Camden County, New Jersey
Smoke Coming Into the House? Voorhees, NJ
Voorhees has newer housing and a mix of detached homes and attached ones. In tight, modern houses, smoke into the room is often an air-supply problem.
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.
Voorhees, in Camden County, has mostly newer housing. The Census finds about 51% detached houses and 62% owner-occupied, with a median build year of 1983 and only about 4% of homes built before 1950. The ACS median home value is about $430,000.
About half of the housing is attached, so a fireplace may sit in a townhouse or a condominium as well as in a detached house.
Newer houses are built tight. That helps with heating bills and creates the conditions for backdrafting.
Housing profile
What the housing mix means in Voorhees
Roughly half the housing is attached, so a Voorhees fireplace may be in a townhouse where an association sets the rules. In newer detached houses, air supply can affect how a fireplace draws, which is why those questions come early on this page.
Misconceptions
"My chimney must be blocked."
Often it is not.
"A taller chimney will fix it."
Only if height is the cause, which is uncommon.
Learn
Smoke into the room in a tight house
When a house is airtight, running a bathroom fan, a kitchen hood and a dryer can make the pressure inside lower than outside. The easiest path for makeup air may be down the chimney, and with it, smoke. The signs are smoke when fans are running, smoke on windy days, and smoke that clears when a window is opened.
The fix is air supply, not the chimney: a window cracked open, a dedicated outside air inlet, or running fewer fans at once. Persistent smoke should still be inspected. See smoke coming into the house, and for the chimney side, the smoke chamber explained.
What we look at
How a tight house affects a fireplace
Air supply
A fire needs air. In a tight house, it may pull from the chimney.
Exhaust fans and dryers
They move air out of the house, which has to come in somewhere.
Gas appliances
Water heaters and furnaces vent through chimneys or pipes. Backdrafting affects them too.
Attached homes
Neighboring appliances can affect air movement.
Symptoms
| Symptom | Possible cause | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Smoke when exhaust fans run | Negative pressure | Provide makeup air |
| Smoke clears with a window open | Air supply | Fix the supply |
| Smoke regardless | Blockage, damper, flue | Inspection |
| Gas appliance spill | Backdraft | Have it checked promptly |
Questions
Frequently asked questions
Is smoke in the house dangerous?
It can be. If smoke fills a room or an alarm sounds, follow the emergency steps above: get out and call 911. Carbon monoxide cannot be seen or smelled, so working alarms matter in any home with fuel-burning appliances.
Can you test for negative pressure?
Please call to discuss what we can do on a visit.
Can I use the fireplace in a condo?
Check your association's rules.
Service areas
Other areas we serve
Chimney Academy
Guides that go with this page
Questions about your chimney in Voorhees?
Call us, or send a scheduling request. We will contact you to confirm. Your appointment is not confirmed until we do.