Are Chimineas Smokey?

We can all agree that a chiminea is better than a grill because of the ambiance, comfort, and unique quality. One question remains: are chimineas giving too much smoke? Is it unhealthy to have several hours breathing in the fumes?

smokey chiminea

Why Do They Smoke Too Much?

Chimineas smoke is caused by several factors, such as the fuel being wet, not enough ventilation, bad wind direction, using wet leaves for fire, too much kindling, overloading the chimineas with fuel, presence of moisture inside the chimney, presence of previously burnt ashes in the chimineas and many more. If you are dealing with any of these issues, you will need to understand the proper reason behind your chiminea being smoky. Proper assembling of fire in the chimineas can avoid the smoke and avoid further environmental health hazards caused by it.

How Do I Stop Chimineas From Smoking Too Much?

Ciminieas can smoke a lot if you do not use the proper fuel type, or do not set up the fire properly, or you overload it with wood and leaves. There are multiple reasons that chimineas can smoke. However, you can stop chimineas from smoking with these simple techniques.

1. Correct Kindling

It is important to add some kindling to your fuel to start the quick burning of wood. But too much kindling can cause chimineas to release too much smoke. So, it is crucial to put the right amount of kindling into your fuel to have quick fire without having so much smoke. 

2. Do Not Overload The Chiminea

Sometimes if you put so much fuel at once in the chiminea there will not be enough space for the air to have the free-flowing fire. In such a scenario chimineas will start giving out smoke just because the fuel will get hot because of fire present inside the firepit but can not start with combustion due to overload and release smoke instead.  

3. Have Enough Airflow

For any burning process, it needs air. If the chimneys are kept at the places where there is no proper air available to start the burning process in such cases too they will start to release a heavy amount of smoke. 

4. Clean and Maintain It Often

If you want your chiminea to be smokeless then maintaining it with proper cleaning is crucial. Often the leftover residues like burnt charcoal, wood, and ashes need to be cleaned after every usage to have a good smoke-free chiminea for next usage. If you want to use the same used fuel which is not completely burned out in the previous use, you just simply need to remove it and dust off the ash residues, and then use it for combustion. The leftover ashes from the fuel often cause problems to start combustion smoothly.

5. Do Not Burn Wet Wood

Wet wood can cause smoke because it will first burn the moisture present in it and till the time the moisture present inside the wet wood it will not catch fire and will instead create smoke. So, it is highly recommended to use wood that is completely dry and is in sound condition. 

6. Do Not Burn Leaves

Adding leaves in chimineas can cause smoke. Leaves can be used as fuel but if we put them in the right amount it will not cause much fire. Putting so many dried or wet leaves in the firepit can cause smoke.

How To Light Chiminea Without Smoke

Lighting chimineas without smoke is easy, you just have to practice these things and you can light your chimineas without causing smoke.

Look out for logs that have a 2-3 burn time, once you have the logs in place and before you lay the firewood inside the fire pit, you may consider using a Firemizer if you want an even longer burn time without smoke. 

You can also use a chiminea fire starter to get your fire burning immediately after lighting without causing much smoke. To light the chiminea, you have two options: 1) Use a Chimney Starter 2) Use Newspaper or kindling. Once you have used one of these methods, place some small pieces of wood inside and let it burn for 30 minutes before adding larger logs. The following are tips on how to maintain your chiminea for best performance without causing smoke.

Chiminea Lid On Or Off?

While the fire is lit, you should keep the lid off. Avoid covering the lid of your chiminea when lighting the fires inside it. The chimney will get very hot and is capable of causing irreparable damage to the chiminea if you leave the chiminea lid on while lighting fires inside it. It also will cause heavy smoke because the fuel inside the chimney will not get proper air for the combustion.

Tips On How To Stop Chimineas From Smoking

When building a fire, wood-burning chimineas can be a very efficient way to warm up your home, yard, and patio. It’s simple, easy to maintain, and uses less wood than the open fire pit. The intense flames of a wood fire can also have a detrimental effect on the environment. But the smoke that they release can carry pollutants into the air and can cause breathing and other health issues. So here we are providing a few tips to stop chimineas from smoking.

Avoid Wind

You may not realize it, but chimineas need a little bit of air to maintain a nice clean fire. But if it is windy it is not going to help chimineas to light fire properly. The wind may cause the fire to stop completely and create smoke instead. So, it is better to keep chiminea away from the strong wind, it is better to choose places where there is little shelter around and does not have a strong wind blowing all the time.

Smokeless Fuel

There are different varieties of fuels available in the market and few fuel types cause less smoke and are called smokeless fuel. Smokeless fuel will help you keep the surroundings clean and you can easily assemble your chimineas anywhere without worrying about the ash particles floating around in the air and causing damage to the furniture. Using dry and hygienic smokeless fuel will help you in many ways and this is the best way to get rid of any consequences caused because of smoky chimineas.

The Best Wood To Burn For Your Chiminea

There are many types of woods available as fuel for your chiminea in the market. But choosing the best one can help you to keep the environment clean and healthy.

Cedar

Cedarwood is the best fuel for chiminea because it doesn’t contribute any air pollutants like sulfur or nitrogen oxides. It is also environmentally friendly and clean. It’s widely used in wedding items, doors and windows, and also firewood.

Pear

The best wood to burn for your chiminea can be determined by its heat output, smoke flavor, odor, and safety level. Some wood is best for a chiminea while others provide more heat. Pearwood burns slowly and produces a pleasant smell but does not produce as many flames as other wood types.

Sycamore

It’s essential to know the benefits and disadvantages of any type of fuel, especially if you are planning on getting a chiminea. Sycamore is great fuelwood to burn in a fire pit or chiminea. It burns well, offers moderate heat, and has a good flame.

Cherry 

You should select the wood to be used in your fire based on the energy required, the cleanness of the final product, and the pleasant aroma. Cherry is a good fuel for chimineas if you’re choosing it over wood from other trees. Cherry burns nicely in chimeneas, is easy to work with, and doesn’t produce as much smoke as other types of wood. The cherry wood burns best and produces a lovely scent. 

Oak

Oak is the best burning wood for the chiminea. It burns slowly and gives off more heat than other woods. Oak can burn for many hours if you’re prepared to open fire. It is also one of the safest burning woods due to its large surface area. You can use oak wood for your chiminea on your patio, in your backyard, or a fireplace.

Conclusion

The chimineas can be smoky if not used properly. You have to choose the proper fuel and location to lit your chimineas without causing much smoke. Smoke can cause environmental hazards and it is essential to look after these factors.