by blogediter | Feb 13, 2019 | Fireplaces
Q: Jason – Our house gets smoky when our furnace runs while using the fireplace. The chimney inspector told us we needed to extend the fireplace chimney, so he did. We keep a window cracked by the fireplace as he suggested. that didnt fix it, so it still gets smoky in the house when the furnace runs. – LW
A: I would suggest a couple of things try while you are running your fireplace. these things should help you diagnose where the issue is.
1) Burn a fire in the fireplace with the glass doors closed first…if this eliminates the problem then the smoke is comming straight out of the hearth and getting into your cold air return for circulation around the house. Be sure to compare burnin with the doors closed first and then the doors open.
2) Try running your furnace on fan only and see if the problem is still there. If it is not then your furnace is drawing air from the outside that is smokey. If it is still there than it is certain that your cold air return is getting access to the smoke somehow.
3) If this smoke problem is intermittent then try to note which direction the wind is blowing when this happens. Wind can be a factor in the fireplace smoke wisping past the furnace intake. this is particularly an issue if you have a direct vent furnace.
4) Did your chimney inspector do a complete inspection of the interior of your chimney. Possibly a camera inspection should be done. If you have a crack in your chimney liner the smoke may be getting into the home that way. A damaged liner is a very dangerouse situation that will need immediate repair. – Jason
by blogediter | Feb 12, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
My Majestic brand direct vent fireplace is letting in cold air
Q: Jason, I have a vented Majestic fireplace. We do not use it, but it is getting tons of cold air into my house. The vent on the outside of the house doesn’t seem to have any sort of damper on it whatsoever… so closing that is not an option. Right now we have the gas turned off & a blanket over it.
Would a Chimney Balloon help with this? How exactly would we get in to measure the hole? How do we get into the part that has the gas logs?– CG
A: Dear CG, With a few hints in your question, I am assuming that you have a direct vent fireplace, not a gas log fireplace. You say “vent to the outside”, does that mean the vent is a PVC pipe that goes directly through the exterior wall, not out the roof like a chimney?
If it vents through the wall you definitely have a direct vent fireplace.
The good news is, that direct vent gas fireplaces (unlike vented gas logs) generate heat efficiently when running. The bad news is, if the fireplace installer does not take care to insulate the fireplace install correctly it will let in a great deal of cold air when dormant.
If you have not had the original installer over to look at the problem I would try that first. If they stonewall you about it, call an insulation contractor that is forward thinking enough to work with closed cell foam.
You see, a fireplace installer will sometimes slap in a fireplace and think “good enough” but an insulation contractor has a different way of thinking. He will look over an install and consider how it affects the home’s envelope and how he can make an install both safe and tight.
I’m sorry but a Chimney Balloon will not help you on a direct vent fireplace since a firebox is a sealed unit and you can’t gain access to the vent flue and that vent flue is just a small pipe through the wall anyway. – Jason
by blogediter | Feb 7, 2018 | Gas Logs
Fresh Air Vent
Q: I have a fairly new home built in 2004. I’ve noticed that my living room area is colder than the rest of the house. I always thought it was because of the patio door or maybe the vaulted ceilings and it’s a large room. There is a fireplace I never use. I just noticed today there is a draft coming through the bottom where the controls are and the tile around the bottom is ice cold. This explains why my toes are so cold when I sit on the couch and watch tv. Is there anything I can do about this? I might just put some kind of insulation sheet in front of the whole thing. thanks for your help – JP
A: JP, There is a couple of different sources that could be letting in cold air. If this is a direct vent fireplace that is mostly sealed off from access and “breaths” through tubes or pipes that go through your outside wall, then it is likely bad or no insulation around the gas lines or venting pipes. This can be remedied easily once you find the pipes. If this fireplace has a regular stack chimney and the hearth is accessible to you, it could be that the fireplace damper is clipped open or disabled in some way. Gas log fireplaces in most states have to have disabled or clipped open dampers due to fire code. The reason for this is the county doesn’t want you lighting a gas fireplace without opening the damper since this can start a fire or asphyxiate you and everyone in the home. Another possibility, in this case, could just be a worn out damper. There is a blog entry about this: http://www.chimneyballoonusa.com/blog/2007/01/welcome_to_the_.html If you find that the cold air source is coming from a disabled, or old and crusty damper and inexpensive insulation option is a Chimney Balloon. They can be bought through the manufacturer at http://www.chimneyballoon.us. They are an inflatable plug that stops air passage. Good luck finding the cold air entry point, I know from experience that cold drafts like that can be uncomfortable. – Jason
