Smoking Chimney
Smoking Problems
How to "fix" a smoking chimney.
It can be a bit of a challenge to make some chimney’s work: especially when it gets cold. Cold air is very "heavy". The column of air inside a chimney can be like a huge "cold-plug". It really does require a diligent effort to move this "cold plug" out of the chimney. It takes more time than some people imagine just getting a chimney to start "drawing." They need to understand that a warm air "siphon" must be created. This may require five or ten minutes of careful effort. The best way to make your chimney work is to take the time to establish a good draw.
Crack a Window
The first best trick to enable a chimney to draw is to open a window. Remember a properly drafting chimney is very much like a siphon. If the chimney has no available source of air it can not draft. It can even matter which window in the room is "cracked open." Having the window open is making available more air for the chimney. Helps over comes any negative air pressure in the house and having wind blowing in the window may pressurize the house forcing air up the chimney. Some of the things in your house that can cause down draft, pulling that cold into your house and making it even harder to establish a good draw, are exhaust fans, vented gas appliances, clothes dryers and already having second fireplace running.
Pre-heat the Flue
The next best trick to enable a chimney to draw is to: pre-heat the flue. This is the critical step. You must take up arms against the atmospheric-cold-blanket of heavy arctic air. Mother nature is bearing down with a vengeance on your chimney; you must take the time to create a miniature artificial environment: inside your own chimney. You must break through the cold plug of air clogging up your chimney, and then keep pushing until a warm air siphon is created, then your fireplace can burn majestically on the freezing cold winter nights!v
Ten Steps to Success
1) Make sure the spark screen on your chimney cap is not clogged or obstructed.
2) Look up the chimney with a strong flashlight and check for obstructions.
3) Make sure the damper is propped to stay wide open.
4) Crack open a nearby window an inch or so.
5) Prepare to start a SMALL fire by crumpling newspaper under the kindling.
6) Roll up 5 or 6 newspaper "torches" to pre-heat the chimney’s flue.
7) Light the newspaper torches one at time: hold them one after the other UP the chimney.
Spend 4-5 minutes pre-heating the flue with these "torches." Establish a "siphon."
9) Carefully light the kindling, and build up the fire slowly.
10) After the fire is going, and the siphon action is well established, close the window.
