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A chimney odor is far more than an inconvenience; these smells often indicate a far bigger chimney problem. While it may be tempting to spray some air freshener and hope the problem goes away, chimney odors should be addressed by a chimney professional as soon as possible. By having chimney odors diagnosed and repaired your family can begin enjoying using your fireplace again.
What causes chimney odors?
Whether it’s barely noticeable or overwhelming strong, chimney odors can affect your ability to live in your home. Unfortunately, there is no one single cause of chimney odors; chimneys odors are often the symptom of a bigger chimney problem. Because of this, a professional chimney inspection is often needed in order to uncover the cause of the smell. The following are three common causes of chimney odors.
- Animal entry: Animals not only cause sharp, strong, rotting smells; wild animals from the smallest birds to the largest raccoons can all damage your chimney. If you hear scurrying, scratching, or crying coming from within your chimney, it is important to call a wildlife removal specialist or experienced chimney sweep as soon as possible. Nesting materials, food, droppings, or the bodies of dead animals can all cause extremely unpleasant odors, as well as the risk of exposure to bacteria and pests carried by the animals.
Many animals enter the chimney only to become trapped; removing them as soon as possible can reduce damage to the chimney, minimize the chance of chimney odors developing, and give the animal the best chance for survival. Homeowners should never attempt to smoke out trapped animals by starting a fire; not only does opening the damper give the animal access to your home, but the smoke and heat will kill most animals before they have the chance to escape.
- Creosote: An excessive buildup of creosote in the flue causes sharp, smoky odors. These smells are often most noticeable during the hot and humid months of summer as well as when the air conditioning is being used. Getting rid of creosote odor is as easy as getting rid of the creosote; an annual chimney sweeping can remove creosote and make your chimney safer – and less smelly.
- Water entry: A chimney leak can damage your interior and exterior masonry and fireplace components – as well as cause a dank, musty, damp odor. These odors are often caused when water from an unrepaired or undetected chimney leak is not removed. The cool, dark confines of the chimney create ideal conditions for the growth of mold and mildew; not only can this cause unbearable odors, but it can also negatively affect your home’s air quality. Children, the elderly, and those with breathing problems such as allergies and asthma are particularly affected by mold growth in the chimney.
Chimney odors can affect your ability to enjoy your fireplace. By having the smells diagnosed and the cause repaired, you can get back to enjoying your fireplace faster. For more information on diagnosing chimney odors or to schedule a chimney inspection, contact Lords Chimney today.
In the hustle and bustle of our day to day lives, it can be easy to let minor home maintenance go by the wayside. No matter how frequently or infrequently your use your fireplace, however, it is important to have it swept and inspected at least once per year. Because of this, many customers find it easiest to forward schedule their future chimney sweeping appointments.
What is forward scheduling?
Forward scheduling is as easy as setting your next appointment at the time of your current appointment. While most of us are used to doing this for annual physicals or dental checkups, it can also be done for your chimney services! Forward scheduling your chimney sweeping allows you to pick the date and time for you next services and “set it and forget it!”
Advantages of forward scheduling your chimney services
Although it may seem odd to schedule chimney maintenance six months – or more – in advance, there are a number of advantages to forward scheduling your sweeping appointment.
- Pick the most convenient appointment time. Scheduling several months in advance gives you the advance when choosing days and times for appointments. With schedules that are typically wide open, you can find the day and time that best work with your schedule instead of being at the mercy of the next available opening.
- Make the appointment when it’s fresh in your mind. In the weeks and months after your chimney has been swept, scheduling your next appointment can become an afterthought. By forward scheduling, you can set up your next appointment at the time of your current sweeping, guaranteeing important annual maintenance will be done year after year.
- Less stress and worry. Once your appointment has been schedule for the next year you can sit back, relax, and rest assured that your fireplace maintenance will be taken care of.
Benefits of annual chimney sweeping and maintenance
Regular yearly chimney sweepings and inspections are the best way to keep your fireplace and chimney burning safely and efficiently. Chimney sweepings remove soot, ash, debris, blockages, and the harmful and flammable byproduct of combustion creosote from the flue. Sweepings also help you get the most out of your fireplace by extending its lifespan. Likewise, chimney inspections can be used to help evaluate efficiency, look for signs of damage or deterioration, and uncover the cause of long-term chimney problems such as draft issues or leaks.
“A chimney inspection is like an annual dental check-up,” says Chimney Safety Institute of America Director of Education Ashley Eldridge. “It’s preventative maintenance that helps minimize potential hazards.”
With family, friends, jobs, kids, school, and more, it can be easy to forget to schedule your annual chimney sweeping. By forward scheduling your future appointments you can rest assured your chimney will be professionally maintained year after year. For more information on forward scheduling or to schedule your next chimney sweeping, contact Lords Chimney today.
Whether it suddenly appears or starts small and builds, a stinky chimney can make your home unlivable. While air fresheners may mask the odor, they cannot completely eliminate it; chimney odors are often the symptom of a more serious chimney problem. A chimney inspection is often needed to help identify the cause of a stinky chimney.
What causes stinky chimneys?
There is no one cause of chimney odors; different kinds of smells have different causes, and identifying the kind of odor your chimney has can help pinpoint exactly what is causing it. While a chimney inspection is the best tool to find the source of your home’s chimney odor, the following are four of the most common causes of stinky chimneys.
- Animals: Sudden, sharp, rotting smells coming from the chimney often indicate the presence of a trapped animal. Birds, raccoons, squirrels, roof rats, and other small animals can find their way into chimneys through damaged chimney caps or other gaps around the flue; unfortunately, once they get in many animals are unable to get back out, leaving them trapped inside.
While live animals can cause odors from their food, feces, or nesting materials, a dead animal in the chimney can cause an overwhelming odor in the home – as well as effect the air quality. To avoid exposure to bacteria or microorganisms carried by wild animals, it is important to have them removed as soon as their presence is detected.
- Creosote: Creosote is a naturally occurring byproduct of all fuel burning fires, but buildup of creosote is most commonly seen with wood burning fireplaces. A smoky or dirty smell can be the result of excessive creosote buildup; creosote caused odors are often most noticeable in hot or humid weather.
- Drafting: If your chimney doesn’t draft properly, smoke and gas – as well as chimney odors – can blow back into and linger in your home. Smoky odors from drafting are often present long after the fireplace has been used, especially on hot or windy days. Drafting issues are commonly caused by an improperly sized flue; if you have installed a new fireplace or changed fuel sources, the flue may need to be resized in order to prevent drafting issues.
- Water: While the exterior masonry of your chimney is built to withstand the elements, delicate interior chimney components are not designed to be exposed to water. Because of this, water can cause serious damage to your chimney components – as well as chimney odors. Dank or damp smells coming from the chimney may indicate the presence of an undetected chimney leak; it is important to repair leaks as soon as possible to minimize water damage to the fireplace and chimney.
Chimney odors do not go away on their own and are often the symptom of a bigger chimney problem. If you have a stinky chimney, contact Lords Chimney today to uncover – and repair – the cause of your chimney odor.
Fireplaces are supposed to add beauty to our homes and be the centerpieces of the room; however, nothing can detract from a beautiful fireplace quite like a foul odor. Unfortunately, most chimney odors are the result of a more serious problem; while an air freshener might be able to temporarily mask the problem, a chimney professional is often needed to diagnose the cause of a smelly chimney.
Common causes of chimney odors
There are a number of different factors that can cause chimney odors. Because of this, it is important to have your chimney inspected by a certified chimney sweep in order to uncover the source of your chimney odor. Below are three of the most common causes of smelly chimneys.
- Animals: Birds, raccoons, squirrels, and other small animals all love to find their way into chimneys for warmth, shelter, or a safe place to nest. Animals can cause a whole host of chimney odors – as well as chimney and fireplace damage – with their nesting materials, food sources, or droppings. However, the most serious and foul-smelling animal odors can come from trapped animals who have died in the chimney. These sharp, foul, or rotting smells can do more than affect your home’s air supply; the presence of an animal in the chimney can also expose your family to a whole host of bugs, bacteria, and other microbes.
- Creosote: Creosote is a naturally occurring byproduct of fuel burning fires that can accumulate in your flue. Because it is extremely flammable, creosote should be removed by a certfieid chmney sweep during an annual chimney sweep and inspection. In addition to increasing your risk of accidental chimney fire, creosote can also cause smoky or sharp chimney odors. Creosote chimney odors are often worse in warm or humid weather and may not be noticeable when the weather is cool.
- Water entry: While water can be extremely damaging to your exterior masonry, it can also wreak havoc on your fireplace system. In addition to damaging many chimney and fireplace components, water entry from a leak can also cause chimney odors. Dank, damp, or musty odors from the chimney are often the result of a leak somewhere in the chimney system; the odor is sometimes the only that a chimney leak is present.
More so than the other sources of chimney odors, water entry is a major concern because it can cause the formation of mold or mildew in your chimney. Not only can this cause extremely unpleasant odors, but it can also negatively affect the air quality in your home. Young children, the elderly, or those with respiratory issues such as asthma are at particular risk of problems caused by mold or mildew growth in the chimney.
If you have a stinky chimney, don’t just light a scented candle and hope it will fade over time. Instead, call one of the experts at Lords Chimney to help diagnose – and get rid of – the cause of your chimney odors.
Every time you burn wood in your fireplace or wood stove, condensation forms on your chimney’s flue. That condensation forms a dark, tar-like, highly combustible substance called creosote. When creosote builds up in your chimney, it can lead to a damaging and dangerous chimney fire, or it can force carbon dioxide back into your home, endangering your family.
Creosote sweeping logs promise a solution. They claim to reduce creosote buildup in your chimney simply by burning them in your chimney. Some such logs carry the seal of approval of the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), but even the CSIA acknowledges that the logs are not a replacement for your annual chimney sweeping and inspection by a CSIA-certified chimney sweep.
Creosote sweeping logs don’t remove all creosote
Creosote sweeping logs work by sending chemicals up your chimney that react with the creosote, causing it to flake away and fall back down your chimney to your firebox, where it either burns up or can be swept away. At best, the logs only remove up to 60 percent of the creosote from you chimney over a 15-day period. That means that creosote still can build up to dangerous levels within your chimney, blocking smoke from leaving your chimney and potentially igniting a chimney fire.
Additionally, many fireplaces aren’t a straight vertical channel. That means creosote can fall to and gather on your chimney’s horizontal surfaces, where it can build up. If your chimney is a straight vertical line, the creosote that falls into the firebox can cause flare ups that can harm your hearth or someone standing near it.
Creosote sweeping logs can’t spot problems with your chimney
Your annual chimney sweeping is more than just a cleaning. Your certified chimney sweep also inspects your chimney for structural damage, water leaks, crumbling mortar, and other problems. A creosote sweeping log simply can’t help you identify and solve problems with your chimney. Missing your annual chimney inspection gives small problems, like a minor leak, time to grow into a major problem that potentially will be expensive to repair.
More importantly, your certified chimney sweep looks for problems that could lead to a chimney fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. That includes animals that have nested in your chimney or chimney fires that have gone undetected.
Schedule your annual chimney sweeping today!
While the CSIA recognizes that creosote sweeping logs can be a valuable piece of chimney maintenance, eliminating some creosote in between professional chimney sweepings, replacing your annual chimney sweeping and inspection with a creosote sweeping log is dangerous both for your home and your family. If you’re overdue for your annual chimney sweeping and inspection, call the CSIA-certified chimney sweeps at Lords Chimney. We’ll make sure that your chimney is creosote-free and ready to burn safely this winter.
