Bonjour everybody, Since 20 years, i have a wood stove on the first floor connected to a chimney that is outside an external wall. I noted since 3 ou 4 years there's sometimes a smoke odor coming from the stove and/or from the chimney flue. I installed this summer two roof vents when renewing roofing but nothing goes better. My home is a two level house and chimney goes 36 inches over roofing. How to fix it ? Thanks before i die of asphyxiation !!! (Joke)
René from Quebec state.
No joke. You need to immediately schedule a chimney sweep, and have an experienced contractor inspect the chimney itself for leaks and damage.
I would also get a carbon monoxide alarm.
There should be no, repeat no, smoke inside your attic under any circumstances. Roof vents exist to let the house 'breathe' but they are not a backup for a leaky chimney, which should create the proper suction through heat to vent all of its smoke.
Make sure the chimney is clean, but just cleaning it probably won't help. Chimney down drafts are a common problem. Which wall is the chimney on? Heat from the sun on a south facing chimney may aggrevate the problem. Do you keep the stove air shut tight when you don't have a fire? So, what happened 3-4 years ago? trees grow higher and change air flow?
Adding a cap might help, especially one of those that you see on the coast and turn with the wind. Is there a clean out at the base of the chimney, has it been cleaned out, is it open?
If you can't figure out the problem, put a damper in the stove pipe near the entry to the chimney would likely help, keep it closed whenever you don't have a fire.
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