Stop my front room from becoming a smoking shed.

[bonniethomas06]

We have just moved to (rented) a lovely old house (about 200 yrs old)

We had the chimney swept as soon as we got in - the sweep said that the lining of the flue (hoping that's how you spell it!) was old lime and sand and some of it came off when it was being swept - there was no soot apparently.

We then settled down in front of a log fire, only to find that the living room became full of smoke (don't worry, we have CO3 monitors!). We had the door shut - it did improve slightly when the door was opened (I have already learned that there needs to be a through draft).

The bedroom directly above (which has a blocked off chimney) was also very smoky.

Does anyone have any ideas as to what I can do to stop the smoke?

Thanks - I was SOOOO looking forward to sitting in front of a toasty fire, particularly as the house is fffffreezing and very expensive to heat! At this rate all I will be doing is hanging up kippers!
Thanks

Bonnie

[MuddyWitch]

The fact that the bedroom was also smoky is slightly worrying. In modern flues the seperate rooms have seperate fles so your bedroom should have no connection to the lounge flue. In days gone by this wasn't always true.

It could be down draughts though. In other words, the smoke goes up the chiminey but then gets blown back down. This can be due to a chimney that is too short, over hanging trees or just blustery weather.

A decent sweep can do a smoke bomb test and advise on the best cure for you problem. It may be as cheap as drilling two small vent holes in the floor near your hearth, or it could be a dodgy (ie leaky) flue & ours cost over £1000 to line! Not something we could avoid doing as it was leaking all sorts of nasties into our bedroom & that of our neighbours.

I'd get a couple of different sweeps in to have a look if it was me

MW

[red]

yeh i would get in a sweep to give an opinion.

we had smoke coming out of more than one chimney pot when he lit the smoke bomb, and that indicates a breach. we bought a liner when we had the woodburner fitted.

[KathyLauren]

the lining of the flue (hoping that's how you spell it!) was old lime and sand and some of it came off when it was being swept

Oh-oh! That's bad news. A failed liner is a fire hazard. Creosote can seep into the masonry, and if you ever get a chimney fire, it will burn through the masonry to the structure of the house. You need to get that fixed. However, it is not the cause of the smoke.

Smoke in the house means that the chimney is not drawing properly. If the chimney is cold, this is normal. I find that opening a window helps a lot. You could try opening the chimney damper an hour before you light the fire. That will let heat from the house up the chimney to preheat it, which will improve the draft. Of course, you are sending heat up the chimney, but that's what fireplaces do! :)

If you get smoke in the house even when the chimney is warm, then it is not normal. Since you've just had it swept, you know it is not blocked, which could be one cause. If the weather is stormy, it could be wind that is blowing down the chimney.

If it is a chronic problem, you could install a ventilator at the top of the chimney. You know, those wheel things that the wind turns? It will prevent the wind blowing down the chimney, and will create a draft for you.

[bonniethomas06]

Thanks guys, very helpful advice.

I don't remember it being windy when we lit the test, and the sweep did a smoke test-thing which was sucessful, so I am thinking it may be one of the other reasons.

Will experiment with ventilation - as it is a rented house I don't think our landlady will stretch to having it re-lined.

Bonnie

[Thurston Garden]

If it is a chronic problem, you could install a ventilator at the top of the chimney. You know, those wheel things that the wind turns? It will prevent the wind blowing down the chimney, and will create a draft for you.

This is something the sweep would be able to advise on. In a previous life as a roofer, I used to fit these. They come in various designs and what works on one chimney may not work on another. It's trial and error with them sometimes. Hopefully the sweep will have a selection of 2nd hand ones!

NB. Other cowl suppliers are available

[Thaddeus Bushwhacker]

Hi

I had a similar problem when we moved into an old Victorian Cottage 3 years ago.

We'd light the fire in the living room and the dining room would fill with smoke. It was because the air was being drawn from the dining room into the living room and the best supply of fresh air was down the chimney so it sucked the smoke from the fire down with it as well.

We had a logburner fitted which is alot more economical, with an open fire alot of the heat disappeares up the chimney - definately not so with a log burner!