Advice about smelly chimney?

[MissingMyLieIns]

We moved into a house last year that had a woodburner. The previous owner had burned all sorts of rubbish in it and never had the chimney swept and there was a horrible creasotey/tar smell throughout the living room and a lot of smoke damage.

We have since had the chimney thoroughly swept and some sort of anti tar treatment applied, replaced the burner with a gas stove and redecorated. The smell has completely gone downstairs.

However in my daughters room which is immediately above we occasionally get a whiff off it, mainly when its been raining. She has a vent in her room into the chimney but this is shut, but I assume the smell is either still coming through the vent or just seeping through the walls. I am now flapping about her breathing in particulates and whatever else must be in the air while she sleeps. It also makes a racket as the wind howls up and down the chimney.

I am going to ring the chimney sweep for some advice but does anyone have any potential solutions? I can't really get the chimney swept again as its all been blocked off for the gas stove to be fitted.

Should I be leaving the vent open in her room to encourage air flow? I get there is meant to be a vent (for condensation?) but am no really sure why. Or get a vent fitted in the loft? Or asking for a different kind of cowl to be fitted to the chimney? (And would this help the noise?)

Any advice appreciated as I am a bit clueless.

if tar from an old chimney is soaking into the wall, it tends to leave a yellow or brown stain on the plaster. This also happens if water is getting into the chimney.

The upstairs fireplace and the downstairs fireplace would have had separate flues, but if the brickwork is damaged or gappy it's possible for smoke to pass between them. Both flues should be ventilated top and bottom. An airbrick will do.

If your daughter's room has an open vent (which it should) then there will normally be a slight airflow into the vent, up the chimney, and out at the top, which ventilates the chimney and prevents condensaton and damp inside it. If the chimney has (wrongly) been sealed at the top then smells might come into the room.

Have a look at the top of the chimney (binoculars will help) to see if it has been sealed. If so, ask your chimney sweep's advice. They are usually expert on chimneys and their problems.

If you hold a smouldering joss-stick or cigarette end in front of the fireplace vent, you should see the smoke being pulled into the chimney, not flowing into the room.

btw you mention a gas stove.

Do you mean a cooker? Or a room heater?

gas burners create moisture which can lead to condensation, and the chimney should have a sealed liner fitted. The gas installer should have dealt with this as there are regulations to follow. It's often a big flexible metal tube passed down from the chimneypot and connected to the gas appliance flue.

Thank you for this Piglet John, really appreciate your expertise. I didnt know they had separate flues. I will look at the top of the chimney tomorrow to see if I can see how it is sealed and see if smoke is drawn up the chimney. I'll also open the vent slightly. The gas fitter did fit a liner for the gas fire so thats all sorted. Would it be worth getting an airbrick put in from in the loft? We have a condensation problem in there currently (have now opened the velux slightly as an interim measure) so intend to get some roof tile vents installed anyway.

if the top of the chimney has been sealed, you can put an airbrick in the loft, but this would be dangerous if anyone ever started using a fireplace again and didn't know.

I would hope a builder of roofer sealing a chimney would know enough to include a vent when capping it.

It's possible there's water getting down the disused chimney in rain, and no enough ventilation to dry it out. Old chimneys need flashing which is best done by a skilled leadworker, but often bodged p with sticky tape, mortar ands tar. Good experienced roofers usually know what to do.

I love you Piglet John erm.. can I send you my university assignments?
I've just written about the problems of sealing off chimneys and have realised I could have done a lot better

Had a look at the chimney and it seems to be open at the top and smoke is drawn from the vent in the bedroom up the chimney. Its sleeting at the moment and I can smell the tarry smell again. I have opened the vent slightly, is this enough? (See pic) I don't want to open it full as its right by my daughters bed and will freak her out! (I wouldn't want to sleep next to it)
Or should I get a better vent?
Or could I have an airbrick put in from the outside wall and then I could block off the vent? PigletJohn?

Pics attached