Why does my Cicero fireplace smell worse in summer?

Warm humid air and a cool flue can reverse the airflow, so the chimney breathes into the house. Humid summers also leave moisture in the masonry and in flues that sit unused. Both bring out the smell of old creosote and damp.

Is the smell dangerous?

It can be. A flue full of creosote is fuel, so don't use the fireplace until it has been checked. If the smell comes with headaches or nausea, treat it as carbon monoxide: get outside and call 911.

Does a Cicero brick chimney need a permit for this?

Routine sweeping and basic inspection generally are not permitted work in Illinois. Relining or rebuilding above the roofline commonly needs a permit, and permits are issued locally. Ask the local building department before any larger work starts.

Will my older two-flat need more than a sweep?

Often a sweep is the main fix, since the smell is usually the creosote itself. Older masonry may also need the cap, crown or flashing sealed against water. The technician will tell you what they find and give you the price before any work starts.

What does the estimate cost?

The estimate is free on every job. The technician inspects the chimney and gives you the price, and you approve it before any work begins.

Chimney Smell, booked with one call, in Cicero, IL

Cicero's housing is mostly older, built roughly from the 1910s through the 1940s, with brick bungalows and two-flats on narrow lots and masonry chimneys on many of them. In a home like that, a smell from the fireplace usually means one of three things. There is creosote left in the flue, water is getting in at the cap, crown or flashing, or something has nested up there. The job is planned work: a sweep and inspection first, then whatever repair the inspection turns up. Plan to leave the fireplace unused until it has been checked.

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The smell is often worse in summer, and Cicero's weather explains why. Summers are hot and muggy, and warm humid air meeting a cool flue can reverse the airflow, so the chimney breathes into the house. Illinois heating seasons run from about October into April, so the flue collects months of deposits. Humid summers then leave moisture trapped in the masonry and in flues that sit unused, and that brings the odor out.

While you wait — please don't

Don't mask it. Closing the damper and spraying air freshener hides the smell, but the flue may still be full of fuel.
Don't light a fire to burn it off. If the smell is creosote, a fire puts flame into a flue that already holds something that burns.
Don't ignore headaches or nausea. A smell with headaches or nausea means carbon monoxide until proven otherwise, so get everyone outside and call 911.
Don't use the fireplace until it's checked. You cannot tell from the room whether the cause is deposits, debris or a damaged flue.

What the technician does

You make one callCall (866) 576-7943. One Call Chimney is a referral and scheduling service, so we arrange the visit with an independent sweep or mason. We are not the contractor and we do not do the work.
The technician inspects firstThey look at the flue, cap, crown, flashing and damper. Ask to see any camera footage and to have the reasoning for any recommendation put in writing.
The flue is sweptThe smell is usually the creosote itself, so sweeping is often the main fix.
Water and debris are dealt withIf moisture is getting in, the path is closed at the cap, crown or flashing. Nest or animal debris is removed.
The damper is looked atA damper can be repaired, or a top-sealing damper can be fitted. The technician also considers house pressure, since it can pull air down the flue.
You approve the price firstThe estimate is free. The technician inspects the chimney and gives you the price before any work starts, and nothing begins until you approve it.

Why this happens in Cicero, IL

Cicero is a dense, older inner-ring suburb next to Chicago, full of century-old brick buildings. Aging masonry is a common maintenance issue here. Across Illinois, pre-1940 brick bungalows and two-flats often have full-height masonry chimneys with clay tile liners. Many homes still vent a gas furnace or water heater through an older masonry chimney, and that chimney needs a properly sized liner. If the smell comes with any sign of poor venting, mention it when you call.

Winter is hard on Cicero chimneys. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles break down exposed masonry, causing cracked crowns, spalled brick and weak mortar joints. Wind-driven rain and snow then find those gaps. Demand here peaks in late fall and winter, and again in spring after storms and freeze-thaw damage. Masonry work such as crown repair and tuckpointing is easiest to plan for warmer months, when mortar can cure without freezing. If the smell shows up in summer, that is a good time to book the visit and have repairs done before heating season.

Questions people ask

Why does my Cicero fireplace smell worse in summer?: Warm humid air and a cool flue can reverse the airflow, so the chimney breathes into the house. Humid summers also leave moisture in the masonry and in flues that sit unused. Both bring out the smell of old creosote and damp.
Is the smell dangerous?: It can be. A flue full of creosote is fuel, so don't use the fireplace until it has been checked. If the smell comes with headaches or nausea, treat it as carbon monoxide: get outside and call 911.
Does a Cicero brick chimney need a permit for this?: Routine sweeping and basic inspection generally are not permitted work in Illinois. Relining or rebuilding above the roofline commonly needs a permit, and permits are issued locally. Ask the local building department before any larger work starts.
Will my older two-flat need more than a sweep?: Often a sweep is the main fix, since the smell is usually the creosote itself. Older masonry may also need the cap, crown or flashing sealed against water. The technician will tell you what they find and give you the price before any work starts.
What does the estimate cost?: The estimate is free on every job. The technician inspects the chimney and gives you the price, and you approve it before any work begins.

One call

Call (866) 576-7943 and we will arrange a technician to find out what is behind the smell in your Cicero chimney. The estimate is free, and the price is agreed with you before any work starts.

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.