Re:Smokey smell in my attic

June 6, 2007

Jeff, Thanks. I do have unlined old chimney that's not in the best

condition. I have gotten a price to take it down to attic floor and

rebuild and trying to decide if I should go ahead with that repair.

One chimney company sent a camera down it and said the mortor was

deteriorating but the chimney was still solid..not about to fall

down so said I could leave it alone if I wasn't going to use it or

just use a Duralog. Of course my concern is not whether I can build

a fire in it. I asked if attic air could come down through broken

mortor and they said not, but they are trained to make sure fire

sparks do not get into attic, not about whether attic air can come

down through mortor which would only need tiny cracks or porosity,

so not sure I believe him. Cost is $4 to take down chimney to attic

floor and rebuilt. Trying to decide that. It isn't chemical

smell. It really is smokey. I have black asphalt roof on a hilltop

and I know black asphalt gets hotter than alot of roofs, holes in

plaster that need repairing, etc. I'm sure it's attic air.

I posted this to IEQ group so not sure if you read it there but

think what happened to my house is I added vents to an old unvented

attic. However I believe that it is balloon framed and tops of

walls are open to attic completely. I plan to ask a handyman/friend

to get up and look for me. I think adding vents allowed air from

outside to get down into walls of house and perhaps meeting up with

inside air through loose frames of old rope and pulley windows or

cracks in plaster or old chimney. Not sure yet.

House only smells in smells smokey in summer but it was in summer

that it made me feel so sick I left.

I don't know if chimney is a contributing factor or not. There is a

moldy beam right over attic hatch opening also which will need to be

repaired. I think all my problems in house are coming from attic.

Forgot to mention they are original rope and pulley windows...1924

so no offgassing but could be other problems if outside air is

mixing in air in wall around them.

Phew, this is exhausting me but I feel I've gotten on the right road

or close to it. It's like trying to solve a murder mystery.

>

> Barb,

>

> I can't remember if I posted this before but the insect screens on

many

>

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