Expert: James Ball - 1/2/2011

Question
Hi James! Thanks in advance for your help.  I have a brick fireplace that works very well.  Unfortunately when the weather is quite damp or raining, there is a very strong smell of wood smoke/ash that permeates the entire house.  The smell continues regardless of cleaning out all the ashes and closing the flue.  I do not see any signs of dampness inside the fireplace.  Any suggestions??

Answer
Hello Catherine, what is happening is you are getting Negative Pressure in your home (house stack effect) that is hot air rising in your home and getting out through the attic vents, doors, lights, another fireplace (is it closed?) your house is a better chimney than your chimney. Also kitchen/bathroom exhaust fans, clothes dryers, Radon systems and the boiler/furnace all take house air out of the house (mechanical negative pressure) the fireplace could be dirty? I would have a local Certified Chimney Sweep (www.csia.org, there you can look up by zip code to find one near you) take a first hand look at what you have.
they can install a top mount damper to stop all air from moving when not in use.
James