How do I reverse the draft on my chimney when smoke is coming into the house?
I have a wood-burning fireplace
, and most of the time the smoke does what its supposed to do and heads right up the chimney. But how do I reverse the draft when I light a fire and all the smoke comes pouring out into the living room? I rent a townhouse and I’m not going to invest any money in a place I don’t own, so one of those chimney cap things isn’t really an option. Thanks for any help you can give me!Telecom Auditing Guide
There may be a lever on the side; switch it the opposite way.
Is the flue open? That’s the lever inside the top of the fireplace - you can reach it with your hand, and if it’s closed you won’t feel air coming in, when it’s open you should feel a draft.
Next, has it been cleaned this year? Chimneys need to be cleaned; ask your rental agency when it last was. This is for safety!
Finally, sometimes I just roll up some newspaper into a ‘branch’, light it, and hold it up in the chimney from inside the fire. This works sometimes to help draw the smoke up.
Have a guy check the pitch of your flu.
Start only a small fire at first to be sure.
I think if you open a window to let some air into your room it may help. You may also try and start the draft by lighting a paper torch and holding it into the chimney opening to get some warm air moving up and out the chimney as you go to start the fire.
My thoughts!
All these are good answers, but I hope you have a carbon monoxide (CO) detector.
If the smoke isn’t going up the chimney, the CO may not be either, which can be deadly.