Wind Education and Troubleshooting

Troubleshoot Draw Issues - Here is a set of guidelines that help the chimney draw the best, but you wont know if the chimney draws good until you actually try it. If there are draw issues then the best way to find out what is wrong is to troubleshoot the problem.

-An exterior chimney (chimney on the outside of the house) is a lot colder than an interior. Opening a damper 15 minutes before you have a fire can help draw warm air into the chimney.

-If it is smoking up the house when you are initially starting the fire, you may be building it too big too fast, or not building it big enough. If the fire starts to die out sometimes there isn't enough heat to draw the smoke up the chimney.

- If you are using anything besides seasoned wood that can cause some draw issues. Green wood puts off more smoke and a colder fire creating less draw.

-The fireplace/throat/smoke chamber/chimney needs to meet UL standards. They are built the way they are for a reason. If the fireplace was built using non-standard designs it could be the cause of your issues.

-A log grate can help with air flow, try pushing it all the way to the back of the fireplace or raising it a little higher.

-If there are any fans/HVAC vents/ doors that are adjacent to the fireplace that can cause smoke to be blown out of the fireplace

-Sometimes the attic vents with fans on them can create a negative pressure in the house causing the chimney not to draw or pulls smells down the chimney when it is not in use.

-Check that the cap is not restricting air flow. If the cap seems like it is the issue, remove the cap and you can try the fireplace without it. If it doesn't fix it, you can just put the cap back on.

-If the home is air tight (especially with spray foam homes) you will need to open the fresh air intake or crack a window in the same room.

-Check to see if the chimney meets minimum system height  and if it passes 10-2-3 

-If it only happens every once in a while then it might be just the wind. To be sure that wind is the issue, light a fire on a calm day with no wind and see if it is drawing okay. We offer an anti down draft cap. 

-We can install a blower on top of the chimney that acts like a vent hood as well, this is only used in rare occasions when there is no other fix for the problem.

-Heavy build up of creosote can restrict airflow and cause draw issues. Sometimes the creosote will completely enclose the chimney.