How To Fix Summer Chimney & Fireplace Smells

After using your fireplace all winter, the hot, steamy days of summer can cause your chimney to really stink. Here’s how to stop the stench!

According to CleverlySolved.com’s Jason Raddenbach, consumers’ most common complaint is foul fireplace odors during the summer.

This summer’s humidity is making people’s chimneys and fireplaces smelly. This fragrance is drawn inside the house by the A/C. They clean the chimney, which makes it smell worse,” he explains.

That stinky fireplace:
This is because the chimney has been soaked with creosote (a tar-like byproduct of wood burning) and ash all winter. The humid outside air reacts with the creosote’s acidity. The stink can pervade an entire home.

With an open or poorly sealed chimney (a loose-fitting damper or glass doors), the dryer or bathroom fan creates negative pressure, sucking the odorous air down the chimney and into the living space.

Smelly Fireplace Cleaning and how to do it.
The issue is real, but there are things you can do (and not do) to avoid fireplace funk.

Don’t clean the flue
Chimney Cleaning will make matters worse.
Cleaning your chimney now is like shaking up a carton of rotten milk and cracking the top, explains Raddenbach. “Clean your chimney, but not in the summer.”

No top-seal damper
It will merely trap the stench and prevent it from escaping into the outdoors.

Close your chimney tightly.
The house will have to find another way to pull air if you install fireplace plugs or other draft stoppers.

Deodorize with baking soda
After clearing the firebox of loose soot and ashes, coat the floor, walls, and damper with baking soda. After 48 hours (or even a week), vacuum it up.

Spray the edges of the firebox with water to help the baking soda stick.

Vinegar Bowl Fix
Fill the firebox with white vinegar for a few days to neutralize odors. Soothes the “burnt” odour.

Self-Audit
A house’s HVAC system, clothes dryer, range hood, or bathroom fan affects the movement of air into and out of the house. Having an energy audit performed on your complete home will assist assess how well this system is operating and if there are methods to improve it.

Here’s how to perform a basic self-check.

Start the dryer. This is a terrific method to raise tension in the home.
Draft check using a smoke pencil. Puff the smoke pencil around trouble sites like windows, doors, pipes, vents, and other air-infiltration points.
Close them. Seal any leaks or drafts with foam or caulk. For more insight on How To Fix Summer Chimney and Fireplace Smells visit https://americanairducts.com/chimney-sweeping-houston-tx/.