Smoke Problem Correction
Chimneys are built to allow efficient drafts. If you have smoke flowing into your home, poor combustion, or other issues, you may have blockage in the flue or another issue.
Service Description
Part of being a chimney sweep in Montana is keeping our neighbors, friends and family warm. When temperatures dip below -30F, as it does at least once each winter, your heating system needs to be performing to keep temperatures inside up, and utility bills down.
When heat is produced in your fireplace, stove, or heating system, the byproducts from the heating source are carried up and out of the chimney flue by warm air. Modern systems are extremely efficient at this process - called drafting - letting little to no debris into the house. However, blockage in your chimney, negative air pressure, improper ventilation, inversions or other issues can cause a backdraft. This can lead to carbon monoxide and soot build-up within your home.
When is this Relevant?
Several situations can cause smoke to pour into your home instead of out of it (called backdrafting). At Canyon Chimney Services, we inspect your heating system to identify the source of the problem and return your system to proper working order.
How does a backdraft happen?
As surprising as this may be, something as simple as a temperature inversion (often in Big Sky), or windy day can cause enough negative air pressure to stop the draft from working properly. Here are a few of the other instances:
Flue Blockage: if there is a bird that has built a nest, a rodent that is stuck or another type of blockage in your chimney, the air flow can be prevented from moving upward. If you have a wood fireplace, you will often see the fire going out once the doors are shut or very slow combustion.
Poor Ventilation or Negative Pressure: Modern HVAC systems are designed to equalize air pressure within the home. At times, this can be skewed by powerful fan or improper ventilation, where not enough air is replaced in the home and exterior air rushes in to balance out air pressure.
Improper Systems: Although this does not commonly occur, a newly installed system may have issues that cause improper drafting. This can be discovered when our team conducts a new home inspection or pre-purchase home inspection.