Smelly Chimney Resolution

National Chimney Service regularly receives calls from homeowners in Fairfield County CT and Morris County NJ about horrible smells coming from their chimneys. A smelly chimney isn’t necessarily dangerous, but it could be, so contacting a professional is always the right first step.

 jefferson nj nj creosoteReasons for Odors in a Chimney

The majority of smelly chimney issues are caused by moisture. This could happen because of:

  • Cracked bricks and crumbling mortar that allow water to move inside
  • The damaged or absence of a secure chimney cap
  • Water flowing in through the cracks of your concrete chimney crown and into the flue.
  • A split or cracked chimney liner that is bringing water into the chimney flue (which shouldn’t be in the flue in the first place)

Excess Creosote

If you don’t have your chimney cleaned regularly, excess creosote and soot can cause unpleasant odors – especially if moisture is getting to these substances.

Smells, however, are the least of your concern with creosote. The biggest concern is a chimney fire, which can easily happen when creosote ignites. In fact, most chimney fires in the U.S. each year are caused by creosote.

Animals in the Chimney

Many animals such as squirrels, birds, raccoons and rodents like to shelter in chimneys. Often they build nests and birth their young inside the flue. Occasionally, some of these animals die in the chimney, unable to get out.

Dead animals in your chimney will most definitely create an odor issue.

Your A/C System can Draw Odors into Your Home

If you have any of the above-listed situations going on in your chimney and you run a central air conditioning system, the A/C may be pulling odors down through your chimney and distributing them throughout your home.

Obviously, you want to keep using your air conditioner, so the solution is to stop the smell.

stamford ct Chimney SweepHow to Address a Smelly Chimney

At the first sign of unusual odors, call us and schedule a proper chimney inspection. Our fully trained crew members are experts at detecting the cause of smelly chimneys and making the necessary repairs to resolve the problem and keep it from reoccurring.

We may need to repair a chimney leak, which could originate in the masonry or from the chimney crown, chimney cap or chimney flashing. If rain and snow are coming in due to having no chimney cap, we’ll install a full-width protective cap.

If there’s a creosote and soot buildup in your flue, our trained chimney sweeps will remove it, thus getting rid of the odor-causing material and significantly reducing the likelihood of a chimney fire.

If there are dead (or live!) animals in your chimney, we’ll safely remove them and solve a number of potential problems.

National Chimney Service is a family-owned, family-operated chimney company serving all of Morris County NJ and Fairfield County CT including Norwalk CT, Chester NJ, Fairfield CT, Dover NJ, and other local cities and towns.

Solve your smelly chimney by calling us at (973) 270-9295 in New Jersey or at (203) 614-9765 in Connecticut.

 

Use an Experienced, Established Chimney Sweep Company!

Don’t take chances with uninsured, novice, roofers, unregistered business, no workman’s comp.
Our pros have to know what they’re doing when they put their heads up a chimney and to do that, chimney sweeps obtain specialized training and have years of experience in the field.