Your chimney plays a very important role. It keeps your family safe by making sure the smoke that is produced through the combustion process is directed out of the house. If you use your fireplace a lot, you know that there are certain things that you can do to keep the smoke level down: use well-cured wood, make sure that your chimney is swept on a yearly basis, make sure that the dampers of your chimney are open.
There are other things that you can do to make sure that the smoke travels smoothly and easily out of your home. A component of your chimney that plays a big part in making this happen is the smoke chamber. At Ceaser Chimney Service, we are here to help you learn all about it, learn more below.
Where is the Smoke Chamber and What Does it Do?
The smoke chamber is located above the firebox, where the fire is built, and below the flue, which is the tube in the chimney that the smoke travels through to leave the home. It is a larger area where the smoke can mix and rise towards the flue, creating a smooth transition on the way out of the chimney. The smoke chamber is shaped like an upside-down funnel, larger on the bottom and narrowing towards the top. One side is usually straight, while the other three sides slope. Because of this sloping design, most smoke chambers are constructed in a corbelling manner, which just means that the bricks are ‘stair-stepped’ to allow for the narrowing towards the top. This design can also cause some problems for homeowners.
Corbelling, while great for narrowing an area from large to small also causes greater surface area where smoke can catch. This means the transfer isn’t as efficient as it could be. Greater surface area also means more places for creosote buildup to occur. Creosote is a by-product of smoke, and in addition to being highly flammable, it can also be highly odoriferous. This can be unpleasant at best, and dangerous at worst. The way to control this problem is through the process of parging. Parging means smoothing out the edges. Experts take a mortar and cover the edges and also any cracks or crevices they find and smooth them away, leaving a smooth surface which smoke can easily travel.
Call in the Experts
It’s important to make sure that your smoke chamber is smooth and crack free, and that’s why it’s important to give Ceaser Chimney Service a call and set up an appointment to have us check it out. Our employees are CSIA certified, which means they’ve had the best training in the industry. We have all the tools and the experience to make sure that your chimney is working as efficiently and effectively and that your family is safe and secure all year round!