wb fireplace smell

Dec 28, 2004 4 Replies
A

Quick questin, and then I'll give more detail below (for those who will read longer posts).



How do you get rid of a campfire smell coming from a wood-burning fireplace that has been used only once in 20 years? See more details below. TIA



We bought an older house with a fireplace that hadn't been used in at least



20 years. We had a topcap/damper combo installed and custom-sized glass door/screen. Christmas Eve, we decided to build a fire using some cured (albeit damp) wood. I cleaned the ashes out the next morning and vaccumed the box.

Problme is, there has been an awful "campfire" smell ever since. I went up to and sealed around the cap/damper (wasn't sealed great) and stuffed insulation around the glass door to block airflow, but the smell persists? Any ideas on how to get rid of the smell in short order? IN a related question, will owens corning fiberglass (unfaced) be Ok stuffed around the fireplace door?



Thanks in advance!


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E

The smell is not from the ash, but the gunk that got into the chimney. Yuu probably also have a slight downdraft from the cold air bringing the odor back down.

Only solution I know is to make a fire and never let it go out. In time, it will go away.

As for the isnulation, it should be OK.

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A

Thanks. The ever-burning flame is not an option. I have a chimney sweep coming tomorrow. If it's just a fresh coat of creasote, i'm hoping that will take care of it. I'll let you know.,

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J

I tried this a few years ago with success. It is a pain but it might help you.

  1. Empty the fire box entirely, vacuum everything.
  2. scrub the entire area with a wire brush and vacuum anything that falls off.
  3. Clean the entire area with TSP let dry
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M

Damn man. Thats gonna use up A LOT of wood, don't ya think? A fire that NEVER goes out? Jeezy weezy.... I can't imagine it's gonna help the AC any this summer either.

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