Santa's Friend Chimney Service Blog

What Causes Smokey Fireplaces?

Most of us have fireplaces because we love the ambiance they create in our homes. If there were ever anything to spoil that moment, it would be smoke coming back into the home. There are varieties of reasons you may experience smoke coming back into the home when the fireplace is in use. Here are some of the major causes:

• Smoke During Storms and Windy Days – in many cases, this is merely because there is no chimney cap in place or the chimney cap is damaged. The wind is not blocked and is now able to come back down into the flue and does not allow proper ventilation.
• Smokes Only When Starting a Fire – there are quite a few things that can cause this to happen. A window may be cracked, appliances may be running (such as the dryer or an exhaust fan that will draw air down the flue using its own exhaust), or it may just be the cold air outside that forces the warm air back down inside the chimney.
• Closed Damper – surprisingly, this happens far more often that you would think. Either people become confused which position is open and which is closed or they simply forget to open the damper altogether.
• Dirty Chimney – did you have the chimney inspected before the season started? If not, there may be debris of possibly a bird’s nest or dead animal stuck in the chimney.
• Additions to the Home – this can happen quite frequently, especially for DIYers. They add an addition to the home over the summer and never account for the draft of the fireplace. The added construction may cause an obstruction or the current flue is simply not capable of handling the new load.

In addition to the causes mentioned above, sometimes smoke is caused by factors outside of the home. For instance, you may have a tree in the yard that has gradually grown over the top of the chimney. This could prevent airflow and may need to be trimmed. If you are truly baffled, call in a professional to evaluate the situation and offer their expertise to solve the problem.

Understanding Your Gas Fireplace

Fireplaces have long been a desired feature for homeowners. Sitting at home on a cold winter night, a fireplace will not only keep you warm, but also add to the ambiance of home. Today, homeowners can add a fireplace to their home, even if they do not have a chimney in place. This has made gas fireplaces an extremely popular choice for homeowners.

A gas fireplace operates in much the same way as a gas stove. There is a pilot light that ignites the main fire source. Instead of having wood logs, however, the fireplace contains imitation logs, which are available in a variety of materials. When lit, most have a hard time distinguishing gas fireplaces from wood fireplaces.

An advantage in having a gas fireplace is that gas burns clean, compared to a wood fireplace that creates smoke and can cause a creosote buildup in the flue of the chimney. In addition, modern gas fireplaces are more energy efficient, as there are ventless fireplaces that can be used. Instead of a significant portion of the heat escaping through the chimney, it remains in the room, making the fireplace a more effective source of heat.

If a homeowner does not have a chimney in place, installing a gas fireplace makes much more sense. A wood-burning fireplace would require extensive remodeling to have a chimney installed. Because gas fireplaces can be installed without vents, the homeowner avoids the added costs and can add the fireplace with minimal remodeling costs.

While there is much less maintenance and cleanup required, the homeowner needs to be aware that some maintenance is required. The fireplace will still have to be cleaned on occasion to remove buildup from dust, carbon, and soot. In addition, if this is being installed in a previous wood burning fireplace with chimney, the homeowner should still have an annual chimney inspection.

Things to Know Before You Buy Firewood This Season

You just moved into a new home and have a beautiful fireplace that you cannot wait to use. Before you strike that first match, though, do you know what type of firewood to use? Do you know how to find a reliable and trustworthy dealer? Do you know how much firewood you should buy?

Yes, there are dealers out there looking to scam buyers or doing things illegally to turn a quick profit. Firewood dealers are required to have a license from the local forestry service. This lets the buyer know they are farming their wood from approved areas and not doing anything illegal for their stock.

In addition to being licensed, they should also be able to furnish you with a list of references (for home delivery service). Experience will tell you that any dealer not willing to provide references more than likely has a long string of unhappy customers. It is an early warning sign to find someone else.

Dealers are generally required to sell wood by the cord. This is important because it will dictate the size of your order. Every cord equals 128 cu ft. To give you a visual, picture a stack of wood eight feet long, four feet tall, and four feet wide.

Certain woods will last longer and split easier. For instance, locust is very difficult to get started burning and is quite difficult to split. On the other hand, pine splits easily and ignites quickly, but it will also burn quicker. Woods like hickory and maple offer an ideal combination of being fairly easy to ignite and split, but also offer a better coaling quality, meaning they burn longer. In addition, these woods produce little smoke when burning.

Finally, you want to make sure the wood has been dried properly if you are buying it. Obviously, moist wood does not ignite quickly or burn well. Signs of properly dried wood are graying color, splitting, and bark that falls off easily.