When you use your fireplace, you likely look forward to a warm and cozy atmosphere. But if your fire creates a great deal of smoke that enters your home, you might feel stressed at the mess and health risks it can pose.

Smoke from a fire should travel up and out of your chimney without issue. But some factors may make the smoke spread into your house instead.

If this happens on a chronic basis, you should consult with a chimney specialist about the problem. But you can also read on to find tips from your local chimney sweeps that will help you reduce the amount of smoke generated from your fireplace.

Check the Weather Before Starting a Fire

You can use your fireplace year-round, but many people especially enjoy building a fire during chilly or snowy weather. You might not realize that the weather outside your home can affect the quality of the fire in your fireplace as well.

During warmer temperatures, smoke trying to escape through the chimney may face a downward draft entering into the flue. This may send smoke back into the house. Windy weather can also blow smoke down the chimney.

If you pay attention to the weather, you can choose ideal conditions to use your fireplace to prevent these smoke problems. Make sure your chimney is in good standing as well. A strong and stable structure can improve airflow in the flue to reduce excess smoke.

Boost Ventilation

Smoke problems in your fireplace might happen if you do not have proper airflow or ventilation in your chimney. For optimal results, you should ensure you open the damper of your chimney. This metal plate toward the top of the chimney can close when the fireplace is not in use to prevent external air from affecting your home.

However, you will need the damper open when you do make a fire so that the smoke is not blocked from leaving your home. Otherwise, it can travel back into your house.

You can also get rid of smoke in your home by cracking a window in the room. This makes for a good acute way to release smoke trapped in your house.

Choose Dry Wood for Your Fireplace

The type of wood you burn in your fireplace will also influence the quality of your fire. For optimal results, you should select dry, older wood, which will burn at a more efficient rate.

If the wood retains moisture, the heat from the fire will boil off the excess water, creating more smoke that can disrupt your cozy experience. Ideally, wood should dry for six to 12 months before being used in a fireplace.

Keep Your Chimney Clean

Sometimes, smoke cannot travel through the flue properly due to a blockage within the chimney. This might happen in the form of a bird or animal nest or creosote build-up that accrues naturally when you use your fireplace.

When you schedule an annual chimney sweeping, you can ensure your chimney stays clean and safe to use. Then you can ensure smoke will pass as needed into the chimney without leaving you with smoke problems.