A fireplace is supposed to keep you warm and cozy, especially in those bone-chilling months when all you want to do is huddle up in a blanket in front of a fireplace. However, sometimes, you can even feel that cold blast of air from your chimney. Why does that happen and how can you prevent it? You can avoid it by performing a chimney inspection and following these tips.

Why Does Cold Air Come Down The Chimney?

You can expect weird things to creep down the chimney. Small animals, like squirrels, raccoons, birds, and if you’re lucky – then Santa Claus in the flesh.

But one thing that you don’t want to experience is the whiff of cold and chilly air running down the chimney and not only does it extinguish the fire you’re trying to build and keep yourself warm with, but it will decrease the room temperature too.

This flowing of cold air into the chimney is known as downdraft and it’s really unpleasant. It can turn the temperature of your room from pleasantly warm to sub-zero in no time. But why does this happen? Well, there can be a couple of reasons:

• The chimney damper is open or damaged
• The fireplace and chimney are not insulated
• The chimney doesn’t have a seal and it’s letting air in, etc.

These problems are serious, but so are the consequences. You don’t want your perfectly warm room to turn dreadfully chilly all of a sudden. This will make you hate winter even more. Well, there are ways to prevent downdraft and you can fix the problem almost instantly.

How To Prevent Chimney Downdraft?

Now that you know why cold air comes into the chimney and creeps up your spine, here are some ways by which you can tackle the shivers and get rid of this problem once and for all.

Regular Chimney Inspection

First things first, you need to inspect your chimney, especially before the winter months start. This is important because you want the chimney to be in good condition right before the winter months hit and then you’ll have neither the time nor energy to deal with chimney repairs like chimney crown repair, tuckpointing, etc.

This is why it’s recommended that you have an inspection in the summertime to help pinpoint any problems with the chimney. So, how can inspections prevent downdraft? Well, that will be possible because you will know the problems with the chimney and one of them might be within the construction that can later lead to downdraft.

Get A Fireplace Door

A lot of the time, the fireplace where you can see the wood or fuel burning, can be an open area with no protective door or anything. This is not only dangerous, but it can also cause the chilly breeze to hit you when you least expect it. So, to save yourself from both of these issues, a fireplace door is necessary to install.

This can be a clear heatproof but penetrating glass that contains the fireplace ashes, but can also let heat pass through the door to get you nice and cozy.

A Chimney Balloon Will Do The Trick

Another thing you can consider installing or inflating in this case is a chimney balloon. It is a nifty contraption that is wedged in the narrow space of the chimney and then it is inflated to form an airtight seal in the chimney. Now, one thing that you need to keep in mind is the fact that you need to use a chimney balloon only when the fireplace is not burning.

It’s for that time when you think the room is cozy and warm enough that you can extinguish the fire and then you can use a chimney balloon to keep the warm air inside and the cold air out, where it’s supposed to be.

Flue Liner To The Rescue

All modern chimneys have flue liners. A flue liner is a two-for-one. First of all, it is a protective liner that protects the bricks of the chimney from extensive temperatures and prevents damage in the long run.

Additionally, a flue liner also works as a wonderful airtight seal that keeps the cold air outside. This is why flue liners are so good and are mandatory for chimneys. However, if you have an old chimney that doesn’t have a flue liner, install it. It’s a great addition if you want your old chimney to be maintained for a long time to come and you will also keep the chilly bite at bay, so you can enjoy the winter months to the max.

Moreover, if your flue liner is cracked, it causes many problems including downdrafts. So, call in chimney relining services Columbia MD for flue liner replacement.

Close The Damper

The damper is a mechanism that allows the smoke rising from the hearth of the fireplace to go up and out of the house, once and for all. It is essentially a guiding mechanism that prevents the room from filling up with smoke. Usually, the damper is open to allow it to do just that. But it can also cause cold air to creep inside the chimney, down to the fireplace, and into your warm room, making it cold and just not ideal for a winter evening.

This is why, if you don’t want to do anything else, then you can close the damper after the fire has been extinguished. It will keep all of the warm air inside and there will be no smoke accumulation either.

False Ceiling

False ceilings aren’t only for decorative purposes. They can also be pretty helpful to keep the room warm and prevent downdrafts. False ceilings are usually installed with a thick layer of insulation sandwiched between the actual ceiling and the false one.

So, it allows the heat to be trapped into the room, while also keeping the downdraft at bay. This is a wonderful and helpful thing to do if you want to keep your room and surroundings warm.

Insulated Fireplace

Usually, brick and masonry fireplaces are not the best when it comes to insulation. Even though bricks can endure a lot of heat, they are not insulators of heat, rather they are better conductors and to add to that, heat can also damage the bricks, which can also lead to the potential problem of a downdraft.

So, you want to go for insulated fireplaces and chimneys. This is not exactly something you can do with a snap of your finger. But it is something to keep in mind when you want to replace your chimney. However, if you want a quick fix, there are some ways to insulate your chimney and fireplace.

Install Chill Blockers

Chill blockers – as interesting as the name is – are going to be your favorite thing during the wintertime. These bad boys are also installed inside the chimney and they provide an even better airtight seal to keep the warm air in and the cold air out.

They are an amazing option to go for, even better than chimney balloons, because balloons can deflate, leak, and cause a disruption in the airtight seal, but chill blockers won’t do that. They will stay put and they will do their job, even when the fireplace is roaring up in flames.

Conclusion

Chimney downdraft is really common and this might mean that something is wrong with your chimney. Get in touch with chimney contractors Bowie who can inspect your chimney and implement methods to stop cold air coming down the chimney.