I would like to install a new wood-burning fireplace insert in my fireplace. But my previous experience with fireplace inserts is that they can smell pretty bad in the summer when it is humid outside. Vinegar and baking soda help some but not enough? Any advice as I go shopping for a new insert.
4 Likes
A wood burning fireplace insert can certainly heat up a home, depending on layout and size of your home (for example, if you have a large open room vs. smaller rooms with lots of corners - the heat will take a lot longer to spread out with many rooms).
However, I’d recommend buying the most efficient insert you can find. There’s a list of EPA certified wood stoves. (Go to epa.gov and search) These will likely burn more efficiently and pollute less. Remember, burning anything - coal, wood, gas - leaves its mark on the planet. You’ll want to keep your chimney clean, too, to avoid build up of creosote, and burn seasoned wood. Damp wood smokes more.
Check out this link…
http://www.epa.gov/oecaerth/resources/publications/moni…
You need to look for an EPA certified insert, which will produce less smoke and be better for the air quality in your home. In the summer, when its humid, the smell doesn’t come from the insert. The problem is usually built up creosotes in the chimney, and it needs to be cleaned. Also, leaves and animals could be trapped. Water can also be stuck in the smoke chamber at times during the humid months. All these things can be prevented by cleanings, closing off access when the chimney isn’t in use, and regulating the chimney pressure by cracking open a window.
The springtime (after the burning season ends) is a great time to have your chimney swept. Chimney sweeps are typically slower during this part of the year and may offer discounts for scheduling early in the year. A clean chimney coupled with a clean and well sealed stove should stop all foul odors.
Although it is not yet required by code a full height stanless steel liner is a must.
Insulating the liner will run an extra few hundred dollars but is a good idea if it’s in your budget. Insulation will increase efficiency and draft while decreasing creosote build up.
Be wary of what the installers are doing on top of your chimney. Most stove installers are not masons. I have seen installers butcher beautiful chimney crowns and capstones just to get a liner cap in place. In many cases this leads to thousnds of dollars of future masonry repairs due to water penetration damage.
If the insert is to be installed into a pre-fab fireplace (zero clearance, factory built) make sure the stove is designed for that application. Circulating louvres must not be covered. Special caps must be installed to maintain the air flow between the flue walls if the pre-fab fireplace is vented by an air cooled chimney.
The new fireplace insert should be as efficient as you can affordable, but the key too odor control is installation and air flow a properly installed unit will have a complete system from top to bottom - a liner sealed to the insert and seal/capped off at the top. that way no air flow/odors can enter the living space unless the door is open - The process start with a quality insert - proper installation and ends with proper burning and maintenance.