Why does my fireplace smell worse in summer in Bolingbrook?

Bolingbrook summers are hot and humid. Warm, humid air and a cool flue can reverse the airflow, so the chimney breathes into the house. Damp air also wakes up the creosote that is already in the flue.

Will sweeping fix the smell?

Often it does, because the smell is usually the creosote itself. If water is getting in at the cap, crown or flashing, or an animal has left debris, those need fixing too. The technician will tell you what they find.

Do I need a permit for this in Bolingbrook?

In Illinois, permits are issued locally. Routine sweeping and basic inspection generally are not permitted work. Relining a chimney or installing new venting commonly needs one. Ask the Bolingbrook building department which rules apply to your job.

Is the smell a sign of carbon monoxide?

Not usually, but treat it seriously if you also have headaches or nausea. In that case, get everyone outside and call 911. Do not wait to see if it passes.

Does One Call Chimney do the work?

No. We are a referral and scheduling service that arranges the job with independent sweeps and masons. The technician inspects, gives you the price before any work starts, and you approve it first.

Smells of smoke or damp in Bolingbrook, IL

Most homes in Bolingbrook were built between the 1970s and the 2000s, so their chimneys have been through decades of cold Illinois winters and humid summers. If your fireplace smells of smoke or damp, and it is worse in summer, the flue almost certainly holds creosote or trapped moisture. Warm air is carrying that smell down into the room. A nest, or water getting in at the cap, crown or flashing, can add to it.

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Here is why summer makes it worse. Warm, humid air outside meets a cooler flue, and the airflow can reverse. The chimney then breathes into the house instead of out of it. Illinois also has a long heating season, roughly October into April, so the flue sees months of continuous use and builds up residue. Then humid summer air gets into that residue and the smell comes back.

While you wait — please don't

Do not mask it. Closing the damper and using an air freshener hides a flue that may be full of fuel, and the smell is telling you something.
Do not light a fire to burn it off. If the flue is coated with creosote or blocked, a fire puts you at risk of a chimney fire or smoke in the room.
Do not ignore headaches or nausea. A smell together with headaches or nausea means carbon monoxide until proven otherwise, so get everyone outside and call 911.
Do not use the fireplace until it is checked. Until someone has looked inside the flue, you do not know what is in it or whether the liner is sound.

What the technician does

You call, we arrange the visitOne Call Chimney is a referral and scheduling service. We arrange an independent sweep or mason for you. We are not the contractor and we do not do the work.
The technician inspects the flueThey look at the chimney and find where the smell is coming from. Ask to see the camera footage.
Sweeping, since the smell is usually the creosote itselfRemoving the buildup often removes the smell. If there are nests or animal debris, those are cleared as well.
The moisture path is closedIf water is getting in at the cap, crown or flashing, that is repaired so the flue stops holding damp.
The damper and house pressure are consideredA damper may be repaired, or a top-sealing damper fitted. The technician also considers how air moves through the house, since that affects the smell.
You get the price firstThe estimate is free. The technician gives you the price before any work starts, and you approve it first. Ask for the reasoning in writing.

Why this happens in Bolingbrook, IL

Bolingbrook is a Chicago-area suburb in Will County, with some homes close to DuPage County. Its summers are hot and humid and its winters are cold and snowy. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles are hard on exposed masonry, and they can leave cracked crowns and worn mortar joints. Wind-driven rain and snow can then reach the crown, flashing and cap. Water that gets in over the winter can show up as a damp smell once summer arrives.

Across Illinois, suburban homes from the postwar and late-century years often have factory-built metal fireplaces with a chimney chase. Natural gas is the main heating fuel, so many homes also vent a furnace or water heater through an older masonry chimney that needs a properly sized liner. Whether you are in Winston Woods or elsewhere in town, a flue that sits idle through a humid summer can collect moisture. That moisture can also speed up liner corrosion, so a persistent smell is worth having looked at.

Questions people ask

Why does my fireplace smell worse in summer in Bolingbrook?: Bolingbrook summers are hot and humid. Warm, humid air and a cool flue can reverse the airflow, so the chimney breathes into the house. Damp air also wakes up the creosote that is already in the flue.
Will sweeping fix the smell?: Often it does, because the smell is usually the creosote itself. If water is getting in at the cap, crown or flashing, or an animal has left debris, those need fixing too. The technician will tell you what they find.
Do I need a permit for this in Bolingbrook?: In Illinois, permits are issued locally. Routine sweeping and basic inspection generally are not permitted work. Relining a chimney or installing new venting commonly needs one. Ask the Bolingbrook building department which rules apply to your job.
Is the smell a sign of carbon monoxide?: Not usually, but treat it seriously if you also have headaches or nausea. In that case, get everyone outside and call 911. Do not wait to see if it passes.
Does One Call Chimney do the work?: No. We are a referral and scheduling service that arranges the job with independent sweeps and masons. The technician inspects, gives you the price before any work starts, and you approve it first.

One call

Call (866) 576-7943 and we will arrange a free estimate for the smell in your Bolingbrook fireplace. The technician inspects the chimney and gives you the price before any work starts, and you decide whether to go ahead.

Call now · (866) 576-7943

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One Call Chimney arranges the visit; the technician does the work and gives you the price.