Essex County, New Jersey
Smoke Chamber and Draft Problems in Maplewood, NJ
Maplewood's housing leans old: nearly two-thirds predates 1950. That makes the area above the damper, the smoke chamber, worth understanding.
Emergency first. Act on these before anything else on this page.
- Fire, flames, or a room filling with smoke: get everyone out of the home and call 911 or the fire department. If someone or a pet cannot get out, tell the operator or firefighters right away. Ready.gov: home fires.
- A carbon monoxide alarm sounds, or you suspect carbon monoxide poisoning: get outside to fresh air immediately, then call 911. Carbon monoxide is colorless and odorless, so you cannot smell it. CPSC: carbon monoxide.
- You smell gas: leave the building immediately. Do not try to find the source, and do not use light switches, phones, matches, appliances or a car near the building. Once you are at a safe distance, call your gas utility or 911. PSE&G tells customers to move at least 350 feet away and call 1-800-880-PSEG (7734) or 911. PSE&G: if you smell gas. Other utilities publish their own numbers.
The sections below are about routine chimney questions. Booking a visit is for after any emergency is handled.
Maplewood, in Essex County, is a mixed-housing township. The Census finds about 61% detached houses and 75% owner-occupied, with about 64% of homes built before 1950 and a median build year of 1939 or earlier. The ACS median home value is about $721,000.
This page is about the smoke chamber, a part of the fireplace homeowners rarely see.
With roughly four in ten homes not detached, a fireplace may be in an attached house or a two-family, where a problem can affect a neighbor's side of the chimney.
Learn
The smoke chamber and parging
The smoke chamber sits between the damper and the flue. In older fireplaces its walls are often corbelled brick with rough, stepped surfaces, and the mortar between them can deteriorate. Smooth, sound walls help smoke move into the flue; rough or damaged ones can disturb it, and gaps can let heat or smoke reach combustibles behind.
Parging is the process of coating those walls with a smooth layer of masonry material. It is a specialist repair, and it is often done together with other fireplace work. See smoke chamber parging for the work and the smoke chamber explained for what the area does. We completed smoke chamber work in Somerdale and Atlantic City.
If smoke persists in the room after the fire is out and everyone is safe, the smoke chamber is one possible cause among several.
Draft
Other reasons a fireplace smokes
Smoke into the room has several possible causes: a cold flue, a blocked cap, a closed damper, a house under negative pressure. The guide to smoke coming into the house sets them out as a table, and damper problems covers the damper.
What we look at
What shapes how a fireplace draws
The smoke chamber
The sloped section above the damper that narrows toward the flue. Rough or damaged surfaces here disrupt smoke flow.
The damper
Controls the opening. A damper that does not open fully limits draft.
The flue
Its size and condition affect draw.
The house
Tight houses and exhaust fans can pull air down the chimney.
Symptoms
| Symptom | Possible cause | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke rolls into the room on lighting | Cold flue, closed damper, negative pressure | Check damper and prewarm flue |
| Persistent smoke in the room | Blockage, smoke chamber or flue | Inspection |
| Rough or crumbling walls above the damper | Smoke chamber deterioration | Parging |
| Smoke smell when exhaust fans run | Negative pressure | Discuss with a pro |
Housing profile
What the housing mix means in Maplewood
Nearly two-thirds of homes predate 1950, so some fireplaces here were built long before current practice. The surfaces above the damper are rarely seen, so they are a sensible place to look when a fireplace draws poorly.
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Can I check the smoke chamber myself?
With a flashlight and a mirror you can see some of it. A proper look takes tools and experience.
Is parging common?
It is a regular repair on older masonry fireplaces.
What if a neighbor shares my chimney?
The two sides share a wall, and a repair may involve both. We find out who is responsible.
Chimney Academy
Guides that go with this page
Questions about your chimney in Maplewood?
Call us, or send a scheduling request. We will contact you to confirm. Your appointment is not confirmed until we do.