A Smoking Fireplace

There are several reasons a fireplace smokes. It could be that there is a lot of wind blowing outside or, there could be a low-pressure system in the area. The other thing that can cause it is the construction of the Chimney. The Chimney flue should be no smaller than ten percent of the fireplace area. In other words, if you have 1440 square inches of fireplace, you should have at least 144 squre inches of Chimney flue.

Several other factors come into play too when given that equation. In higher elevations the ratio can be twelve percent. Also, the height of the Chimney will place an important role in whether or not the fireplace smokes. You can have two Chimney's built by the same Brick Mason, side by side, and one will draught perfectly, and the other may smoke like crazy. It is crazy but it happens.

A lot of people quit using their fireplace when they find out that it smokes. There is several ways to slow it down, or even prevent it. If it is only smoking occasionally, you can install glass doors, and it will reduce the opening size just enough to possibly stop it from smoking. If it is smoking pretty badly, consult your local Chimney Sweep, and have them evaluate your chimney. There are smoke guards that come in several sizes that will reduce the opening size of your fireplace so that it doesnt smoke any longer. Hope all of this helps. If you have any questions, i will be glad to help if i can ..drop me a line. Remember it is good luck to shake hands with a Chimney Sweep.
Sweeps Luck to you

Joe :-)