What to Do When There is Cold Air Blowing Down Your Chimney
The frigid days of winter are here and you’re feeling cold air blow down your chimney. As you worry about your energy bills skyrocketing, I’m sure the first question is, what can I do to prevent this? Today, we will guide you through what to do when there is cold air blowing down your chimney and why this might be happening.
Best Chimney Services is an all-service chimney company serving the Greater Boston, MA area. We offer everything from chimney inspections and sweeps to masonry work, installations, basement work, fireplace restoration and more. Click here or call (781) 893-6611 to get in touch with us.
Now, we’ll talk about what to do when there is cold air blowing down your chimney and why this might be happening.
What to Do When There is Cold Air Blowing Down Your Chimney
There are various possible causes of cold air blowing down your chimney. Here are some possible solutions:
Consider Providing Makeup Air to Your Home
Nowadays, many homes are tightly sealed, often as a result of window replacements or newly insulated attics. These energy efficient home improvements decrease internal air pressure, causing higher pressure cold air from outside to come inside through an open fireplace. Consulting an HVAC company about providing makeup air to your home is one potential solution to this issue. Read our blog about how energy efficient home improvements can impact your fireplace to learn more.
Have a Flue Liner Installed
The job of a flue liner is to keep your fireplace insulated and protect the chimney’s bricks from heat. If you have an older chimney that does not have a flue liner, we highly recommend having one installed. Not having a flue liner or having an obstructed flue are two possible causes of cold air blowing down your chimney. Flue liners are low maintenance and prevent cold drafts from occurring, whether or not a fire is burning.
Make Sure Your Chimney Has Been Recently Swept
Has your chimney been swept lately? We recommend hiring a CSIA Certified chimney sweep to clean your chimney once a year or as needed. If you neglect this basic chimney maintenance, heavy creosote buildup can occur, putting your family in danger. This will also coat the chimney damper, preventing it from opening and closing properly and causing drafts to move down your fireplace.
Have a Top-Sealing Damper Installed
We recommend installing a new, top-sealing damper to prevent air from traveling down your chimney. Many older dampers let air down your chimney, so if you’re experiencing cold air blowing down your chimney, your chimney’s throat damper may be the cause.
Call a Professional Chimney Inspector
The first step in diagnosing this issue should be to call a chimney inspector. A professional chimney company will help you figure out what is going on by performing an in depth inspection. Boston’s Best Chimney serves the Greater Boston, MA area with a wide range of chimney services. If you’re looking for assistance with your chimney, don’t hesitate to click here or call (781) 893-6611 to contact our team.
The post What to Do When There is Cold Air Blowing Down Your Chimney appeared first on Boston's Best Chimney.
