No One Wants a Stinky Fireplace
‘Tis the season to enjoy the company of your loved ones and snuggle comfortably together by the fireplace, but wait a minute! There’s an awful smell in the house. Where could it be coming from? Lo and behold, you have got a smelly chimney. The foul smell kind of ruins the enjoyment doesn’t it?
What Causes a Smelly Chimney
There are many reasons there might be a yucky smell coming from your fireplace. Some smell is a normal by-product of burning. Other smells signify a problem that demands a call to a certified chimney sweep. Don’t use your fireplace again until you can determine what is causing the smell. There could be blockage in your chimney that will impact performance, draft and the safety of your family.
Some of the most common causes of having an unusual odor up your chimney is the excessive buildup of soot and creosote, fallen leaves or small animals getting stuck and decomposing inside the flue, little stinky ‘gifts’ from our animal friends, and some water to mix it all up together to create the perfect skunk perfume. Anytime moisture gets inside your chimney, you are going to have some chimney mold to deal with.
What Needs to be Done
First things first…you need to schedule your annualchimney inspectionandchimney sweepingto minimize all the gunk stuck up the flue. At All American Chimney Service, we can do both of these tedious tasks with ease. If you have any questions about what is involved in both of these services…please don’t hesitate to ask. We want you to feel confident about your course of action.
Many times, the inspection might reveal a need to fix someleaksin the chimney that introduces water to places it shouldn’t be in. Water can be a chimney’s enemy and it could cause its downfall, literally, if it is allowed to settle in the wrong places. Not to worry though, all it takes is some repairs and then a good amount ofwaterproofingto prevent any more moisture from entering the picture.
Another important thing that we here atAll American Chimney Service, LLCcan point out to you is the air pressure in the house and how it affects the draft of your chimney. To many homeowners, this sounds a bit too technical. But these professionals have it under control and they can easily tell you how to get rid of negative air pressure which causes air to flow back down the chimney to the fireplace and inside the home.
We can also identify what kind of debris may be stuck in the flue. It isn’t unusual to find animals, birds, excrement, carcasses and/or leaves and dust that have begun to stop up the air flow. Trust us when we say — you do not want to attempt this on your own. You cannot simply burn these blockages out.
Call us today and let us help you get your cozy fireplace ready for you and your loved ones.