Smoke Chamber Cleaning

The smoke chamber is only one of many chimney parts. The smoke chamber is located above the firebox and below the flue. Its purpose is to compress the smoke into a smaller area to travel up the flue and exit the chimney. If you are looking at your fireplace from inside your home, you can visualize where the smoke chamber is by looking at the structure compressing itself as it gets closer to the ceiling.

The smoke chamber features another important chimney part known as the smoke shelf. The shelf is used to prevent water and debris from coming down the firebox. It also assists in preventing downdrafts. Downdrafts are cold pockets of air pushing down toward the firebox. The damper is a second chimney part used to prevent downdrafts from entering your home.

Parged Vs. Corbeled Smoke Chambers

The smoke shelf and chamber need to be cleaned along with the rest of the chimney. As the chimney is cleaned, the creosote will fall onto the smoke shelf. If the shelf is not cleaned, the material will allow other things to fall into the firebox.

If you have an older home with an older chimney, then your smoke chamber may be corbeled. Corbeled is a technique used when chimneys were first constructed. The brick was laid jaggedly, so masonry joints were exposed. This type of technique was replaced later on because of its effects on the chimney’s life.

Jagged edges in the smoke chamber create places where the smoke can stop or return to the firebox. You can experience unnecessary smoke in your home, and the chimney will run less efficiently. The solution to this method is known as parging.

Parging is similar to stucco but is closer to mortar. It evens the exposed masonry joints, so there is a smooth incline for the smoke to follow. If you have an older chimney, then your smoke chamber may need parged. Now, parging won’t assist in cleaning your chimney, but it will make it more efficient. This keeps your chimney cleaner for longer periods of time.