What makes a fireplace stink

While a thorough cleaning and inspection are helpful, they do not always take care of the problem. For issues with creosote, it is difficult to completely remove the build up as it seeps into the stone masonry.

Also, moisture problems and air pressure issues may still remain. Therefore other actions must be taken to rid the home of the smell all together.

If your fireplace and chimney has not been cleaned in some time, the built up creosote and soot when combined with humid, summer heat and moisture from rain will produce an unpleasant odor as well. Annual chimney sweeping will prevent this build up from occuring. The two most common causes of fireplace odors are water seeping into the chimney and negative air pressure in the home causing the smells to enter the room rather than leave the chimney through the roof. To first ensure that water is not the problem, check and make sure you have a rain cap covering the top of the chimney flue.

Ideally you want the exterior of the chimney to be as waterproof as possible and not allow moisture or humidity into the chimney shaft. Adding a rain cap to the chimney not only prevents against excess moisture in the chimney, but it also provides a barrier to prevent animals and debris from falling into the chimney. While the water issue has a relatively easy fix, solving the negative air pressure problem is slightly more complex. This negative air pressure can cause odors to enter the home, no matter what the cause.

Air vents on a wood stove can be opened or closed manually to help control the rate at which the wood burns. To prevent this, keep the primary vents on a stove wide open when starting the fire. The vents can be then be partially closed to control the fire. If the stoe vents are closed too much then the fire can be starved of air and start producing smoke as a result. Every wood burning stove is different and it can be a learning process to understand how best to use the vents to control the rate the wood burns.

For both wood fireplaces and stoves, too much ash can cause reduced airflow. Ash left for too long without being cleaned out can also start to smell.

Too much ash and the fire can be smothered due to insufficient air supply. While the ash should be maintained periodically to keep the amount to a maximum, it should also be cleaned out every so often to prevent smells from ash that has sat too long. Try to think of your wood burning stove or fireplace as a passageway for air from the inside of your home to the outside. If there is insufficient ventilation within your home to replace the air sucked being out, negative pressure can be created and will reduce the draw on your fireplace or stove.

Insufficient ventilation within your home can therefore cause your wood burning stove or fireplace to smoke and prevent the smoke from leaving your home, which in turn can lead to lingering odors. Negative air pressure in your home can be made worse by having a newer, tightly sealed home, or where there are extractor fans also sucking air out of your home, such as in a bathroom. To overcome this issue, leave any doors to the room open. A hole in your flue can leak smoke and gases from your wood burning stove.

This is more likely to be a cause if your stove has recently been installed or is of old age. It can be quite hard to figure out if and where your flue is leaking, but should be an easy fix for any professional.

A dead animal in your chimney or flue may be the reason for any unwanted smells. We board up the fireplace in the kitchen over the warmer months when neither fireplace is being used. A pigeon had fallen down into this fireplace and I noticed a scratching noise in the kitchen one evening.

It seemed as though the pigeon had been in there for a while, and we may have never realized until there was a nasty smell coming from the fireplace. So yes, dead animals can certainly be a cause for unusual smells from a wood burning stove or fireplace!

If you have a damper that is closed or partially closed, it can prevent waste gases and smoke from leaving your fireplace or stove. A damper will usually be located at the base of your flue on a wood burning stove, or located at the top of the firebox or at the top of the chimney for open fireplace.

There are many causes of negative draft which results in a reversal of flow, or downdraft , in your chimney. Common causes include temperature differential, over or under energy-efficient homes, stack effect, obstructions and improper heating system sizing. The most common cause is the temperature differential in the outside and inside air of your home.

Hot air flows upwards and creates a positive draft in the winter, this is reversed in the summer. Flow reversal is very common in the summertime leading to Stinky Fireplace Syndrome as air flows down the chimney into the house. If you still have downdraft problems after trying these two solutions, contact your local chimney service professional for an evaluation.

Even thoroughly swept and cleaned chimnies and fireplaces have a small amount creosote deposits left in the nooks and crannies. After cleaning, the minute amount of deposits leftover may be far less than what would cause a chimney fire or stink in a well-maintained heating system, but any used chimney will stink if exposed to leaks and moisture.

If your heating system has not been swept recently or is old and has embedded deposits in the masonry, the effect is magnified tremendously. Not only does the acid stink, it is a serious health hazard and should not be ignored. Moisture also contributes to the Stinky Fireplace smell and allows dangerous bacteria, mold and mildew to grow. The result is a dangerous cocktail of nastiness that should not be in your home. Not only is this cocktail a health hazard, it can cause serious damage to the underlying structure of your home without your knowledge costing you thousands of dollars in repairs.

If you suspect your chimney is leaking, contact your local chimney services professional immediately! There are many points where water and moisture can enter your chimney and the problem needs to be evaluated by an expert. Do You Need a New Chimney? Does an Unused Chimney Need Ventilation? Is Chimney Cleaning Always Necessary?

Is it Time for Furnace Flue Maintenance? What is Causing my Chimney Discoloration? When is a Chimney Relining Definitely Needed? Why is my Chimney Rusting? The following are common causes of a smelly fireplace, along with possible solutions: 1-Negative Air Pressure One of the leading reasons odors enter the home through a fireplace is negative air pressure in the home.

Install a glass fireplace screen.