Dallas Center is a small town in Dallas County, northwest of Waukee on Iowa 44. We get calls from homeowners in towns like this every summer with the same question: why does the fireplace smell? Top Notch Chimney Sweep & Services has been tracking down chimney odors around Central Iowa since 2002, and the cause is usually one of a few things.
The Campfire Smell: Creosote
Every wood fire leaves creosote on the inside of the flue. In winter you don’t notice it, but on humid summer days moisture in the air reacts with those deposits and produces a strong, smoky, almost tarry smell. Running the air conditioning or kitchen exhaust fan can make it worse by pulling air down the chimney and into the room.
The fix is to remove the creosote. A chimney sweeping cleans the flue walls, and since creosote is also the fuel behind chimney fires, it’s worth doing every year whether it smells or not.
The Musty Smell: Water
A damp, basement-like smell usually means water is getting into the chimney. It may be coming down an uncapped flue, through a cracked crown, past loose flashing or straight through porous brick. Wet masonry and leftover ash and soot hold that smell.
Stopping the water is the cure. We start by finding where it’s coming in, then repair the crown, flashing or masonry as needed and can apply a breathable waterproofing treatment that keeps moisture out of the brick.
The Really Bad Smell: Animals
If the odor is sharp and unpleasant, an animal may have nested or died in the chimney. Birds, squirrels and raccoons all try to move into open flues. We’ll clear the flue and fit a proper chimney cap so it doesn’t happen again.
Quick Things You Can Try
- Close the damper tightly when the fireplace isn’t in use. If it won’t seal, it may need repair.
- Clean out the ash from the firebox at the end of the season.
- Glass doors on the fireplace help block air movement into the room.
Deodorizers and air fresheners only cover the problem. If the smell keeps coming back, something in the chimney needs attention.
Gas Fireplace Smells
A gas fireplace shouldn’t smell like gas. If it does, shut it off and call your gas company. Other odd odors from a gas unit, like a burning or sooty smell, can point to dirty burners or misplaced logs, which our gas log service handles.
Your House Can Pull the Smell In
Air moves in and out of a house all day. Bath fans, range hoods and the dryer push air outside, and that air has to be replaced from somewhere. In a well-sealed home, the easiest path is often down the chimney. When that happens, any odor in the flue comes along for the ride.
That’s why a fireplace may smell worst right after someone showers or starts cooking. Try opening a window a crack on the other side of the house while the exhaust fans run. If the smell fades, air pressure is part of the problem. A damper that seals tightly helps, and so does a clean flue that has less odor to give off in the first place.
Sweep in Spring, Not Just Fall
Most people schedule a sweep before the burning season. For odor problems, the end of the season is a better time. Creosote smells strongest in warm, humid weather, so cleaning the flue in spring removes the source before summer arrives. Our off-season runs April through August, which makes spring appointments easier to get.
A spring sweep also leaves the whole summer for any repairs we find, like a crown that’s letting water in or a cap that’s gone missing.
Smells From the Laundry Room
Not every odd smell in a Dallas Center home comes from the fireplace. A hot or burning smell while the dryer runs usually means lint is building up in the vent and the dryer is running hotter than it should. That’s a fire risk, not just a nuisance. Shut the dryer off and have the vent checked.
A musty smell in the laundry room can come from a vent that’s damp or partly blocked at the outside hood. Our dryer vent cleaning clears the full run and checks for nesting material and damaged sections.
When a Smell Means Stop
Most chimney odors are unpleasant but not dangerous. A few are warnings. Smoke smell in rooms that aren’t next to the fireplace can point to a cracked liner letting gases into the walls. A smell of rotten eggs near a gas appliance means you should leave and call the gas company. And because carbon monoxide has no smell at all, odors are no substitute for working CO detectors.
If you’re not sure which kind of smell you have, a chimney inspection with our camera will show us the condition of the flue and liner.
Tracing a Leak to Its Source
A musty fireplace smell means water, but finding where the water gets in takes some detective work. We look at four main places. The cap, which keeps rain out of the flue opening. The crown, the slab on top of the brick that should shed water off the chimney. The flashing, where the chimney passes through the roof. And the brick and mortar themselves, which soak up water when joints are open or the face of the brick is damaged.
Often it’s more than one. If the joint at the roof is the problem, our flashing repair resets the metal so water runs off instead of in. Fixing all the entry points at once keeps the smell from coming back next summer.
Dallas Center homeowners who catch an odor early usually end up with a simpler fix. A smell that’s been ignored for a few summers often means more creosote, more water damage or a bigger nest to clear out. Older Dallas Center houses with original brick chimneys are especially worth a look, since mortar wears and caps go missing over the decades.
Glass Doors and Covers
Between fires, the fireplace opening is a large hole in your living room wall. Glass doors close it off and cut down on air moving in and out through the chimney, which also cuts down on odors. If your fireplace doesn’t have doors, ask us about options when we’re there. In the meantime, keeping the damper fully closed whenever the fire is out is the simplest fix you can make today.
Trained to Track Down the Cause
Our owner is a Past President of the National Chimney Sweep Guild, and our technicians include a Certified Chimney Professional and a CSIA Certified Chimney Sweep. We’re family owned and operated.
We also serve Grimes and Waukee.
Want the smell gone for good? Call (515) 249-6337 or schedule service online.
