace— but doing so with a victorian stove— as they would have had originally. Any suggestions on recommended contractors or referals on those who have done the same?
11K seems like a good price for that much work.
We had the same issue under similar conditions and were instructed to ignite an rolled piece of newspaper paper as we are starting the fire (wood or duralog) and hold the paper for a few seconds over the fire up in the chimney, so that the burning paper creates smoke and starts the updraft. Of course you only hold the paper long enough to not incinerate yourself. It has always worked. Something about warmer and cooler air in the chimney.
I paid 11k to rebuild the 2 fireboxes and the entire chimney system — not just relining, but laying a new stack brick by brick and then placing 4 terra cotta flues in it, etc. This doesn’t seem like too much for all that, but it’s more than you want to spend if it’s not going to work!
You did make sure your flu was open, no? Our previous coop, the fireplace couldn’t handle a wood fire, but Duraflames worked fine. In our new place, we have a chimney fan on the roof and that works like a charm.
we’re buying a house that does not having working chimneys. in fact, the mantles in parlor are gone. i know it’s dependant on how the chimneys are closed off, although we know one is being used to vent the boiler, but can you tell me how much you guys spent to make your chimneys operational and to enlarge the firebox.