Why Your Fireplace Isn't Working Well And How To Improve It

[@ericf1843]

I have watched two dozen fireplace videos recently and this is BY FAR the most useful of them all. Lots of great info. Thank you for the video.

[@enduringcharm]

Awesome! Thank you!

[@MetalMix111]

Sometimes you find a video with exactly what you needed. Thanks!

[@NubianP6]

This is all very good advice. If you purchase wood from different sources, I would also recommend a moisture meter. We get some of the wood that we use from here on our own land, but last year, I purchased a half-cord of “seasoned hardwood” from someone on NextDoor. It absolutely appeared to be thoroughly seasoned…until I tried burning it. I then purchased a moisture meter and discovered that it was not completely dry, with a moisture content ranging from about 25% to 35%. Some people simply use a knife to help determine dryness, but from now on, I will have my meter with me whenever I purchase wood from other sources. Thanks for the video. 🙂

[@CmikeDnD]

Thank you so much for this video! I’m a renter in a unit with a fireplace, and on top of safety, I want to learn the most I can feel confident about making cozy fires for my family

[@goldslinger]

I use a blow dryer to start an updraft and it works very well.

[@harleyokan452]

Dear Jeff, thanks for the informative video... your descriptions definitely mention what I experienced, explained below... I tried a kinda rumford style smoke chambered (no angled side walls, no smoke shelf and and and no free fresh air vent for the fire chamber) masonry fire place fitted on a living room just 32 square meters of living area, windows and the door fitted with PVC window frames with seals. Construction failed with smoke in the room if I do not allow make-up air to enter via bathroom window or main door open... it ended up with a freezing bathroom or either a cold main door entrance area... my fireplace measures 90 cm in length from left to right and 50 cm deep, with no vent and a smoke shelf... also, I had no firebricks on the sides and back wall, just the base only... I ended up installing a 13 cm vide air went to the back wall and built a smoke shelf, angled the sides and fitted all the walls with fire bricks - only the base had fire bricks before... problem solved big time.. I am enjoying my fire as it was never before... fireplace heat transfer doubled as well... Once again, thanks for the very useful info, I just wanted to share my related experience...

[@jpolig1993]

⁰informative

[@quantumofconscience6538]

Rock solid information. - One more "last resort thing." Let's say this firebox he is showing still smoked a bit. The height of it could be reduced several inches, even with a piece of black metal. The, now, "lower opening" (slightly smaller entrance) will concentrate the draw of air into the box. A wood stove takes air in only through an opening the size of a quarter. Compare that to this firebox! As the height of the firebox opening is lowered the "suck" of the smaller space increases draw making "smoke going the wrong way toward the rooom" nearly impossible. Also, the chimney is 70% of everything, but gets only 10% of the discussion. A "no holes or cracks" insulated, warm, chimney will suck up anything if it's straight and long.

[@logansfury]

This was a great informative video. I had previously been cleaning my ash out of the fireplace after each fire. This taught me to leave the ash to insulate the coal base. I'm in a house with a wood burning fireplace again for the first time in decades, and I'm getting re-acclimated to building and tending wood fires.

[@TheWickerman12]

This so helpful in terms of setting my expectations. I really thought starting a fire was an instant heat source. I was wondering why my house wasn't feeling instantly warm yet

[@enduringcharm]

Yes, even a well designed fireplace takes some time for the masonry to heat up. It'll take more than a duraflame log to do the job!

[@fr33ourminds]

Thanks, this will be useful in the near future.

[@Jesoterica_Medium]

I own, and recently moved into a 7,500 square foot, historical, victorian home, that was built in 1904, and has 7 fireplaces. Surely, attempting to heat a house this size, throughout this upcoming winter, will be astronomically expensive, so if I am able to reduce my bills a bit, just by using my, many fireplaces, then that sounds like a fantastic option to me! 😁😁

[@enduringcharm]

Just be cautious about using the fireplaces before inspecting the chimneys. Time can take a toll and they may not have been built well originally, so have an expert check first. Since you just moved in you don't know for sure what the condition might be.

[@richardprice5978]

@@enduringcharm discovery i found out last year/first full winter in my 1970 house after the LPG-furnace's/electric-main's/services-100A -failed thankfully the fire box downstairs that was dominant for at least 5 years/neglected worked or at least minimum fuss ( yes some repairs were made and needed, upstairs unit-firebox isn't so lucky and was nocked out/MIA for that season and some of this year so far 😐, as is the upgrade-400A bummer that im only getting under 50A's and one usable condition plug/cored inside for now ) to get operating ps its a 40ft chimney 1-meter fire 🔥box usa-typical style for the era i say this so everyone can picture what it looks like and spec's with this in mind i learned to pick around 12sqr-ft logs and or cutting them to that so 12sqr ( 4x4inch~ lumber ) X by 2ft long or so as i don't CNC-mill them lolz 😂 my first experience 🤔was like my camping ⛺and ( also 1988-12~ family/childhood-friends with pre-1890 wood and coal kitchenware aka oven+stove as a main heating and food prep ect, so i got to learn how a 1860*~ ( original to the usa farm/suburbia plain-styling house 🏡i think 🤔 ? ) unit works and also found i really like them ) bigger 1ft round logs only* burn better and hotter than smaller 12sqr/4in~ round so that was a surprise to me ( that downstairs 12~ is about optimal condition ) 2in round/kindling are hotter yet ( downstairs ) but leave way more ash/the calcium doesn't burn=ca-o2/ca-o3 so it ends up being more fussy and more cleaning afterwards ect big/2ft well that either goes out with a downdrafts or little-useful-heating now for wood/water/cooking-oil-used i like a mixture after it's super hot ( starting out no i use your method of better seasoning and smaller size 2in rounded logs and work up to the big 1ft sappy's as the firebox/fire 🔥let's me get away with that 😉, as done wrong is a perfectly quick way to smoke you outside lol 😆and need to call help/sweep-pro's ) as i use it as a temp-control and ash-control as tar/sappy-wood given the chance will crack= pure H ~ so it will burn purple=super-hot 2K F, also ash given the chance will relight/burn ( not the easiest trick first couple of times it happened where an accident and or i was expecting more ashes and was puzzled to were they went ) pre/my-experience-in-this-1970-house i didn't think that realistic in a residential housing aka power-plants use it to make the EPA happy ish and more likely used with bio-mass boilers/incinerator's/ect

[@zackryeinerwold1207]

I have 2 fire places in my home. One in the basement and one in the main floor living room. They are only tied together with a trap door in the side of the basement firebox for an ash clean out for the upstairs unit. We have tried a few times to get a good long burn and heat into the house. But the battle is getting it to burn over night slowly. Before bed (11pm) I'll fill the fire box fairly well with big chunks of oak and black walnut and close the damper as tight as I can without totally closing it, close the glass doors, and all the vents. And usually by the time I lay my head down a big roaring fire is going. I figured my method would choke down the fire and make it last all night. But somehow does the opposite.

[@enduringcharm]

It's pretty tricky to get a fire to burn all night, no matter what the fireplace configuration may be. From your description, it sounds like you are creating a strong venturi effect. You are closing off venting, but you are also creating a higher velocity of air because you are restricting the openings. That high velocity air is causing your wood to burn more quickly, similarly to how embers will glow hot red when you blow on them. To make the wood last longer, you would be better off opening up the vents and flu damper so that the restrictions are minimized. This will slow down the relative velocity of air and also slow down the the consumption of the firewood. That said, the fire may also go out if there is too little air movement, so it is a balance. For long lasting fires, or at least long lasting heat, it's best to let the fire burn for long periods--12 hours, for example--and to allow the ashes and embers to build up under the wood. This way, the new firewood you put on before bed will stay burning, and the embers will throw heat even if all the wood is burned up. I should also mention that you want to be very cautious about leaving fires unattended. Closing the glass doors would be a minimum consideration. If you want to heat your home with wood you may find that installing a cast iron stove is a better idea. The cast iron will radiate heat even after the fire is extinguished, and there is less danger of a house fire with a closed stove.

[@cyrilaugustin299]

Great video! Thank you. I have access to kiln-dried quarter-sawn fir scraps. Would these be a problem for chimney buildup?

[@enduringcharm]

Fir is definitely one of the woods which can leave a creosote build up. But, if you use them in moderation for kindling and keep a hot fire going it will probably be okay.

[@VladFredK]

GREAT POINTS

[@joshuamauzy5017]

Do you have a link for the vent that’s in the back of the fireplace?

[@enduringcharm]

This one appears to be identical or close to it: amzn.to/48J1XYs

[@SLickev92]

No kindling needed with a good cheap homemade fire starter . Dryer lent and tissue paper rolls help also for getting things going

[@jjjpetersen]

Wow, learned a lot!

[@bridgettstephens5582]

Finger crossed someone is familiar enough with my style fireplace to answer my questions. My house was built in the mid 1950's. Within the firebox there appears to be a metal liner and it is my strong belief that there are 4 vents (2 on top, 2 on bottom) of the Surround area; a previous owner covered the Surround area with faux stone. If I am correct and the vents were covered, what affect would it have on the amount of heat the fireplace should produce ? And is it dangerous to have the vents covered? Thank you!

[@enduringcharm]

I'm not sure what you've got there. It could be that the firebox is an insert of some type and the rest of the chimney was built around it, or it could also be that you are looking at a "fireback." The latter is a cast iron or steel panel which can be added to the rear of a fireplace to reflect heat. The vents on the outside of the firebox were likely intended to either provide ventilation to the firebox or to help distribute heat to the room. Sometimes there is an electric fan buried in there too. So you may have what was intended as a complete system, or you may have separate components that were added by previous owners. So the faux stone added by a previous owner may or may not be an issue as far as ventilation for the firebox. It may just be blocking distribution vents for the room. I hope this faux stone is designed to be around heat, though! If your fires appear to be burning well and the faux stone is compatible with heat, you can probably leave well enough alone. If you are having issues with your fires like smoke or poor draw, you should probably have a local expert take a look and see what they can tell you.

[@bridgettstephens5582]

Thank you so very, very, much for your kindness and time to reply to my questions. Becoming a tad bit obsessed with the "mystery", it appears I have something referred to as a Heatilator aka "Old Style Zero Clearance Fireplace," minus a blower fan. I can say with confidence a previous owner did very little maintenance to the fireplace as I quickly learned the fireplace lacked a damper (guessing it rusted away) and the chimney was devoid of a cap. Nothing within fireplace suggests any sort of mounting apparatus for a blower motor, but anyone's guess if there ever was one The purpose of the vents I referenced was to draw in cool air from the lowest part of the room and with assistance of a blower, pushed warm air into the room. With much thought given,as you noted and I agree, if it's working as is, leave it alone at this time. No truer "Where there is smoke there is fire" saying when it comes to undoing all the "creative designs " from previous owner/ owners . Albeit I do notice a small amount of soot build up on the faux stones after burning an 8 hour fire, I've accepted it as a normal occurrence with fireplaces in general (?). Wanna buy house?😁 I've sought the advice of two local stores that strictly deal with the supplies and installation of fireplaces and to be quite honest, you have more knowledge and have assisted me far better than both stored put together, so again thank you!!!

[@enduringcharm]

Unfortunately it can be difficult to find knowledgeable and honest people offering fireplace and chimney services. This area, like roofing, tends to attract those intent on scamming homeowners, too. If you can find a trustworthy chimney specialist or mason to replace your damper and install a cap, it would be worth the effort. You'll have savings in energy and you'll preserve your chimney flu over the long term. They can check the flu to see if it needs cleaning too. Good hot fires with appropriate hardwoods burn relatively cleanly, but if the previous owners had smoky fires or used certain softwoods you could have a creosote build-up. But, don't obsess. Believe me, as a homeowner you'll soon find some other crisis to steal your attention!

[@TheRealBrearios]

I didn't even realize I needed a cold air intake until today. What reason would there be not to install one?

[@enduringcharm]

Generally speaking they are a good idea in some form, and in most modern houses should probably be a requirement. In some cases the location of the vent may be in question, though. If the chimney is located in an area of strong prevailing winds against the vent, gusts of wind may blow ashes around. In that case, the vent could be located outside of the firebox, perhaps into the room or perhaps even in the basement or whatever. Each situation is different but make-up air will generally improve the quality of the fire and the air in the house.

[@nikkisprankle9315]

I don’t get smoke in my house but I get an overwhelming smokey smell that was so incredibly strong of a smell, especially given the absence of smoke. I have 2 openings on the exterior side wall of my chimney. One is just an open square that seems to be blocked of internally. The other is a round hole and has a vent cover over it with screen to keep things out. It also appears to be blocked off internally. Any ideas of what I should do to be able to enjoy my fireplace this winter?

[@enduringcharm]

I've just guessing that the square hole may be an ash disposal opening, and perhaps there was a flap door on it at one time. The round opening is apparently a vent, and there may be a way to open it with a lever or other mechanism. Get in there with a flashlight. The smoky smell you are getting in the absence of obvious smoke in the room could well be a feedback loop. Look at the top of your chimney outside, does the chimney share more than one flue? You could have a second flue for a furnace or water heater, even if it's not used anymore. Smoke from the fireplace can be drawn DOWN the second flue because a vacuum or negative pressure is created in the house from the fire and other sources. Then you get a feedback loop, basically, between the two flues. Similarly, openings in the walls or nearby windows can do the same thing. Take a look outside to see if there are any openings like this.

[@nikkisprankle9315]

@@enduringcharm do you have an email I could send you some pictures to better see what I’m looking at? I looked inside the fireplace and saw an area where it looks like it could have a vent area made to lead to the exterior vent but it’s not cut all the way through. Just looks like more of an indention where it could be turned into that is my guess? Sorry I’ve just not been able to get any info locally and I don’t want to pay someone to come out unless I need to.

[@enduringcharm]

You can reach me through my website, enduringcharm.com.

[@angeldej4225]

Awesome info..!

[@RealisticRick27]

I need some help....I have a older 1980s home with a fireplace that was installed when constructed. Its a typical fireplace....mess screens....folding glass doors. My question....there are 3 sliders on the fireplace. 2 inside on the left and right side at the base and one in front that I can slide left or right. I have the damper handle inside on top thats no issue. I dont know what the 3 sliders do. I have what I thought....opened them and tried to feel for cold outside air ..I can feel a little bit if a breath but nothing amazing. The front slider closes....or opens multiple holes along the front panels. Again I thought thay was for fresh air but yet can barely feel a breath of air. Does anyone know what these sliders are for? My fires are amazing...they burn hot and fast so I believe I have opened the sliders properly. Just making sure I know what's happening with the fireplace.

[@enduringcharm]

I'm not certain, but I think you are referring to a vent in the glass door frame, rather than the fireplace itself. That front vent is located in the metal frame at the bottom? That would be to allow inside air to enter the firebox, which may promote better burning if the glass doors are closed. Of course, that also pulls air from inside your house, creating a vacuum. The two side vents you reference may be outside air vents if they are located inside the firebox. Or, if they are also in the door frame, they may be some kind of heat exchanger. If you close them and the fire dies down or becomes smoky, they are probably outside air intakes.

[@bruce-le-smith]

just what I needed thanks

[@ShawnZiemba]

I keep getting smoke in my house and can't stop it no matter what I do. I think the flue looks ok, it opens and closes and doesn't seem obstructed. The opening under the grate (the ash dump?) seems functional. Not totally sure how or when to use it, open or closed...I've tried both and smoke always fills the house. Whoever added the room the fireplace is in probably didn't design and build the fireplace well. I really don't know, but it's really frustrating. I don't see any other port for air. So maybe that's the solution to have added... Is it possible the front top of the fireplace is just too thin and lets the smoke out into the home rather than into the fireplace stack? Anyway, thanks for your video!

[@enduringcharm]

The ash dump door should be closed. As I mentioned in the video, you should try opening a nearby window or door when you start the fire and see if the smoke clears. If it does, you need more make-up air and one of those direct vents could possibly help. Make sure your fires are hot and flaming to start with, by using plenty of kindling. Keep the fire hot and flaming for the first half hour or so, which will give the fireplace and chimney a chance to warm up. You'll have to experiment a little to see what helps.

[@Brovioli]

Its important to get a hot fire going at the start to get a draft going. Get some glass doors to put infront to help hold the heat in to allow that draft to start sooner. Id reccomend using some sort of firestarter brick as those burn hot quickly and put of little amounts of smoke so they are perfect for getting that draft going. If that doesn't fix it, id reccomend having a professinal chimney sweep come out and look at it, as it may have something to do with the size of the fireplace opening and the flue size not being properly sized by the mason who built it, or it could have to do with the chimney not being long enough and getting pressure issues because of the wind. Do you have a cap ontop? are you in a mountainous area or valley with alot of wind? you might look into getting a directional wind cap. It spins in the wind to prevent the wind from blowing down into the flue and reversing your draft or putting out a puff of smoke

[@matthewrussell8590]

Draw is probably your issue. Open a window and see if it stops. If it does, have an air brick in that room installed

[@arthurspooner36]

Maybe your chimney has a off set and required a smoke shelf/shelf. It may be partially blocked from ashes that people don't bother removing. The smoke shelf was though to keep the chimney from sucking all the heat from a room. Also it stopped the rain from putting your fire out, so they said.

[@ltrane81]

Sounds like a draw issue, crack a window or make the opening face surface area small. Picture frame the edges a few inches smaller or even just raise the grate

[@frankw9836]

i moved into an old house with an open fireplace. I've been told there is a "back boiler" which heats the water and radiators when the fire is lit . There is a switch which apparently pumps the hot water into the radiators ? The fire is lit i switch on the pump (i can hear bubbling noise) but no warm radiators or hot water . Can someone explain, why not ?

[@enduringcharm]

Interesting. I've never come across this in all the decades I've been working on old houses. I don't know what's going on with your system, but speaking generally it appears your fireplace is just a replacement for a boiler. A boiler may be used in a steam or a water system. If it's a water system, hot water is often circulated through radiators or baseboard units by an electric circulating pump, and there may be different zones, each with it's own pump. It's also possible to skip the pump and allow gravity to do the work. I can only guess what's wrong with your system, but possibilities include too little water in the circulating loop or a pump which has failed. Presumably there is some means of refilling your system with water so I would start there. In standard boilers there is often an automatic refilling mechanism which keeps the water pressure at around 15-20PSI and another mechanism which helps bleed out excessive air.

[@frankw9836]

@@enduringcharm Thank you very much for your reply. I haven't used the fireplace in years because the heat went all out and the radiators and water wasn't getting warm, so i didn't bother. I will use the fireplace again this year because i can't afford to spend "£1.10 for one litre heating oil. Chimney cleaner is coming this week, i may ask him what the problem may be ??

[@enduringcharm]

You may need a heating contractor rather than a chimney cleaner. Another question I would have is if this system is separate from your home heating, or some effort was made to combine the two. It's possible this system was deactivated before you even came along, too.

[@0987__]

Amazing video

[@bpdp379]

I’ve got air going out my make up air vents when I’ve got a fire going. What causes that?

[@enduringcharm]

You mean with a fire going you can feel air exhausting through the vent to the outdoors? And you are not confusing a fan-powered heat recovery system with a make-up air system? It's difficult for me to guess what's going on without seeing the rest of the house. There are many variables in a building envelope, including things like exhaust fans and vents, window and door seals, furnace types, building wrap and insulation types, and even prevailing winds outside the house. There are places with strong prevailing winds which can push against one side of a house and actually create a negative pressure or vacuum on the other side. That can draw out interior air to this negative pressure in some cases. So you really need to evaluate your whole house and assess how various components, materials and environmental factors may interact. if it becomes a real problem, you can hire a contractor to do blower tests and actually measure where airflow or pressure differentials are occurring.

[@bpdp379]

@@enduringcharm yeah, I first noticed when a burning log fell towards the fresh air intake and saw embers being sucked out of the fireplace through the vent. Scary. I’ll call a contractor. Thanks.

[@thehower81]

Thanks brother, it has to be the make-up air I have a problem with. Guess I going to be drilling a hole

[@vtbn53]

How to stop flies coming down the chimney is my biggest problem.

[@enduringcharm]

Well that's a new one on me! I have to ask--is it possible you have something that died in the chimney and that's where the flies are coming from? A squirrel or a bird? Otherwise it seems unlikely that flies would choose that path to the indoors. That aside, the flu damper should be able to seal out against insects. If you just live in an area where flies are abundant you could look into a top damper for the chimney, which seal at the top rather than the throat of the flue.

[@vtbn53]

@@enduringcharm No it has always been a problem, the previous owners used to stuff a rolled up piece of insect screen into it but, if you forget it's there... I think the blow flies are actually attracted by the smell of the fire ash. There is no other ingress into the house. My chimney doesn't have an adjustable damper, just a kink in the flue itself. Adding a damper (or something) into the top of the chimney would be way too tricky for me as the chimney climbs way above the level of the roof, and getting a tradie in to do it would be $$$$$. My long term solution will be to build a fire surround with doors. It's a real PITA.

[@enduringcharm]

Wow, at least the deer we have by me causing such a problem don't come in the house! Well, I still think you should explore the idea of a top damper. They cost $180-300 to buy, and having a pro do the install shouldn't take more than an hour or two. A chain hangs down in the flue itself so you can close the damper from inside. It's a good idea for energy efficiency to close off that opening anyway.

[@vtbn53]

@@enduringcharm Yeah, you could add another zero onto that here in Australia, just not the demand, and high tradie wages. Cheers.

[@pranava9862]

My fireplace does not have a damper. Had a young kid with flashlight look around and none of us see anything to open or close inside fireplace. It's horrible smoke inside....I tried opening windows and smoke got worse....any ideas on what to do. I just painted now irs all blackened...