New Homes Available In South West Florida

How to Diagnose a Smoky Fireplace


Its cold and you want to use your fireplace, but youve been having problems in the past with it smoking. You can correct your smoky fireplace issue with a few easy steps. Take a gander at these fireplace tips to correct any issues of a smoky one.

This list of tips should help you correct any problem with a fireplace that fills your house up with black silt smoke. Not only does it need to be done because you cant use your fireplace, but smoke from a fireplace ruins walls, carpets and drapes. This type of smoke is almost impossible to get out of any fabric including your clothes. Besides it not healthy to breathe in the smoke and its especially true with anyone suffering from allergies of any kind.

1. Stoke up the Fireplace Chimney. Be sure to open your damper. Its usually found in front of the fireplace and its a simple switch to pull back. Next warm the chimney air by burning newspaper or any other type of safe material in the fireplace. The goal is to get the air warmer in the chimney so itll push the cold air out and away. Colder air pushes the warmer air down and smoky air can occur.
2. Use Seasoned Wood. Dont burn green timber in your fireplace. Large fireplace logs tend to cause more smoke because it takes them a while to get hot enough to burn off residue. Small logs are the best choice.
3. Open Windows. Sometimes theres not enough draft in a room to catch the fireplace to light. Its not as big of a problem if you happen to live in an older house. Older homes were not built as energy efficient as newer models are, theres not much of a draft to circulate for the use of a fireplace. So open one or two windows to help your fireplace start burning.
4. Purchase Fireplace Bricks. Even though youre using a grate at times it doesnt provide enough air circulation under the wood for it to catch. Smoke is the result that billows into your house. You can buy extra fireplace bricks to build up your grate to a higher level. This will help stop smoking by creating enough draft under the grate.
5. Scale Down the Fireplace Opening. Extra large fireplaces have more of a problem heating an area. This is usually because the chimney is much smaller than the open hearth part. The trick is to balance the size with the chimney. Certain fireplace stores carry reducers that can be installed. Also look for a shield to catch any smoke that may circulate into the room
6. Turn Down the Furnace. Smoky air can be created when theres not enough air in the house. For example when it heats the air in the chimney the fan returns it to the house in the form of smoke when your furnace is on. So turn down the furnace to a level thats acceptable for the other rooms, or if you can bear it turn it off.
7. Clean out Pipes or Raise Them. Sometimes the pipes outside can get clogged from debris or even bird nests. At other times pipes are not long enough and need to be replaced. Cutting back high growing trees and branches will help cut down on smoke in the fireplace too because the air is not stopped from circulating, and pushed back into the house as smoke.
8. Hire a Professional Cleaning Crew. Smoke from wood can give off a substance known as creosote. This is a natural by product of burning wood in your fireplace. Have your fireplace checked once a year and cleaned. Fireplace maintenance is a safety issue too.


Your fireplace should be something for you to enjoy and not fret over. However fireplaces are like other things around the house that need care and attention. Remember just because it doesnt run off electricity doesnt mean that it can be ignored. It sits patiently for autumn to roll around and to provide you with warmth. In the mean time make sure your ready to go by inspecting it and having it cleaned. In the autumn and winter months you can sit back and enjoy the warmth of the fire and a smoke free house too.

There are lots of real estate listings that you can now check online for easier access and convenience.

Open and Shut Case: Mysteries of the Stuck Window and Door Revealed


Sometimes, when opportunity knocks, you cant get the door open. Its mysteriously stuck. You move over to open the window of opportunity, and after much huffing and puffing, you realize you cant get that open, either. Whats going on here?

Learn all about how and why doors and windows stick and how to fix them, so youre not stuck the next time opportunity pays a visit!

Stuck Windows
Windows can stick for a variety of reasons. Often wood expands and contracts, moving parts have been painted over, or two surfaces may simply seem fused together. Some of the most common problems and fixes for stuck windows are:

Painted-over joint: Cut the paint with a window zipper (tool designed just for this purpose) or a putty knife. Hold blade flat against the sash and push the edge into the joint while drawing the tool along the surface.
Paint build-up: Similar to when joints are painted over, years of painting can also result in an accumulation that causes excessive friction. Use a paint scraper to remove excess paint from the window stop, parting strip, and blind stop. Raise and lower the sash throughout the process. For a lower sash, it is also a possibility to remove the window stop to sand and scrape the edges facing the window. If none of the easier solutions were successful, remove both sashes and completely strip the paint to the bare wood. Repaint the sashes and reinstall when the pain has dried.
Too much friction: Lubricate the sash channels with candle wax or talcum powder. This can also prevent painted surfaces from sticking together. If spring metal weather-stripping is found in the sash channels, reduce tension by using a hammer and block of wood to flatten the strip.
Just plain stuck. A sharp rap to the center rail, near the lock can sometimes break a bond between painted surfaces. The blow can be administered with the palm of your hand or a rubber mallet. Another option is to gently tap a wooden block again the sides of the sash.
New friction channels. If you have some extra time on your hands and are very concerned with preventing heat loss, another option is to install new friction channels. To do this, first remove sashes, weights and pulleys.

Push fiberglass insulation into the openings for the weigh cavities. Start at the top and work your way down with the aid of a flexible rod or stick.

Using a hammer and sharp chisel, notch the ends of the top parting strip to create the new channels.

Replace the sashes in the window frame between the two new channels. Tilt the entire assembly into the opening from the bottom inside.

Finally, reinstall interior stops according to the manufacturers instructions for adjusting tension. If windows are too loose after the stops have been installed, increase tension by hammering a wood block against the stop at nail placements. When the tension seems right to you, drive in several nails.

Stuck Doors
Doors can stick for many of the same reasons as windowstoo much tension, or painting over moving parts. However, with the addition of hinges, that also opens up a whole new area of possible reasons for stuck doors.

Door rubs against jamb. The solution to this problem differs according to which side the door is rubbing against the jamb on. If the door rubs against the jamb on the hinge side, you will need to shim the hinges out. Unscrew the hinge from the jamb and place a piece of cardboard behind it. Shimming out the bottom hinge may resolve the problem of a door binding at the top of the strike jamb.

If the door rubs against the jamb on the side without the hinge or against another part of the door frame, the door may need to be modified so it will fit. Mark the door with scribe lines so you know where to plane and remove the door (removing bottom pin first and working your way upward). Lay the door on a flat surface and plane the appropriate edges.
Loose hinge screws. To fix loose hinge screws, wedge the door open and remove the screws. Fold back the hinge, being careful not to lose any existing shims. Buy or whittle wood pieces to fit the holes. Add glue and push the wood pieces into the holes. Scrape the wood plugs until they are flush, fold the hinge back into place, drill pilot holes and drive in new screws.
Moving a stop. Sometimes its easier to move the stop than unwarp a door. If a door is binding against the hinge-side stop or will not close properly because of an improperly placed stop on the latch side, pry off the offending stop. Close the door and draw a line, along the doors inside edge, on the jamb. Nail the stop on this line.
Moving a strike plate. A latch and strike may get out of alignment because a house had settled. If the strike plate is too far away, shim it out with cardboard. If it is too close, unscrew the strike, chisel out a new mortise, drill pilot holes, and replace the strike. If necessary, use wood putty to fill the old mortise hole and sand until smooth.