Q: Why is my wood stove venting smoke back into the house?
A: This could be caused by two factors:
- The chimney is blocked or needs to be cleaned. Sometimes the cap gets clogged and will not allow the exhaust to exit, which will back up into the house.
- When starting your stove, the wood is not seasoned and dry. Trying to light a fire with wet wood will not allow the stack temperature to get hot enough to establish a draft, allowing the smoke to spill back into the house.
Correction tip: Have your inspection & cleaning done annually and make sure your wood is properly split and dried before use. You can also purchase a moisture meter, ideally a reading of 20% or less means your firewood is dry enough to burn.
Q: Why do I have a soot stain on my fireplace bricks?
A: This is an important indicator that your flue is undersized for your fireplace opening or your smoke chamber was improperly built allowing the exhaust to spill into your living space.
Correction tip: Once we find the correct repair for your fireplace by installing a smoke guard or parging your smoke chamber, taking the soot stain off is easy!
Why won’t my Gas Fireplace pilot light stay lit?
A: It is common for homeowners to have kept the pilot on consistently for a number of years. In turn, the thermocouple has burnt through and will cause the pilot light to extinguish.
Correction tip: Always keep the owners manual for your fireplace and reference the start up procedure. If you can not get your pilot light to work, shut the gas off going to your fireplace and call us at TOR Chimney.
