On 01/10/2022 13:43, cf-leeds wrote:
> We sometimes use the open fire in the living room, so I fitted a mushroom shaped cowl for that one. Keeps out the rain, but has a good airflow for an open fire.
>
> Problem is now that when I light a fire, the smoke is not dispersing vertically and seems to be sucked down the chimney into the upstairs bedroom.
>
> So, can anyone recommend a way around this. The choices seem to be:
>
> -Block off the unused fireplace chimney flue in the bedroom (from the bedroom end)
> -Block off the bedroom chimney completely with a different type of cowl
> -Somehow rain the cowl of the open fire chimney (would rather not do that - don't want to go on the roof)
We have encountered this occasionally in our cottage.
18th century 3 storey thing. Multiple chimneys on both sides of the
house as it was formerly 2 houses of part of a terrace.
Anyway, all chimneys vent into a shared "stack" and on occasions our
smoke has gone to the top of the stack then been sucked down into the
neighbours bedroom through a disused fireplace.
Only in the warmer months when we just light the fire to air things out
as I'd not make the same raging fire as on winter visits. Solution is
to get the fire rip-roaring hot ASAP so the heat (and smoke) only go up.
Easy enough to do in the controlled wood burner environment but we
also have the fireplace on the opposite side "open" and it's a big space
so next to impossible to get an open fire hot enough as the air flow
goes just goes "around" the fire so gave up on that plan, but heat is
your friend when it comes to smoke going the wrong way so I've found.