Smoke not only stains your fireplace, it also makes your house unlivable. To be comfortable you should take measures to prevent your fireplace from smoking. Just like in medicine, you can’t treat a condition if you don’t know its cause. Here are a few of the common causes of a smoky fireplace and how to fix it:

The fireplace is too big

A large fireplace is beautiful and a great addition to your home. While the units are great to have, chimney sweeping professionals report that large fireplaces are the prime cause of a smoky chimney. When the fireplace opening is too large for the size of the flue, the chimney can’t adequately remove the combustion byproducts. The cool thing is that there are plenty of things that you can do to fix the problem. Some of the things that you can do include: install a smoke guard, glass door, rebuild the firebox, install fireplace inserts and raise the fire by laying a brick row on the floor of the fireplace.

Inadequate ventilation in the house

The fireplace can be properly designed and constructed but it will smoke if the house is inadequately ventilated. To fix the problem you need to increase the amount of air in the house by opening windows in the room.

The fireplace is of the wrong height

Just as size, a chimney that is of the wrong height will result to smoking. According to chimney contractors, a chimney should extend at least two feet higher than anything within a 10-foot radius. If the chimney doesn’t have these specifications it will most likely smoke. To fix the problem you should ask a contractor to take a look at the chimney and fix the problem. The professional should lay a few bricks on the floor of the chimney thus fixing the height problem.

The fireplace is dirty

It’s recommended that you undertake chimney cleaning at least once a year but few homeowners do it. This results in the buildup of creosote that can block the chimney thus preventing the chimney from effectively eliminating smoke. It’s easy to fix this problem as all you need to do is hire a chimney sweep to get rid of the creosote. In addition to getting rid of the smoking problem, cleaning the chimney also prevents the chimney from catching fire.

Conclusion

These are the major causes of a smoking chimney and how to fix it. For ideal results, work with an experienced and professional chimney expert.