There are more than a hundred reasons why fireplaces do not work. For households with a fireplace, it is essential to completely understand how your fireplace works together with the air flow, pressure differentials and its construction procedure. Some basic fireplace problems have easy solutions while others require an extensive check up to solve the problem. Below are several common reasons why your fireplace does not work.
- A damper that is not fully opened. Some home owners forget to fully open their dampers. Most dampers does not fully open because of soot build up at the back of the damper or due to water damage. Cleaning may solve this problem.
- Firewood that is not seasoned. Your main reason in using your fireplace is to give you heat when you need it the most. Firewood will not give your desired heat if it is wet or green but rather gives you more smoke than heat.
- A dirty chimney. Dirt and creosote accumulation in your chimney may cause your chimney to not work properly. A dirty chimney may limit the flow of air in your chimney. Other things that may accumulate in your chimney are twigs, leaves and small animals. Chimney sweeping can help you on this problem.
- You may have pests that have built a nest. In addition to a chimney sweeping service, call a pest control company in Nashville that can prevent future problems.
- Your chimney may not be tall enough. For your chimney to be able to work properly, it should be at least 10 to 13 feet in total height and 2 to 3 feet above the roof.
- A large flue for the fireplace opening. Some factors that can affect this are chimney height, throat configuration and the temperature of the flue. The area of your fireplace must not exceed the over 10 times of the flue’s area.
- Air tight home. It is essential to open a window to allow air replacement in your living room because most of the air is already exhausted in the chimney. This will also risk from carbon dioxide that may build up in your house when fireplace and furnace competes.
- House is too drafty. If too much air escapes in the house, it can make your fireplace ineffective as well. Make sure that some windows are closed.