A fireplace provides warmth and ambiance to a home. It is vital that the smoke from the fire go up the chimney to avoid inhalation and debris from contaminating the environment. Problems occur when the air is able to escape from the brick wall of the fireplace or when the wind comes down the chimney on the roof. A chimney opening is too large may also be a problem. There is a series of homemade methods to repair the chimney for the smoke rising from it.
Instructions
Loose in the mortar bricks
- Grab one of the brick walls of the fireplace. Try to shake it forward and backward. If it is loose, the air is leaking, inhibiting the ability of the chimney to draw the smoke. Repeat with all the bricks to see how many are loose.
- Mortar applied to a pallet. Add mortar around each brick that is loose. Soften the mortar down with the edge of a wooden stirring rod; let the mortar dry for the amount of time specified in the instructions.
- Spend your hand along the mortar between the bricks to see if you feel that some air escapes; if so reapply the mortar around the bricks.
Install a directional pipeline
- Go to the roof. Pay attention to how much smoke comes out. Put work gloves to protect your hands.
- Put a directional pipeline to spread the fire (known as “Ventura”) to the top of the chimney.
- Rotate the product to change the angle at which the air leaves. Stop rotating the pipeline when more smoke comes out of the chimney. Leave the product in that position.
- Put strips of heat tape around the pipeline where it joins the chimney.
- Apply a beaded silicone sealant around the duct and the thermal tape to protect from the elements to the gap between the duct and the chimney.
Reduce the fireplace opening
- Measure the width with a tape measure. Write down or memorize this measure.
- Call for hardware you cut a strip of metal that is the same length as that measure and 3 inches (7.5 cm) wide.
- Hold the metal strip horizontally. Put the strip against the upper edge of the chimney so that the top is even with the top of the home.
- Masonry nails are hammered through the metal and the upper edge of the chimney strip; hammering a nail on each side of the strip and two near the middle.
- Start a fire in the home, the small area of the fireplace opening now will help the smoke go up the chimney.
Tips & Warnings
- Hire the services of a professional to clean your chimney every day.