Your chimney uses wind to create draft inside the chimney to help pull out the exhaust gases from your fireplace. According to the Chimney Safety Institute of America (CSIA), the air in your house is constantly in motion. When air is flowing as it should, the draft works to help smoke and toxic gases from combustion exit your home. However, problems can occur that affect chimney draft, and these problems can lead to those byproducts from combustion coming back into your house rather than out of the chimney. The effects from chimney draft problems can range from smelly, smoky air entering your home to carbon monoxide leaking into your house to be breathed in by your family. The last thing you want to deal with when you light the first fire of the year is any issue with the chimney draft. If you have smelled unpleasant odors or noticed smoky air coming in from your fireplace, you most likely have draft problems. Our chimney experts at Blue Ridge Chimney Services know how to solve these problems, and we would like to tell you three ways we can improve your chimney draft.
Chimney Cap 
One of our solutions for chimney draft problems involves installing a draft-improving chimney cap on the top of your chimney. Equipped with baffles, or vents that direct the flow of wind, on the sides, this type of chimney cap can create a driving pressure of air flow at the top of the chimney as the baffles limit the access of wind that can enter the chimney. Blue Ridge Chimney Services guarantees you that this driving pressure will increase your chimney draft and help pull smoke and exhaust gases out of the chimney.
Stainless Steel Chimney Liner
If you have converted your traditional fireplace into a more efficient heating appliance with an insert, you may have draft issues due to the flue being too large for the heating appliance, especially if the insert was not professionally installed. When the flue is too large, it cannot draw air in quickly enough for the appliance, which causes draft problems. Also, the chimney itself fails to get hot enough to compensate for the lack of air, and this causes draft issues as well. Our chimney technicians at Blue Ridge Chimney Services can check out your flue and your heating appliance to look for any sizing issues. If your flue is too large, we can match your appliance to a new flue by installing a stainless steel liner that will be the right size for your heating appliance to make it work more efficiently and to improve the draft in your chimney.
Chimney Height
Since tall chimneys draw air better than short chimneys, the CSIA says that increasing the height of your chimney is a way to improve chimney draft. The draft will be stronger because there is more hot air contained within the chimney. However, this option is not for everyone. Our masons at Blue Ridge Chimney Services will know if your chimney is a good candidate for an increase in height, and we can build your chimney higher for you.
Get your chimney draft problems fixed before your first fire of the season. Contact us at Blue Ridge Chimney Services if the draft in your chimney needs improvement.