While this stinky smell may not draw bugs and animals like trash and other things, chimney odor can be brutal to your nose. You can spray all the air fresheners you can find and light candles for days, but sometimes nothing will take away the smell. If you sense that you have a chimney odor, you should call for help from an experienced technician. The people at Mason’s Chimney Service will know just what to do!
Why does your chimney smell like that?
Whatever the cause of the foul odor coming from your fireplace, we can make it disappear. Call today.
As you probably have heard being a chimney owner, creosote is pretty much the enemy and is most likely what is causing the odor that is coming from your chimney. These creosotes are created hen you burn untreated firewood. The more there are, the more they will clump together and stick to the inside of your fireplace. These will not only cause the odor, but draft problems as well. When this happens, air cannot pass through and will be kept inside of the home and can subject you to carbon monoxide poisoning. If you use your fireplace all of the time, you might check into having two chimney sweeps a year.
Two other things that can cause odors are dead animals and mold. Animals will house themselves in your chimney for protection from the elements, and may then be unable to get out. Unfortunately, sometimes animals will die inside your chimney. Do not try to remove living or dead animals from your chimney yourself. It can be dangerous.
Birds also like to build nests inside your chimney. The nests themselves, as well as dander can cause blockages inside your chimney. It is important to know that some birds (Chimney Swifts) are federally protected.
Mold will usually grow in any cracks or broken chimney parts. This is why keeping up with maintenance is very important. Your technician will spot the mold during the inspection, but if you see something out of the ordinary you should report it. Mold can grow in as little as 24 to 48 hours in all colors and textures. If you live somewhere where wet weather is common, you should look into having your chimney’s waterproofing checked each year. Flashing can become loose and it is critical to keep excess moisture out.