How to Remedy Draw Problems

Smoke leaking from your fireplace into your room? Feeling that blurry and choking effect? Know that as the old adage goes ‘where there is smoke there is fire’ it is obvious there is fire in your fireplace, but, eh, there is another fire – A sign of danger to your health.  You’ve got to do something whenever your fireplace draws out smoke into the room more than expected because doing so could save your eyes and lungs and generally, your health.

No smoke without fire, and therefore, no leakage without a cause. Take steps to detect the cause of this smoke drawing out. These steps include drawing observations to the following;

• Is it as a result of windy season? If so, probably it is a weather situation, otherwise it could be as a result of a shorter-than-expected chimney. You can solve this by either extending the chimney or fitting a wind deflecting cap or both.
• Effects of other mechanical devices in the house such as a running fan either as a standalone fan or a fan fixed on clothes dryers could cause a low pressure in a poorly ventilated house thus forcing air in through the chimney which changes the flow of smoke to inwards. In this case, the best remedy is to open up ventilations such as doors and other vents that allow air passage to offset the suction effect of low pressure.
• Check your attic. A leaking attic could suck air out forcing the chimney to let air in to offset the low pressure caused by this suction effect. You can remedy this by sealing all loopholes in the attic.
• Check the stove’s flue, is it proportional to the fireplace area? A disproportionately smaller flue length and width may serve to chock outflow of smoke thus forcing it to find alternative route which is to flow into the room. You can remedy this by seeking expert advice from stove manual or stove/chimney installers. Remedies to this problem may include redesigning the fireplace if the flue is already large enough or lengthening the flue or replacing it with a larger one or installing a chimney fan.

Keen observation, analysis and remedial action can save you from the hazardous effects of smoke drawing into your room.