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Comments
Ben Jesus Martinez
26 Nov 2007, 18:36
My fireplace smokes usually when the heating system turns on, usually at
night when fire is dying. But not always. There is an outside air source in
the bottom of the firebox, towards the back but, I have not had it open.
Please help with any suggestions. The house is 33yrs old.
ATB
26 Nov 2007, 19:39
Simple. Backdrafting. Please go read my past articles about this and the
video about the makeup air device that looks like a dual dryer vent.
Jennifer Beauchamp
07 Dec 2007, 17:52
We just moved into a new construction home. We have a prefabricated
fireplace in the family room on the first floor which is adjacent to our
two story house. The fireplace is on the south side of our house. When we
build fires, the first 5 minutes or so all of the smoke comes in to our
house. My husband says it's because the flue is cold and we need to heat
it up before lighting the fire. Is this correct and if so, how would we go
about heating the flue? Our home is all electric so a gas log lighter is
out of the question. Any other suggestions? Thank you-
AsktheBuilder
07 Dec 2007, 18:10
Jennifer,
Try opening the damper and holding a lit tube of rolled-up newspaper into
the smoke chamber of the fireplace. Let it burn for as long as you can
safely hold it up without burning your hand. This may help trigger a
convection column of warm air moving up the chimney.
R Glenn
08 Dec 2007, 16:22
We are enclosing a porch and want to have an indoor round wood burning fire
pit with a round funnel style hood above it. This would allow a 360 view
of the fire. Would it draw properly with only fire screening around it (or
no screening) or would it need to be glass enclosed?
AsktheBuilder
08 Dec 2007, 16:46
R Glenn,
I think it will draw fine. The challenge will be getting the hood height
right to prevent smoking.
Darragh
13 Dec 2007, 11:00
Hi All ,
Recently my partner had a new open fireplace installed while I was away .
now this has become a disaster and ruined our evenings by the fire , our
fire has a back boiler in it ( used to heat the radiators) and when we
light a fire its fine , the problem comes when we open or close the door to
the living room .. we get a pall of smoke from the fireplace that rolls in
to the room , as you can imagine its a pain in the butt . I belive the fire
place is too high and is there anyway of fixing this as we are going out of
our minds with it ..
AsktheBuilder
15 Dec 2007, 10:31
Darragh,
Please read *all* of my Fireplace columns. You will discover one that has a
cool table of dimensions. See if yours was built correctly. The design of
the smoke chamber is very critical.
Jay
23 Dec 2007, 08:18
Hello,
I have a 3 week old home, we have had 2 fires in the fireplace and smoke
pours out of the front.
We have a pre-fab firebox, the chimney is short and the flue I think is not
strait up. I think it comes up, makes an angle to get outside the skin of
the house, then goes back vertical.
Any thoughts?
Jay in Edmond, OK
AsktheBuilder
23 Dec 2007, 08:28
Jay,
Yes, read this column again. I talk about short chimneys. Also go read ALL
of my other columns about fireplaces and the proper design of the firebox.
See if your setup is correct.
Tracey
02 Jan 2008, 18:55
I am considering installing a fireplace on my first floor (small home)we
want the installer to put the pipes outside the home instead of running
through the 2nd fl, through the attic. have you seen this done would the
pipes a big eye sore.
AsktheBuilder
02 Jan 2008, 19:30
Tracey,
I have seen it done before. Fortunately I can't see that house or yours
from where I live.
Bill
17 Jan 2008, 11:51
I've been using our fireplace every winter for 20 years without a problem.
Suddenly, starting last winter, smoke billows into the living room.
Looking down the chimney, there appear to be no obstructions or blockages,
nothing out of the ordinary.
I've tried it on at least three different occasions this winter, with the
same result. Any thoughts?
AsktheBuilder
18 Jan 2008, 06:39
Bill,
Call the BEST chimney sweep in your area and have him inspect it. I'll
wager you that there is a restriction or a blockage of some sort.
john brower
19 Jan 2008, 07:07
I have a wood burning Fireplace(F.P.)with the a gasline installed. On/Off
is located on the outside of F.P. a key is used.
The line goes into the F.P. there is some type of control box on the line
but it is completely self-contained. At the end of this line is attached a
pipe with holes in it, at the end of this pipe there are threads with
nothing attached. I want to put in ceramic logs. What do I need and have to
do before the logs go in and it is up and running. Thank You.
AsktheBuilder
19 Jan 2008, 07:17
John,
It sounds like you are describing a log starter. I urge you to contact a
professional plumber who frequently works with gas logs to assist you. My
guess is that you might not have the right tools and this can be dangerous
work with explosive consequences if you make a mistake. This simple comment
space is not the place to conduct a full-blown course on gas-line work 101.
I hope you understand.
Gerald Gabel
20 Jan 2008, 23:43
In this article, you say
...............
Fixing an Existing Problem
I know, I know, you're wondering what to do about your existing smoking
fireplace. Well, the answer may not be simple. The first place to start is
to make a drawing of your fireplace. Add dimensions to your drawing.
Compare your drawing to the sizes given in the following table.
.....................
I cannot find the table of proper fireplace dimensions. Where is it
located? Thank you.
AsktheBuilder
21 Jan 2008, 07:11
Gerald,
That column is right there in the Fireplace category - I just saw it.......
Take your time and read many of the columns in that category. You will
discover many things that should be quite helpful to you.
Kristin Bailey
26 Jan 2008, 14:58
Hello, we have a brick fireplace that is open on one side. We would like to
open it on the other brick side That isin the familyroom side. Can this be
done, and who should we call? Would we need to have glass doors to make
this posible, so the air flow would be the same. We use both rooms and that
would be wonderful! Thanks
AsktheBuilder
26 Jan 2008, 15:02
Kristen,
It is not that simple. Not by a long shot. The design of the firebox needs
to be modified. Read all about this in the Technical Notes at the Brick
Institute of America.
Roger in Phoenix Arizona
28 Feb 2008, 14:37
This may sound wacky, but I'd like to know if a fireplace can be designed
with a chimney that does not go straight up? I'm building a home and I
would like to put a fireplace in an area that is below something that I do
not want a chimeny to obstruct the view of. Immediately out of the top of
the firebox I'd like to angle the chimney about 45 degrees for maybe 10
feet, then have it go straight up through the roof. Is this even possible?
MIKE
01 Mar 2008, 12:56
HEY EVERYONE, I AM A CERTIFIED FIREPLACE INSTALLER. CERTIFIED BY THE N.F.I.
OF AMERICA, AND I CAN TELL U THAT INSTALLATION ERRORS ARE ALSO A MAJOR
CONTRIBUTOR TO SMOKING FIREPLACES. FOR EXAMPLE THE FIREPLACE (PREFAB) IS
DESIGNED TO RADIATE THE MAXIMUM AMOUNT OF HEAT TAKING THIS HEAT AWAY FROM
THE DRAFT. HOW DO ENGINEERS COMPENSATE?, THEY LIMIT THE ANGLE U CAN OFFSET
AND THE DISTANCE U CAN OFFSET, THE FLUE RUN. IF U DONT FOLLOW MANUAL
EXACTLY!!!!!!=SMOKING FIREPLACE
AsktheBuilder
03 Mar 2008, 08:02
Roger,
It is not wacky at all. You can do this. It requires special supports and
engineering for a masonry fireplace.
august grathwohl
08 Mar 2008, 08:40
I'm building a woodstove out of 30" diameter 1/2" wall pipe with outside
combustion air and a cleanout box. My old woodstove wore out but the flue
never needed cleaning in 22 years because I usually burn it hot. On an
upright barrelstove, which this pretty much is, would it have a better
draft if I took the flue out of the side near the top and then went
straight up instead of trying to design a smoke ledge inside. Any help
would be appreciated. Thanks
p.s. looked for the backdraft articles and no luck.
Augie Grathwohl
Antonio Alejandro
12 Mar 2008, 07:12
You comment on the extensive literature on fireplace building, yet in my
research I have not found any. I find plenty on mantels, but nothing
extensive on the actual pieces, the contruction and the science of
fireplaces.
AsktheBuilder
12 Mar 2008, 07:49
August,
I am not an expert in hot gas dynamics, although my wife might disagree
with that statement. I have no answer for you.
Greg Hoerger
16 Mar 2008, 21:28
We have 2 fireplaces, 1 on the main floor and 1 directly below it in the
basement. We have a two story house the chiminey is plenty high above the
roof and there are no obstructions near the top of the stacks.
Problom: when we have a fire in the main floor fireplace the basement gets
full of smoke.
Any suggestions? Thanks
Dan
20 Mar 2008, 13:46
Why is it that fireboxes in hew homes all seem to be 6 to 8 inches above
floor level? I've heard that it is because there needs to be air space
below the box (code). In unfinished homes, I've also seen boxes sitting on
concrete blocks. Is this bacause of that air space need? Can a heat
resistent material be place under the box allowing it to sit at floor
level?
AsktheBuilder
20 Mar 2008, 14:12
Dan,
That might be a regional characteristic. I am not aware of a code
requirement calling for this. Ask a local builder and see why they do it.
Leigh Norling
13 Jun 2008, 09:55
Hi and thank you. I am building a new home and have seen gas fireplaces
using rocks, small attractive pebbles really, rather than the standard
phony logs. I am being told this requires a special product and
installation, but I cannot find any information on how to proceed.
Leigh, Austin TX
Sam Mongare
04 Aug 2008, 10:27
I just built an Island fireplace thats open to the Lounge and the Dining
area which are sort of open plan. The fireplace has two side walls and an
oblique concrete funel into a stone flue that rises 24ft high. Its smoking
alot.
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