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I'm all Smoked up today

GuvamintCheese
Chimney smoke that is. The wind wont quit filling my house with smoke. Any remedy for this problem?
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Comments

10 comments

Date Votes
  • spryor
    Not other than using an alternate heat source...sorry.
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  • deputydog214
    Are you sure the damper is open all the way?
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  • elkoholic
    Make sure the chimney is clean so you get a good draw. Might want to try covering the up wind 1/3 or 1/2 of the spark arrestser with aluminum foil.
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  • HandLoad
    See which side of the house faces where the wind is coming from, crack a window on that side, close all others, then play with the damper till you get a good draw, but the heat doesn't all go up the chimney.
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  • Colt Super
    " I wish I had 1000 posts, I wish..."

    Yer gittin der.

    Doug
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  • swamp_thing
    I would suggest either the chimney is too short or is too cold. It takes heat and height to get a good draft on the flue. Of course, if the house is sealed too tightly there will be a vacuum created that will pull the smoke back into the living area.
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  • nyforester
    Try opening a window next to the fireplace/woodstove just a crack. It will help with the draft.
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  • jimdeere
    The above posts are on the right track. I bet your flue is on the outside of the house and on the side that the prevailing wind hits?
    I fought that problem for two years. Tried everything.
    Finally got a fan from Northern Tool that induces a draft. They're about $120 from Northern but McMaster Carr and maybe Granger has a similar one for less. Once your flue gets warmed up top to bottom, you can cut the fan down or off. You probably still need to crack a window or provide fresh air near your stove.
    I also thought of insulating my brick flue and covering it with siding to match my house. Haven't tried that yet.
    I tried something called a 'Roman Soldier's Hat' that goes on top of the flue and turns with the wind, but it had little effect.
    Hope that helps and Merry Christmas, Cartod.[:D]
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  • River Rat
    I used to own a stove shop. Of course, we went out of business so my opinion should be valued accordingly.

    You probably have a negative pressure problem, which is common in homes built within the last 20 years. This is why cracking the window helps, by providing more combustion air. The best way to resolve this is a direct link for combustion air from the outside to the stove or fireplace. Beyond that, if this happens when the wind blows I would consider adding a wind-directional cap to the top of the chimney. Looks like a gladiator's helmet, and swings with the wind so the outlet is always downwind. We got lots of wind in Wyoming, and these always work well. The more the wind, the better it works because it creates suction and increases draft.

    There. Problem solved.
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  • River Rat
    A few more thoughts on the negative air pressure idea. If ceiling fans, kitchen or bathroom vents, dryer, etc. are running these can amplify the pressure problem by fighting your combustion air inlet. You might make sure these are turned off when using the fireplace or stove. A small electric fan at the combustion air inlet might also help.

    Modern houses are not healthy! Too dang airtight. Crack some windows. Our grandparents lived in drafty homes, no insulation, rode around in open buggies and Model Ts, and lived to a hundred.
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