Sitting beside an open fire in the evening and reading a book or watching a film on TV can be spoiled when a poof of smoke escapes from the open fire. Open fires often cause smoke to be discharged into the room, the cause of which may not be obvious. What you think is causing the smoke leakage may not be the case, we will look at the common causes of open fire smoke leakages and how to solve the problem.
flue sizes
ventilation doors - windows
chimney cowles active - caps
chimney height - ridge - trees
Possive presure
When smoke starts to escape from the fireplace the first thing one thinks of is that there is a down draught that is forcing the smoke out off the chimney into the living room. This is common problem and can be caused by a number of reasons including the relationship between the dwelling and surrounding buildings, trees and other high structurers. If the chimney is not located in the correct location in relation to the roof ridge then a down draught can be caused by wind forming a circular wave as it passes over the ridge. This can cause a possive pressure to the top of the chimney and supequently a possive pressure within the chimney system.
Open fires need to be feed not only with flue but with air as well, if the open fire system is to work as designed a lot of air within the room is needed feed the fire and to vent the flue.
<Heat detectors
Heat detectors also as the name suggests detects heat. These are used in garages and kitchens so as to not sound false alarms when cooking or when the car is in the garage. It is important that these are also linked to the smoke detectors.
h3>Special alarms
For deaf people or people with hearing difficulties smoke alarms and heat detectors can come fitted with flashing lights or a vibrating pad that can be fitted under the pillow at night.
Smoke and heat detectors should be tested once per week and replaced every 10 years.