Smokey Fireplace

[NoGoodWithUsernames]

Figured there would be some folks on here more experienced than myself that could help me out with a smokey fireplace in our new house.

When we moved in it had a gas fireplace insert that we shut off and removed because that's not a real fire. We also removed the "fascia" (what I'm calling the non-structural decorative front) of the fireplace, which was some tacky looking painted fake stone that was built to take up a lot of space in the room. We are remodeling the living area so now was the time to do it. 

Part of the "fascia" I think was acting as a hood of sorts, which I think needs to (and will be when we do a new brick fascia) be replaced. I was thinking a sheet metal hood in the meantime then when we do the brick work leave the sheet metal behind the bricks as support. The upper lip of the fireplace is about a foot higher than it was before we took the fascia down. 

Also on top of the chimney is some sort of lightweight sheet metal draft preventer it looks like, it had two flex hoses hooked up from the gas fireplace which I removed. I left the draft preventer though but am wondering if maybe a real fire needs additional flow? Is there a difference in that between a gas fire and wood fire? 

Am I on the right track at least with those two items?

[Goods]

Honestly, you need to have a chimney specialist in to have it inspected. It is very possible that the previous owners installed a gas fireplace to avoid very expensive repairs, but still have some semblance of a fire place.

When we first moved in we had ours inspected. The cost was low and we had good news, but did have some upgrades done. Still haven’t set a fire in it as the fire box itself needs some repairs. (That a whole other story in and of itself…)

Keep it fun,

David

[George N. M.]

NGWUN,  There are a lot of poorly designed fire places and inserts out there, particularly ones that do not draw well.  Look up "smoke shelf" and you will see a feature that makes a classic brick fireplace draw well.  Also, converting a wood burning fireplace to a gas log can compromise the wood burning function.  Some installations require that the damper be welded shut or open. There are even some that were designed originally for a gas log set up and are pretty tough to convert to an efficient wood burner. As Goods says, have a professional look at both the fire box and the chimney.  You may or may not need the chimney swept.  There could be something up the chimey, e.g. a squirrel nest, that is restricting the flow and making it smokey.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[Frosty]

I'm on the "get it inspected by a pro," list. fire places are too serious to just wing it. It might never have been intended for a wood fire and goodness with all the junk you have on the chimney it may have been modified into dangerous uselessness.

Don't take chances a fire can start in a wall and not show for hours, say after you go to sleep. Hmmmm?

Frosty The Lucky.

[Irondragon Forge ClayWorks]

If you have ever experienced or even seen a flue fire, you wouldn't hesitate to get it inspected by a professional and cleaned before lighting another fire. Better to be safe than sorry.

I can't control the wind, all I can do is adjust my sail’s.
Semper Paratus

 

[BillyBones]

To chime in here, yes get a professional to look at it. As Frosty said, the wall can catch on fire behind the fireplace. That is not fun. We were lucky that it was caught in the evening before we went to bed that night one Thanksgiving weekend. It was my grandparents house and the only time the fireplace was used there was Thanksgiving and Christmas. Neglect and lack of use is what really caused the fire.  

 

[NoGoodWithUsernames]

I will do some calling around for a chimney sweep. I was hoping that we could have a fire on Christmas morning, thus the small test fire over the weekend. But that's also exactly why I did it sooner, to see if there were issues that needed fixing first.

I don't think there is anything blocking the chimney, as there were two 3" flex ducts running the whole length from the gas insert up to the chimney cap. Those got pulled out so there is at least that much space, and the insulation around them top and bottom was removed. Some may have fallen down though, it is a possibility. 

The fireplace/chimney was built in the 60's as far as I can tell, and was most definitely intended as a wood burner and was later converted. So the potential is there.

GeorgeNM mentioned the damper and smoke shelf. It does look like there is a smoke shelf after doing a quick "google". There are some metal bits and pieces I hadn't looked at much that might be the dampener, I'll have to poke around and have a closer look at that.

I don't have the money to have someone else fix everything that's potentially wrong, but I will pay a pro to at least inspect it and give things the "okay" or "here's what needs to be fixed"

[George N. M.]

The damper is basically a trap door that keeps out things like cold air and squirrels when the fireplace is not in use.  It may have been removed when the gas log was installed to vent the gas log.  It can also be used to control the draft which will "dampen down" the fire, sort of like a valve in the air supply to a forge.  If the damper has been removed it may be fun fabricating a new one but I suspect you know a blacksmith who can do it.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

[gewoon ik]

A lot of the chimneys here all have a (stainless) steel pipe in them. Even if they are made from bricks.

Easy to sweep, less debris that can catch on all the bricks and mortar in between.

My neighbour had a chimney fire. Flame out of the top as well. He burns wood in a fireplace and has his chimney yearly sweeped by a pro. But at the end of the burning season (march) and over 70+ years of fire in the fireplace (house is from 1949, build without central heating, now modified) has left its marks. And halfway something has catched fire.

No structural damage, but after inspection he went for the pipe inside. Some mortar between the bricks was flush with soot and creosote even after cleaning.

His chimney was still good to use without the pipe, but he didn't trust it anymore. 

He says he feels the difference on his second floor. It stays cooler, less heat comming of the chimney.

My dad had a damper, down just above his fireplace. Kept the cold draft out if closed. If you forgot to open it, you notice very quick. There was no chimney so all the smoke was in the living room. The damper was closed or open. It "fell" down when you opened it, so all debris that went into the chimney from top, fell into the fireplace.