Why does smoke come into my Bloomington house on cold mornings?

A cold flue draws badly until it warms up, and Bloomington winters often dip below zero. A blockage or a closed damper makes the problem worse. A technician can test the draft and tell you which it is.

Does my older home near downtown Bloomington make this more likely?

Older brick and frame homes near downtown often have masonry chimneys and fireplaces with aging parts. A damaged damper, crown or smoke chamber can all cause smoke to spill into the room. A camera inspection shows what condition the flue is in.

Will I need a permit for the repair?

Permits in Illinois are issued locally, by the municipal building department or the county. Sweeping and basic inspection generally do not need one. Relining or rebuilding a chimney often does, so confirm with the building department before work begins.

Who will actually do the work?

An independent sweep or mason does the work. One Call Chimney is a referral and scheduling service and is not the contractor. Illinois leaves licensing requirements to local authorities, so you can check with the city or county and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.

What does the estimate cost?

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

Stop using the fireplace

Who to call for smoke in the room in Bloomington, IL

Many of the older brick and frame houses in Downtown Bloomington and the Davis-Jefferson Historic District were built around a masonry chimney, and those chimneys have had a lot of cold winters to get through. If smoke is coming back into your room when you light a fire, the chimney is not carrying the smoke up and out. The cause is usually a blocked flue, a damper that is shut or stuck, a flue too cold to draw, or a house that is pulling air down the chimney. The work here is done by independent sweeps and masons. We are a referral and scheduling service that arranges that work, and we do not do it ourselves. Look for a technician who will camera-inspect the flue, test the draft, show you the footage and explain the cause in writing.

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This is common in Illinois because flues here get months of use. The heating season runs from about October into April, so soot and creosote build up over a long stretch. Freeze-thaw cycles also damage brick, mortar and crowns, and loose debris can fall into the flue. Any of these can shut off the path the smoke needs.

While you wait — please don't

Put the fire out and open a window. Smoke in the room means combustion gases are in the room, and carbon monoxide comes with them.
Get outside and call 911 if you feel unwell. A headache or dizziness after smoke has entered the room can be a sign of carbon monoxide, and anyone with those symptoms should leave the house.
Do not relight the fireplace. Until the blockage or draft fault is found and fixed, the same thing will happen again.
Do not run the extractor fan to clear the air while a fire burns. A powerful fan can pull air down the chimney and push smoke further into the room.

What the technician does

Sweep and camera inspectionThe technician sweeps the flue and runs a camera through it to find the blockage. Ask to see the footage.
Damper checkA damper that is stuck or damaged is freed, repaired or replaced so the flue can open fully.
Draft testThe draft is tested and the cause identified. It may be a cold flue, a tight house or a competing fan.
Cap and crown checkThe cap and crown are looked at, since damage there can let water in and debris down.
Smoke chamber cleaned and pargedThe smoke chamber above the firebox is cleaned and parged so smoke is guided into the flue.
Price first, your approval secondThe technician gives you the price after inspecting and before any work starts. Ask for the reasoning in writing, and the work begins only when you approve.

Why this happens in Bloomington, IL

Bloomington sits on flat, open prairie in McLean County. Winters are cold and snowy and often fall below zero, and a flue that has sat in that cold draws badly until it warms. Repeated freeze-thaw cycles also stress masonry chimneys, and wind and hail are a risk in spring and summer. The older neighborhoods near downtown have aging chimneys and original hardware, so a damper or crown there may be showing its age.

Housing varies a lot from block to block, from historic houses to newer subdivisions. Across Illinois, many homes vent a gas furnace or water heater through an older masonry chimney that needs a properly sized liner. Others have factory-built metal fireplaces with Class A chimney chases. A tightly sealed modern house can also starve a chimney of air. Demand peaks in late fall and winter, when cold weather puts chimneys under strain, so fall is a good time to have a flue checked before the first hard freeze.

Questions people ask

Why does smoke come into my Bloomington house on cold mornings?: A cold flue draws badly until it warms up, and Bloomington winters often dip below zero. A blockage or a closed damper makes the problem worse. A technician can test the draft and tell you which it is.
Does my older home near downtown Bloomington make this more likely?: Older brick and frame homes near downtown often have masonry chimneys and fireplaces with aging parts. A damaged damper, crown or smoke chamber can all cause smoke to spill into the room. A camera inspection shows what condition the flue is in.
Will I need a permit for the repair?: Permits in Illinois are issued locally, by the municipal building department or the county. Sweeping and basic inspection generally do not need one. Relining or rebuilding a chimney often does, so confirm with the building department before work begins.
Who will actually do the work?: An independent sweep or mason does the work. One Call Chimney is a referral and scheduling service and is not the contractor. Illinois leaves licensing requirements to local authorities, so you can check with the city or county and the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
What does the estimate cost?: The estimate is free on every job. The technician inspects the chimney and gives you the price before any work starts, and you approve it first.

One call

One call to (866) 576-7943 gets a chimney technician arranged for your Bloomington home, with a free estimate on every job. The technician inspects first and gives you the price, and nothing starts until you approve it.

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.