Summer is here, and it’s time to do great things! Wisconsin is a great place to do fun outdoor activities. From water activities to group activities to going out with the family and hiking or picnicking. The only thing that can put a damper on some of those activities is rain. We also know that with the rain, comes the humidity. People aren’t the only things affected by heat and humidity. Fireplaces can also be affected, especially in the form of fireplace odor.

What Causes Fireplace Odor?

When you burn a fire in your fireplace, you end up with smoke. There is pretty significant moisture content in wood, especially when you first cut it. When you burn the wood, that moisture has to be released at some point. Ideally, it would dry out during the curing process, before being burned.  This is why leaving it set for at least six months is recommended. If you buy wood, however, you really have no way of knowing for how long it has cured. The higher the moisture content, the more smoke you’ll get from the burn. Even if you are using pellets or gas to fuel your flame, there are byproducts that are released up the chimney. When these chemicals and smoke hit the cool interior of the chimney, they condense and form creosote. Creosote is a highly flammable material that you do not want in the chimney. That’s why an annual chimney sweeping is so important. Even as little as an eighth of an inch is enough to cause a damaging chimney fire.

The problem with Creosote

Another big problem with creosote buildup is the odor. There’s no other way to say it: creosote stinks. It has a hot tarry odor, and when it mixes with the heat and humidity of a Wisconsin summer, that nasty odor can carry down the chimney and stick to your carpet, your curtains, and your furniture. The only way to get rid of that nasty odor is to get rid of the creosote buildup, and that’s something the professionals at Chimney Concepts are good at doing.

Creosote is one big cause of chimney odors, and another is animals. Summer is a great time for animals to hang out in your chimney. Birds, squirrels, even raccoons can get into your chimney and set up a home there while they raise their young ones. It’s safe, it’s warm, it’s out of the rain, predators can’t get in. What more could a critter ask for? The problem is, they leave food, droppings, and sometimes even dead family members behind, and that can add up to a nasty odor. To really get rid of the odor, you need to get in there and clean out all that mess, and that’s what we do. To make sure no animals get back in, we’ll make sure that your chimney cap is in a great state of repair as well.

Call for an appointment today, before those odors get out of control!