Expert: James Ball - 10/8/2008

Question
Hello.  We've lived in our house for 6 years, and used the fireplace often, but we have an issue that has only recently come up within the past year.  We have a fireplace on the main floor that has an ash chute to the basement where you can open a small door down there and empty out the ashes.  The problem is that it seems that after we start a fire, if you go into the basement it is smoky.  Not a lot of smoke, but enough to make it hazy and smelly.  As far as the fireplace, it was built with the house in the late 60's and it doesn't have any doors.  We have one of those removable screens that you move to the side when you want to add more wood.  Now the fireplace works fine, wood burns nicely, the smoke visibly goes up the chimney (although occasionally we have to prime the flue with some burning newspaper).  The chimney has a screened cap on it to keep rain and critters out, and we get it swept every couple years.  I don't know how the smoke gets into the basement other than the ash chute somehow.  Any ideas on what's happening and how to remedy it?  Any information you could give us would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Judd.

Answer
Hello Judd, you might be getting embers down the ash trap? Other than the ash door is the boiler near that area? you could have a negative pressure issue, Try leaving a window in the basement open a few inches, that might do the trick you need make up air.
hope this helped
James