Damper upgrade
Airflow down the flue is cut with a tighter damper which also reduces heat loss.
Chimney Sweeping
Chimney Odor Removal Burtonsville, MD
A chimney sweep in Burtonsville can get rid of a smoky, musty or rotten chimney smell with a cleaning, a deodorizing treatment and a repair for the real cause. Call (240) 358-7617 to reach a local chimney sweep.
The most common chimney smell is the sharp, smoky, asphalt-like odor of creosote, and it is usually worst in hot, humid weather. Humidity draws the odor out of the deposits, and the smell drifts into the room through the damper. Removing the deposits is step one, and a deodorizing product handles the lingering odor.
The smell only reaches the room because air is flowing down the flue instead of up. Exhaust fans, dryers and furnaces pull air out of a home, and an open flue is an easy place for replacement air to come in. A rusted or warped damper makes it worse. A top-sealing damper, which closes at the top of the flue with a rubber gasket, cuts that airflow much more effectively.
When the odor is damp and musty, water is usually involved. Water from a missing cap, cracked crown or failed flashing soaks the soot and the brick, and the result smells like a wet basement. That kind of odor will not go away until the leak is fixed and the masonry dries out.
If the problem goes deeper than it first looked, a Burtonsville chimney sweep may also recommend chimney cleaning or chimney waterproofing.
Need chimney odor removal in Burtonsville? Call (240) 358-7617 to talk to a local chimney sweep.
Call nowThe process
The odor removal process
The fix depends on whether the smell comes from creosote, water or an animal.
Pin down the cause
The chimney is checked from the firebox and the roof to find where the odor starts. A camera may be used to look up the flue.
Sweep the chimney
Creosote and debris are cleared from the flue and the shelf behind the damper. Removing the buildup takes care of most creosote smells.
Take out remains
Dead animals and nest material are cleared so the smell has no source left. Chimney swifts are a protected migratory bird, so their nests can only be removed after nesting season, and the sweep will advise on timing.
Apply a deodorizer
A chimney deodorizing product is applied to the firebox, smoke chamber or flue. It works best on a freshly swept chimney.
Seal the flue
A cap, a top-sealing damper or a leak repair keeps the smell from coming back. Glass doors on the fireplace can help too.
What is included
Common odor fixes
Creosote removal
The flue, smoke chamber and smoke shelf are swept from the firebox to the cap.
Leak repair
A vapor-permeable water repellent can keep brick from soaking up rain to stop moisture odor at the source.
Animal removal
Animals and their debris are cleared from the flue with timing that respects nesting season.
Odor treatment
Lingering smells in the brick are treated after the chimney is swept.
Related service
Fireplace Odor Removal Burtonsville, MD
A fireplace that smells is often holding old ash, soot on the walls or debris on the smoke shelf. Clearing out the ash, sweeping the smoke chamber and treating the firebox brick with a deodorizer handles most cases. A short-term trick is a dish of baking soda or cat litter in the firebox to absorb some of the odor.
Homeowners in Burtonsville can speed things up by noting whether the smell gets worse after rain or on hot days. If the smell is like rotten eggs, treat it as a possible gas leak: get out, do not flip switches or use flames, and call the gas company or 911 once you are outside. Carbon monoxide has no smell at all, so working CO alarms on every level of the home matter even when the fireplace smells fine.
Local help
Chimney Odor Removal Near Me
In Burtonsville, plenty of homeowners first notice a chimney smell on the first muggy days after the heating season ends. From Burtonsville out to neighboring places such as West Laurel, Fulton, Fairland and Scaggsville, older chimneys without caps let in rain and animals, two common sources of smells, so a sweep at the end of the burning season can head off summer odors.
Need chimney odor removal around Burtonsville? Call (240) 358-7617 for a Burtonsville chimney sweep who serves the towns around it too.
What the local climate does to a chimney
Cold winters keep fireplaces, wood stoves and oil burners working for half the year or more. Masonry takes the worst of it from the freeze and thaw cycle: rain and melting snow soak into the crown and joints, then freeze and push them apart, and each winter widens the cracks a little more. Nor'easters drive rain sideways into flashing and mortar that looked fine in summer. Most homeowners in Burtonsville, MD schedule a sweep in early fall, and a repair check after a hard winter.
Why call
Why not wait
Safer fires
A chimney problem fixed early rarely spreads to the masonry, the liner or the house.
Local knowledge
Chimney sweeps in Burtonsville know the chimneys and fireplaces common in local homes.
Know what happens next
Ask the sweep about the cause, the options and the estimate before work starts.
Chimney Odor Removal FAQ
What is the best way to remove fireplace odor?
Start by removing the source, which usually means a full sweeping of the flue and smoke shelf. Deodorizing the firebox and smoke chamber helps with lingering smells. Cutting off downdrafts and water entry keeps the odor away.
Why does my fireplace smell damp after it rains?
A damp or musty odor usually means water is getting into the chimney. Wet masonry can also grow mold and mildew. The odor will not go away until the water is stopped.
Is a chimney smell dangerous?
The odor is mainly a comfort issue, though heavy creosote is a fire risk worth removing. A gas or rotten egg smell is different: leave the house, avoid switches and flames and call the gas utility or 911 from outside. Carbon monoxide has no smell, so CO alarms are the real safeguard.
Can a dead animal in the chimney cause a smell?
A sudden, sickly sweet or rotten smell is a typical sign of an animal that died in the chimney. Removing the animal is the only way to end the smell. A chimney cap afterward keeps animals from getting in again.
Why does my chimney smell in the summer?
Humid summer air draws the odor out of creosote and soot left in the flue. Negative pressure in the home pulls the smell past the damper. Cleaning the chimney and sealing the flue with a top-sealing damper are the common fixes.
More questions? Call (240) 358-7617
Related services
Chimney Cleaning
Cleaning the flue, smoke chamber and firebox of wood-burning fireplaces, stoves and inserts, so the flue drafts well and burns safely.
Learn moreChimney Waterproofing
Waterproofing masonry chimneys with vapor-permeable repellents, not paint, applied after repairs so the brick sheds water but can still dry out.
Learn moreChimney Animal Removal
Getting wildlife and debris out of chimneys and flues, with the timing and method matched to the animal.
Learn moreCreosote Removal
Removing flaky, crunchy and glazed creosote from chimney flues before it can fuel a chimney fire.
Learn more
Looking for something else?
See all chimney servicesNeed chimney odor removal in Burtonsville, MD?
Call now for Burtonsville chimney odor removal and help in the towns around it.
(240) 358-7617
Free to call. No forms to fill out.