Stop using the fireplace
Smoke in the room in Freeport, NY
You lit a fire and the smoke came at you instead of going up. That means the chimney is not pulling. Something is in the way, the damper is not opening fully, or the air the fire needs is not getting into the room. Whatever the cause, the smoke carries combustion gases with it, and carbon monoxide is one of them. Put the fire out, open a window, and stop using the fireplace until someone has looked up the flue.
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In Freeport this shows up for a few reasons. A cold flue draws badly until it warms, and a chimney on a cold Long Island morning starts out very cold. Many older Freeport homes — the Capes, Colonials and bungalows from the early-to-mid 20th century — have masonry chimneys with clay-tile or unlined flues that have taken decades of freeze-thaw and wind-driven rain. On the other side of it, a tightly sealed house or a strong kitchen extractor fan can simply beat the chimney for air and pull the smoke back toward you.
While you wait — please don't
- Get out if anyone feels unwell. Headache, dizziness or nausea after smoke in the room points to carbon monoxide — get everyone outside into fresh air and call 911.
- Put the fire out and air the room. Smoke in the room means combustion gases in the room, so kill the fire and open a window and a door to clear it.
- Do not light another fire to test it. If the flue is blocked or the damper is stuck, the next fire will push smoke and carbon monoxide back into the house the same way.
- Do not force a stiff damper. A damper that will not move may be rusted or broken, and forcing the handle can snap the plate or the frame and leave it jammed shut.
What the technician does
- The flue gets swept and camera-inspectedThe technician sweeps the flue and runs a camera up it to find the blockage or the damage. You can ask to see the footage yourself.
- The damper is checkedA damper that only opens partway chokes the draft. It gets freed, repaired or replaced depending on what the technician finds.
- Draft is tested and the cause identifiedTesting the draft separates a blocked flue from a house that is starving the fire of air. The reason for the smoke should be explained to you — ask for the reasoning in writing.
- Cap and crown get looked atA damaged cap or a cracked crown lets water and debris into the flue. In Freeport the salt air is hard on metal caps, so they are worth a close look.
- The smoke chamber is cleaned and pargedThe smoke chamber sits just above the firebox and funnels smoke into the flue. If it is rough or built up with creosote, cleaning and parging it smooths the path and helps the chimney pull.
- You get a price before anything startsThe technician inspects first, then gives you the price. Nothing is done until you approve it.
Why this happens in Freeport, NY
Freeport sits on the South Shore along the back bays, and the humidity here is high all year. Salt-laden air rusts metal chimney caps faster than it would inland, and a failed cap is one way rain and debris get into a flue. Winters bring freezing temperatures and freeze-thaw cycles that work on chimney crowns, mortar joints and brick faces, and nor'easters add wind-driven rain on top of that. Humid summers keep unused flues damp, which is also where creosote odors and interior staining come from.
Masonry fireplaces and chimneys in Freeport turn up mainly in the pre-war houses, and New York's older housing stock means unlined or clay-tile flues needing relining are common across the state. On the canal-front streets off Woodcleft and Guy Lombardo Avenue, plenty of owners raised or rebuilt after Sandy's 2012 surge, and relocated mechanicals change how a house vents. Demand climbs across New York in late summer and fall as people get ready for the heating season, and again mid-winter after draft and odor problems show up — so if you are reading this in October, expect the calendar to be busy.
Questions people ask
- Why does smoke only come back when I first light the fire?
- A cold flue draws badly until it warms up, so the first few minutes are the worst. If it clears once the fire is going, that is a draft issue rather than a full blockage. If it never clears, stop using the fireplace and have the flue inspected.
- Could my kitchen fan be causing this?
- Yes. A tightly sealed house or a powerful extractor fan can pull harder than the chimney and drag smoke back into the room. A draft test will show whether that is what is happening in your house.
- Do I need a permit in Freeport for this kind of work?
- Routine sweeping and inspection generally do not require a permit in New York. Relining a flue as part of an appliance installation, or structural masonry work above the roofline, usually does. Permits are issued locally, so call the Village or Nassau County building department before work begins.
- Is the chimney sweep licensed?
- New York does not issue a statewide chimney-sweep license; it is handled locally. Nassau County runs its own home improvement contractor licensing program, so you can verify current requirements with the county consumer affairs office before the work starts.
- Who actually does the work?
- One Call Chimney is a referral and scheduling service. We arrange the job with independent sweeps and masons — we are not the contractor and we do not perform the work ourselves.
One call
Call (866) 576-7943 and we will arrange for a chimney technician to come out to your Freeport home. The estimate is free, the chimney gets inspected first, and you approve the price before any work starts.
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Something else in this area
- Damper stuck or broken
- Never been swept
- Water coming in
- Something living up there
- Smells of smoke or damp
- Cracked crown or crumbling brick
- Liner damaged or missing
- Rebuild or new chimney
One Call Chimney arranges the visit; the technician does the work and gives you the price.