Make sure your fireplace functions properly so it's ready whenever you, your family and friends want to enjoy it. Proper ...

Nor will homeowners who rely on a fireplace for heat or have properties at an elevation above 3,000 feet. Coastal areas that don’t experience as many high-pollution days probably will be unaffected.

Q: We own an older house in Los Gatos. It was built in 1930s. The fireplace was built without a damper. There is also a glass-door fire screen that can be closed. We get an odor of ashes even when ...

Q. Whenever we burn a fire our house smells acrid for a couple of days afterwards. Like a roasted hot dog or something. It's pretty gross! My husband even took the shop vac last winter and sucked ...

Homefix: Dwight Barnett answers home-improvement questions. This week's topic is on fireplace draft and flue problems.

Make sure your fireplace is prepped and the flue damper is open. Then, start stacking firewood using either the log cabin or upside-down method.

The fact that smoke was able to leak past the damper in the basement fireplace isn't surprising. Dampers aren't very airtight, and they're certainly not made to exclude smoke coming in from above.

Forgetting to open the fireplace damper — and then having the house fill with smoke — is a common mistake. When it happened to Lucile Berkowitz, 85, during the windstorm and power failure of ...

Imagine this scenario: You and your spouse have just moved into a new home with a masonry fireplace. You start a fire and smoke begins to roll into the room. The damper opens completely and you can… ...

Fireplace Dampers recalled. wpvi. By 6abc. Tuesday, March 23, 2010. WASHINGTON, D.C. Hazard: When the consumer attempts to open/close the damper, it can become stuck in its current position.