Can I use the fireplace while I wait for the work?

No. Stop using it until a technician has inspected the flue and found the cause. Smoke in the room can carry carbon monoxide, and a blockage will not fix itself.

The smoke only comes in when the fire is first lit. Is that normal?

A cold flue does draw badly until it warms, so that can be part of it. Smoke coming into the room is still not something to live with. Have the flue inspected to see whether a blockage, the damper or a lack of air in the house is the cause.

My house is near Enos Park or the Lincoln Home. Does that change anything?

Homes in Springfield's older neighborhoods often have original masonry chimneys and fireplaces. Replacement flues and parts there may need size-specific or historically sympathetic solutions. The technician can talk you through the options after the inspection.

Will I need a permit in Springfield?

In Illinois, permits are issued locally. One is commonly required for relining a chimney or installing a new venting system, but routine sweeping and basic inspection generally are not permitted work. Check with the local building department before any work begins.

Do you do the work yourselves?

No. One Call Chimney is a referral and scheduling service that arranges the job with an independent sweep or mason. The technician inspects the chimney and gives you the price before any work starts, and you approve it first.

Stop using the fireplace

Smoke in the room, booked with one call, in Springfield, IL

Springfield's older streets around the Lincoln Home National Historic Site and Enos Park are full of century-old houses with their original masonry chimneys. If you light a fire in one and the smoke comes into the room, the smoke is not getting up and out. Something in the flue, the damper or the draft is stopping it. The job usually means a camera inspection to find the cause, then a repair or cleaning to fix it. Plan to leave the fireplace unused until that is done.

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It happens here for a few reasons. Illinois has a long heating season, roughly October into April, so a flue gets months of steady use. Freeze-thaw cycles and wind-driven rain and snow work on the crown, the cap and the flashing. A flue that sits unused through humid summers can hold moisture too. A cold flue also draws badly until it warms, and a tightly sealed modern house or a powerful extractor fan can pull air down the chimney instead of letting smoke go up it.

While you wait — please don't

Put the fire out and open a window. Smoke in the room means combustion gases in the room, and carbon monoxide comes with them.
Get outside if you feel headachy or dizzy. Those can be signs of carbon monoxide, so leave the house and call 911.
Do not relight to see if it clears. If something is blocking the flue, every new fire pushes more smoke and gas into the house.
Do not run the extractor fan against a fire. A strong fan can pull air down the chimney and make the smoke problem worse.

What the technician does

The flue is sweptThe technician sweeps the flue so soot and debris are out of the way before anything else is judged.
A camera goes up the flueThe camera inspection finds the blockage and shows the state of the flue. Ask to see the footage.
The damper is freed, repaired or replacedA damper that will not open fully can choke the draft. It gets worked loose, repaired or replaced as needed.
The draft is testedA draft test helps pin down why the smoke came back into the room, so the cause is identified and not guessed at.
The cap and crown are checkedWater and weather get in through a damaged cap or crown, so both are looked at while the technician is on the job.
The smoke chamber is cleaned and pargedThe smoke chamber sits above the firebox. It is cleaned and parged so smoke has a smooth path into the flue.

Why this happens in Springfield, IL

Springfield's weather is hard on chimneys. Winters bring sustained sub-freezing spells, ice storms and freeze-thaw cycling that crack masonry crowns. Spring and summer storms, with straight-line winds and hail, can tear flashing loose. A damaged crown or loose flashing lets water in, and that can add to draft and flue trouble. Springfield has no coastal or salt-air exposure, so the wear here comes from freezing, thawing and storms.

The housing matters too. Near the historic core, masonry chimneys and original fireplaces are common, and replacement parts there often need size-specific or historically sympathetic solutions. Newer subdivisions on the west and south sides are a different case, and a tightly sealed house can starve a chimney of air. Springfield's busy times are spring after storm season and late fall before the first hard freeze. If you are planning the work, ask the local building department whether a permit applies. Masonry repair is also easier in the warmer months, when mortar can cure without freezing.

Questions people ask

Can I use the fireplace while I wait for the work?: No. Stop using it until a technician has inspected the flue and found the cause. Smoke in the room can carry carbon monoxide, and a blockage will not fix itself.
The smoke only comes in when the fire is first lit. Is that normal?: A cold flue does draw badly until it warms, so that can be part of it. Smoke coming into the room is still not something to live with. Have the flue inspected to see whether a blockage, the damper or a lack of air in the house is the cause.
My house is near Enos Park or the Lincoln Home. Does that change anything?: Homes in Springfield's older neighborhoods often have original masonry chimneys and fireplaces. Replacement flues and parts there may need size-specific or historically sympathetic solutions. The technician can talk you through the options after the inspection.
Will I need a permit in Springfield?: In Illinois, permits are issued locally. One is commonly required for relining a chimney or installing a new venting system, but routine sweeping and basic inspection generally are not permitted work. Check with the local building department before any work begins.
Do you do the work yourselves?: No. One Call Chimney is a referral and scheduling service that arranges the job with an independent sweep or mason. The technician inspects the chimney and gives you the price before any work starts, and you approve it first.

One call

Call (866) 576-7943 and One Call Chimney will arrange a technician for your Springfield chimney. The estimate is free, the technician inspects first, and the price is agreed with you before any work starts.

Call now · (866) 576-7943

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