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Simple steps to help stop smoke from coming back into the residence
It can happen to any one of us. It has happened to me numerous times. My family and I are enjoying a fire and suddenly smoke starts pouring into the room. What do you do? How can you quickly and safely get the fireplace working again? Here are some tips to help you keep the fireplace working at least until the fire has burned out and it can be safely inspected. If your fireplace does start smoking while having a fire do not use fans to remove smoke from the room while the fire is still burning. The fan may suck more smoke out of the firebox and into the room. Open windows and doors to let the smoke out. Do not allow anyone to breathe the smoke, especially the elderly, young children or people with respiratory problems. Get them out into the fresh air. 0. Have your system inspected by a certified, competent inspector. The inspector will identify and investigate Red Flags that may uncover potential safety threats in your fireplace system. It is not worth risking your health and property for the relatively small fee it costs to have your system certified as safe. The peace of mind alone is worth the fee. After the inspector has cleared your fireplace for regular use, follow these tips if you have a drafting problem. 1. The most common cause of smoke suddenly entering the room is the damper has been shut. Throat-mounted dampers have a handle that hangs down into the firebox. If one is not careful this handle can be knocked back when inserting another log on the fire. I’ve done it several times myself. Once closed the damper will not allow any more products of combustion up into the chimney flue and smoke will begin to fill the room. Simply reach into the firebox with a poker and pull the handle toward you. This will normally open the throat-mounted damper. Not all dampers are the same so be sure you are familiar with how to open and close your damper before you start the fire. 2. Another common cause is the spark arrestor coming clogged up with soot after extended periods of use. The spark arrester is a metal screen, which is normally part of the chimney cap. The small holes allow smoke and hot gasses to pass through but stop large sparks or embers from passing through. If the system has not been swept for some time these small holes can become closed off by the soot build up. Rather than climbing up on the roof and hitting the spark arrester a few times with a hammer or the like there is another quick fix. Follow these simple steps:
B) Grab some tape. Be sure the tape you use will not damage the finish on the facing of your fireplace. C) Using the aluminum foil, close off the top 6-inches of the fireplace by stretching it across the top of the firebox opening. D) Tape the aluminum in place with the tape. E) This should help the fire draft until the fire burns itself out. 3. If there is a return air vent for your furnace in the same room as your fireplace and you suspect that it has been causing your fireplace to smoke — turn the unit off so it does not operate. See “Fireplace Drafting: What Affects the Draft” for a further explanation of this. 4. Make sure the metal grate (that the logs are placed on to burn) is pushed back far enough into the fireplace. 5. If you have a gas log lighter simply stack some dry wood, about three pieces, in the fireplace metal grate. Roll some newspaper into a “log” and place it beside the pipe with the holes in it. This pipe is the gas log lighter. Light the newspaper “log” on fire and be sure it is burning before you turn on the gas. Once you are sure the newspaper log is producing a nice flame slowly turn the gas shut-off valve on until you here a hissing sound. If the gas does not ignite after 5 seconds turn the gas off. Call a professional to inspect the gas line. Normally it will ignite and engulf the three logs with flame. Adjust the valve until the wood logs are engulfed with flame. Once the logs are burning and producing flames on their own turn the gas shut-off valve off. 6. If you do not have a log lighter, warm the flue up by doing the following. Take several sheets of newspaper and roll them into a “log”. Light the newspaper “log” on fire and stick it up the throat as far as you comfortably can. Allow the newspaper to burn half way then drop it onto the wood. This will warm the flue up and start the warm air rising up which will aid the draft. 7. If at any time during the fire your fireplace allows smoke into the room, follow the instructions given above with the aluminum foil. This should enable you to enjoy your home’s fireplace and obtain the maximum benefits from your investment. If you have any questions call Boston Brick & Stone at 626 296-7700. Our friendly receptionist will patch you through to one of our many competent field technicians who will be able to answer most if not all of your questions.
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Serving the Los Angeles area.