The smell is from creosote in the chimney a natural byproduct of the combustion process.
Chimney flue problems advice.
Cleaning out creosote build up or repairing a crack is easier than rebuilding the chimney after it collapses or catches fire.
Common causes of problems with chimneys and flues include loose chimney cans open joints stone decay flue problems and draughts.
Integrity of the building fabric.
2 come prepared for a thorough inspection.
The air starvation problem or lack of room ventilation 3.
Ask your heating service tech to check the chimney itself and order a cleaning if needed.
This can be accomplished by priming the flue with a rolled up newspaper.
Non functional or stuck dampers can be the cause of smoking problems.
The volume and speed of the smoke passing up the flue is insufficient to clear the large volume of fumes building up in the oversize fireplace opening below.
Oil gas fired heating appliance chimneys also need to be inspected and cleaned.
Badly sited chimney terminal.
Light one end hold it way up in the damper opening.
At minimum you should inspect your chimney flue at the beginning and end of fireplace season.
Chimney maintenance and repairs will help to ensure the.
A chimney sweep should be called out for cleaning and inspection.
High humidity and a situation called negative pressure can worsen this.
Such issues mean that a chimney generally needs to be rebuilt every 100 years or so.
Safety of those using the building.
Let it burn down aways and drop it on the logs to finish burning.
Part of normal oil fired appliance heating service includes disassembly and cleaning of the flue vent connector.