when the fire get really hot, or the room, fumes enter the room. i have good ventilation. it a cast iron fireplace. any ideas why this is happening?
chimney is swept. no smoke in room just fumes
If your house is real tight, you may have to open a window to let in air for the combustion process. The side of the house facing the prevailing winds is the ideal location. Other factors affecting a fireplace are the height, size and temperature of the chimney. The free area of the front opening and the height of the hearth. have to be right.
Taller chimneys are usually better.
Oversized chimneys lack velocity and stay cooler. Not good
Too large an opening not good.
Too high a hearth not good.
Don’t assume that your fireplace was engineered properly just because it was purchased and set in place.
I have had a total of five fireplaces in different homes that I owned, Due to poor engineering, only one out of the five actually worked the way that they are supposed to. The others always had a bad habit of making the house smell of smoke. Worst case would fill the house with smoke.
When looking at a fireplace, if the area between the mantle and the opening is discolored, don’t count on it to work properly.
Squido
June 12th, 2009 at 8:24 pm
have you had the chimney swept
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June 12th, 2009 at 9:14 pm
Chimney needs sweeping.
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June 12th, 2009 at 10:02 pm
i think it just happens ,unless there’s black clouds coming out instead of the room just getting a little foggy, then you might have to research it or something. Maybe call the local fire department.
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logic
June 12th, 2009 at 10:21 pm
Presuming the chimney is clear, which it sounds like it is as you say you’ve a good draw/ventilation, the best guess I can offer is you’ve too much fuel in the hearth…… Or worst case scenario, it has been incorrectly fitted. Hopefully its not the latter, do let me know how you get on, I’m really interested in such situations/solutions.
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June 12th, 2009 at 11:04 pm
Is your house new, and very tight? Bath and kitchen fans running?
Are there large trees near the chimney, or other large things? Side of hillside
Is the chimney out side or is it an interior type?
Are door gaskets in good shape?
You have to be a lot more specific to find the problem, and the solution.
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June 12th, 2009 at 11:52 pm
Its a New fire place? The fumes will go away after a few burning all you are smelling is the Paint and the metal cureing burn a few small fires and slowley warm up the firebox this will safely cure the stove Just be Patient and you will be fine Good Luck Hopes this helps
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June 13th, 2009 at 12:23 am
maybe you have some exhaust fans running which are creating a negative pressure in the house.
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June 13th, 2009 at 12:58 am
Get a “Corgi” registered engineer to check it over.
It is now a requirement in gas fitting that it is fitted or a least checked by a “Corgi” engineer.
You should have proof of correct fitting now for safety reasons. You would need this proof when selling the property, so you might as well get it checked now.
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Son-in-Law was a gas engineer before joining the fire service.
June 13th, 2009 at 1:12 am
If your house is real tight, you may have to open a window to let in air for the combustion process. The side of the house facing the prevailing winds is the ideal location. Other factors affecting a fireplace are the height, size and temperature of the chimney. The free area of the front opening and the height of the hearth. have to be right.
Taller chimneys are usually better.
Oversized chimneys lack velocity and stay cooler. Not good
Too large an opening not good.
Too high a hearth not good.
Don’t assume that your fireplace was engineered properly just because it was purchased and set in place.
I have had a total of five fireplaces in different homes that I owned, Due to poor engineering, only one out of the five actually worked the way that they are supposed to. The others always had a bad habit of making the house smell of smoke. Worst case would fill the house with smoke.
When looking at a fireplace, if the area between the mantle and the opening is discolored, don’t count on it to work properly.
Squido
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June 13th, 2009 at 1:28 am
In older houses they have an air vent in the hearth which is connected to the outside have you got this blocked up
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June 13th, 2009 at 1:46 am
first of all you should never build a high roaring fire in a fire place, it will make the fire brick sprawl, [ flake off] and will damage them,
keep the fire low, the fumes will go away after things dry out
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building maint man
June 13th, 2009 at 2:36 am
Your opening may be too large for the room. You may have a negative pressure so the smoke can’t leave the room as fast as the air returns are pulling it back. You can add a fan which will help but you may need an HVAC guy to do an air balance check for you.l
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June 13th, 2009 at 2:44 am
The part of the chimney between the opening and the flue is called the gather.It is possible that there is some kind of breach or damage at this point in the chimney.Employ the services of a HETAS registered solid fuel engineer to survey the chimney for correct sizing or damage.
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June 13th, 2009 at 3:17 am
The fire is not receiving enough air, Have a proper ventilator fitted to an outside wall, keep the vent close to the fireplace so as not to get cold air diluting the warm air in the room.
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Have had to correct many fires over a 30 year period.
June 13th, 2009 at 3:49 am
you dont tell us what you are burning
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