You most likely know that warmer weather is on the way and that fireplace season is coming to an end. Even though you will no longer be using your fireplace or stove, you could still be affected by unpleasant odors coming from the chimney through the fireplace or stove opening. When the weather is warm, humid, and rainy, it can stir up stinky smells inside your chimney. You may notice a strong smokey, ashy, or even a sour scent, which is caused by remnants of creosote and soot inside your chimney. No one wants his or her home invaded by these gross odors, so how can you prevent these smells from coming into your home through the chimney? At Ace Chimney Sweeps, we have years of experience with dealing with chimney odors and know how to keep your home smelling sweet all summer long. We would like to tell you a couple of ways to keep the unpleasant odors at bay.
Chimney Sweeping
Since the most common source of bad chimney odors has to do with creosote and soot inside the chimney, it makes sense that a professional chimney sweeping will remove that source of stinky smells. Creosote is not only dangerously flammable, but it also has a very strong odor that can smell like tar and smoke. Soot can also produce bad smells that can be very musty. Scheduling your annual professional chimney sweeping in the spring with Ace Chimney Sweeps can be a major step in preventing the invasion of unpleasant odors into your home from the chimney through the fireplace during the hot and humid months of summer. Our Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA)-certified chimney sweeps will take great care to remove every bit of accumulated creosote and soot from the inner walls of your chimney.
Reversing the Downdraft
In order to invade your home, the air from the chimney must be pushed through the fireplace by a downdraft or a backdraft. According to the Boston Globe, these drafts can occur even when the fireplace is not being used because high air pressure continues to push air down the chimney into your home. One way to reverse a downdraft is to hold up a lighted roll of newspaper up the chimney so that this hot air will force the smelly air out of the chimney. You can also talk to our staff at Ace Chimney Sweeps about special chimney caps that can reduce downdrafts and top-mounted dampers that can seal air from the wind out of your chimney. Our years of experience have taught us a lot about reversing downdrafts, and we are happy to help you learn how to reduce downdrafts and backdrafts in your chimney. We’re also members of the National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG).
Keep your home smelling nice this summer. Contact us at Ace Chimney Sweeps to schedule a spring chimney sweeping to remove the source of unpleasant odors from your chimney.