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| When I use the fireplace in my home my basement fills with fumes. It's not
so bad that I can see smoke but the smokey smell is strong enough that
spending time in the (finished) basement is not enjoyable. My house was
renovated at some point before I owned it and a closet was built in the
basement that houses the furnace and water heater. This closet is directly
below the fireplace. There is a access panel behind the furnace to access a
ash box below the fireplace. In the fireplace is a hinged door in the floor
of the firebox for ashes.
I have tried to seal the panel behind the furnace with duck tape but the
odor didn't change.
Any ideas? Is the furnace drawing the fumes down somehow?
Any help would be appreciated.
Thanks
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| Edwin Pawlowski 2006-02-26, 11:21 am |
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"Fred" <Nomail@nospam.net> wrote in message
>
> Any ideas? Is the furnace drawing the fumes down somehow?
>
Furnaces need combustion air and it will draw it in from outside. Most
times it brings it in through al the cracks around windows and doors, but
the fireplace chimney is a good spot also.
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| Joseph Meehan 2006-02-26, 11:21 am |
| Fred wrote:
> When I use the fireplace in my home my basement fills with fumes. It's not
> so bad that I can see smoke but the smokey smell is strong
> enough that spending time in the (finished) basement is not
> enjoyable. My house was renovated at some point before I owned it
> and a closet was built in the basement that houses the furnace and
> water heater. This closet is directly below the fireplace. There is
> a access panel behind the furnace to access a ash box below the
> fireplace. In the fireplace is a hinged door in the floor of the
> firebox for ashes.
> I have tried to seal the panel behind the furnace with duck tape but
> the odor didn't change.
>
> Any ideas? Is the furnace drawing the fumes down somehow?
>
> Any help would be appreciated.
>
> Thanks
To add to what Edwin wrote, I suggest that you may want to provide fresh
outside air to the utility room with the furnace. It sounds like it does
not have enough air now and even without the fireplace it could cause
problems, maybe serious CO problems.
--
Joseph Meehan
Dia duit
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| Stretch 2006-02-26, 11:21 am |
| Fred
Stop using the fireplace. If it is bringing a smokey smell into the
house, it is likely there is carbon monoxide coming in too.
Does it help if you turn off the furnace and water heater when you use
the fireplace?
Get someone with a digital manometer to test your house pressures wiuth
your furnace and fireplace running. Get THREE carbon monoxide testers
in your house. It sounds dangerous to me. I would not try testing
this your self, you could wake up dead some morning. If your house has
a negative pressure with respect to the outside, it could be
backdrafting both the fireplace flue and the flue that serves the
furnace and water heater.
Good luck
Stretch
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| Don Phillipson 2006-02-26, 2:27 pm |
| "Fred" <Nomail@nospam.net> wrote in message
news:%KiMf.1065$SJ2.374@trndny01...
> When I use the fireplace in my home my basement fills with fumes. It's
not
You have to check all the basics, e.g.
1. Does your fireplace chimney draw well? How much
higher than the rest of the roof does the chimney cap reach?
2. Does your furnace have an independent source of
outside air (now mandatory in Ontario, Canada.)
--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)
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| Joseph Meehan 2006-02-26, 3:29 pm |
| Stretch wrote:
> Fred
>
> Stop using the fireplace. If it is bringing a smokey smell into the
> house, it is likely there is carbon monoxide coming in too.
Frankly I would be concerned about the lack of draft even without the
fireplace in use.
>
> Does it help if you turn off the furnace and water heater when you use
> the fireplace?
>
> Get someone with a digital manometer to test your house pressures
> wiuth your furnace and fireplace running. Get THREE carbon monoxide
> testers in your house. It sounds dangerous to me. I would not try
> testing this your self, you could wake up dead some morning. If your
> house has a negative pressure with respect to the outside, it could be
> backdrafting both the fireplace flue and the flue that serves the
> furnace and water heater.
>
> Good luck
>
> Stretch
--
Joseph Meehan
Dia duit
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