Have you been noticing odd odors in your home? If you’ve eliminated most other possible causes, it’s time to look at your chimney. A variety of things can cause a chimney to give off an unpleasant smell. Fortunately, they’re all easy to fix, once you’ve pinpointed the problem.
If your home is “air-tight,” you might have a negative air pressure situation that is preventing air from flowing up and out of the chimney. All chimneys contain some level of odor, and if air is coming down into your home, you may notice an unpleasant smell.
How to fix: Keep the damper sealed tightly when a fire is not running. A tight glass screen installed across the fireplace opening also may help. If you can crack a window or two, do so.
If your chimney has an excessive buildup of creosote and soot, you’re almost certainly going to get some foul odors inside your home. The key word here is “excessive.” And it’s up to you to decide how much is too much.
How to fix: First, have your chimney professional cleaned. After that, burn only seasoned hardwood, which generates much less creosote than softwoods. Hardwoods include hickory, oak, sugar maple, beech and pine.
As you already know, long-standing dampness anywhere causes an odor. Water inside your chimney will do the same. But more of a concern than odor is the damage that water will do to a chimney and damper.
How to fix: Have your chimney inspected, and have repairs made to whatever areas are letting in water. If you don’t have a chimney cap, install one. Eventually the heat from fires will get rid of residual moisture.
Little animals and birds love chimneys – they hang out there, make their nests there and, unfortunately sometimes die there. It’s nearly impossible to keep the smell of a dead animal in your chimney out of your house. Debris like twigs and leaves also can enter the chimney and, once moist from rain, give off a horrible smell.
How to fix: Bring in a chimney sweep to clean all the junk out of the chimney. Fix permanently by having a secure chimney cap installed.
The good news is, most any cause of odor coming from your chimney can be addressed and remedied. The bad news is, if your chimney is producing a lot of off-putting odors, you probably haven’t had it serviced for some time. Be safe and smart – schedule annual inspection and cleaning with a certified chimney sweep at the same time each year.
Chimney Solutions of Indianapolis provides professional chimney inspection, repair, maintenance and complete cleaning of all types of chimneys. To keep your family safe, and to keep your home smelling nice, call (317) 757-6979.
Our Service Area
If you live within 20 miles of Marion County, there’s no need to call any other chimney provider! The team here at Chimney Solutions Indiana will be in our marked trucks and clean uniforms and at your door on time! We travel to Zionsville, Carmel, Fishers, Brownsburg, Westfield, Geist, Eagle Creek, Noblesville and all throughout the Indianapolis, IN area.
We believe that education and ongoing training is important, which is why we continuously invest in ourselves and our team to deliver better service to you. We’re Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA) – certified and members of the National Chimney Sweep Guild (NCSG), so whenever advancements are made within the industry, we’re among the first to know about it. When you work with Chimney Solutions, you can expect the latest information and the most advanced services and techniques. We strive to exceed expectations on every job from a routine chimney sweep and chimney cleaning to a full chimney restoration.
We’re committed to providing the best service possible and look forward to serving you and your family, year after year. Call 317-757-6979 to get started! >>
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8602 Lafayette Rd Indianapolis, IN 46278
(317) 757-6979