Smoky Fireplace and Draft Repair in Denver

A fireplace draws because hot gas in the flue is lighter than the air in the room. Anything that slows that flow, or pulls the other way, sends smoke into the house. In older Denver homes we often find wide, shallow fireplaces built in the early 1900s, a damper that no longer opens fully, or a chimney that ended up too short after an addition or a new roof went up around it.

Newer homes have their own causes. A tight house with a strong kitchen hood, bath fans and a dryer running can pull air down the chimney instead of up. You may also read that the altitude alone makes Denver fireplaces smoky. We have not found a solid source for that, so we test your fireplace instead of blaming the elevation. The diagnosis is free and every fix is priced before we do it.

Signs you need this

• Smoke curls out at the top of the opening as the fire starts
• The house smells of smoke the day after a fire
• It only smokes when the furnace or kitchen fan is on
• Puffs of smoke when the wind blows from one direction
• Soot stains on the brick face above the opening

How we do it

1. Watch it drawOn a day when burning is allowed, we use a small fire or a smoke test to see exactly where the smoke goes.
2. MeasureWe compare the opening to the flue size and check the chimney height against the roof, the damper and the cap.
3. Test the houseWe turn on fans and appliances to see whether the house is pulling air down the chimney.
4. Fix, cheapest firstWe start with the least expensive fix likely to work and price each step in writing before we do it.

What fixes a smoky fireplace, and what does it cost?

Many smoky fireplaces are fixed by a damper that opens fully again, a cap that does not choke the flue, or a smoke guard, a metal strip across the top of the opening that makes it smaller. Those fixes typically run $150 to $1,000 in the Denver area.

When the chimney is simply too short for the roof around it, extending the flue is the fix, typically $600 to $1,500. We only suggest that after the cheaper causes have been ruled out.

Why does it smoke only when the kitchen fan is running?

Because the fan pushes air out of the house, and the house replaces it from wherever it can. A chimney is a large open hole, so air comes down it, bringing smoke with it. Opening a nearby window an inch while the fire burns is a quick test.

If that solves it, the long-term answer is usually to avoid running big exhaust fans during a fire or to add a source of outside air to the room. We show you the test result and explain the choices.

Would gas logs or an insert solve it?

A sealed direct-vent gas insert takes its air from outside and sends exhaust out through its own pipes, so room smoke stops being an issue. It also makes the fireplace usable on Action Days. Gas logs in an open fireplace still depend on the chimney's draft, so they are not a cure for a fireplace that already spills.