Learning how to stop a chiminea smoking is a very important aspect to consider if you want to cook or have an excellent fire pit experience outdoors. In numerous gardens and decking spaces, a chiminea is considered a popular addition as it allows residents to feel warm and relaxed even on cold evenings. Nevertheless, endless amounts of smoke and fumes may prevent you from having fun and enjoying a crackling fire. The issue most people have to deal with is that at the beginning it is difficult to figure out how to lessen smoke from a chiminea while still using it frequently.
Here below you can find a host of recommendations to consider in order to control chiminea smoking so that you can enjoy the warmth a chiminea provides and have fun while considerably diminishing the amount of smoke, which may negatively affect your gatherings. Elevate your gatherings with a backyard cooler for all to enjoy! Check out our favourite backyard coolers here.
Use a Smokeless Fuel
Make sure to use smokeless fuel such as dry wood in order to avoid considerable amounts of smoke. For instance, if you get a piece of wet wood that has been already exposed to rain, this may contain over 50% water, which means that if you use it in your chiminea, the fire will have first to burn off all the water, producing a lot of smoke and then after water has been burned off, it can generate a high level of heat.
Keep your Chiminea Sheltered from the Wind
There are certain aspects we can’t simply control. Such is the case with wind, which immediately boosts the quantity of smoke that a chiminea gives off now that the stronger it gets, the faster it accelerates the burning of the fuel. This not only makes more smoke than usual, but also it is more expensive to use. However, we can have some control on how the wind interacts with the chiminea. It is known that wind tends to blow in a certain direction, so it is easy to place the chiminea away from that direction. Doing this will not only decrease smoke production, but also help fire burn more effectively.
If the above does not work, you can opt for a windscreen, which is usually made of glass to offer a clear view of the burning wood, but in order to avoid possible dangers, it must be anchored down and placed far enough away from the fire. You should consider that a windscreen may decrease the amount of heat that your chiminea emits but it can be worth it, particularly on windy nights.
Don’t Burn Unseasoned or Wet Wood
Both wet wood and unseasoned wood contain more water than dry wood, meaning that when either of them is being burned, it will produce less heat than dry wood, decreasing its burning ability. When the chiminea is wet, the heat burns off the water, generating steam that combines with the smoke from the fire, causing the chiminea to produce more smoke than usual. Furthermore, burning this kind of wood can be a serious danger to your health now that when it emits more smoke than usual, a considerable amount of contaminants and small particles are released into the air to finally be inhaled by you.
Don’t Burn Leaves
Leaves and foliage not only come with higher water content but they also have natural gas. This will drastically increase the amount of smoke that your chiminea gives off. Therefore, before using a chiminea, you must clean it frequently and make sure you remove any leaves that may ruin your chiminea performance.
Avoid adding too much Tinder
Tinder such as wood or paper is certainly great for starting any fire in a chiminea, but throwing more of it after the fire has established itself, will only create unnecessary smoke.
Clean your Chiminea
If you have a dirty chiminea, you will not get a clean flame as you may expect. Therefore, before using a chiminea and putting new or dry wood in it, you should clean your chiminea by removing leave residue and ash in the chamber.
Use Hard Wood for Burning
Using the correct wood has a big impact on the flame your chiminea produces. That is why it is always recommended to use softwood for kindling and hardwood for burning. For example, softwood burns quicker, creating a lot more smoke than usual, meaning that if you do not want to have a considerable amount of smoke you should opt for hardwood.
How to Perform a Smoke Test
You need first to turn a propane heater on and you will see a small flame. Next, you need to open the door of your stove and put the propane heater inside it to warm the flue up. To speed up the warming of the flue, you need to increase the size of the flame of the propane heater and then you hold it in one position for about two to three minutes.
In case you do not have a propane heater and you want to test the appliance without it, you just need a decent quality fire lighter paired with some kindling that has been properly dried and what this will do is to warm the flue before you put your smoke pellet into the stove which will then ensure that the smoke goes up the chimney and does not come into rooms.
We start with the kindling, firstly with a fire lighter and then place in the middle of the stove and followed by bits of kindling. Once you put your kindling in and it is setting on fire, just close the door momentarily to allow more air to suck into the stove. After, it is needed to place a smoke pellet (they can be gray or orange depending on the weather and clouds) inside the stove and close it again. Then you can see if smoke is coming out of anywhere around the stove.
On the other hand, if you detect that smoke is coming out of the entire chimney, it means that it has failed and you need to line it to ensure that the flue gasses do not travel into any of the loft space bedrooms and for doing so you need a lining system to fix that. Want to enjoy the next sports game on TV next to your Chiminea? Check out our article on how to mount a TV outdoors on siding here.
Check out this Youtube video for more information.
Products to use
All Natural Fire Starters.15-20 Minute Burn
All Natural Fire Starters.15-20 Minute Burn for BBQ, campfire, charcoal, fire pit, wood & pellet stove, 30 Extra Large Waterproof...
- EFFICIENT KINDLING: Superior Trading Co.'s fire starter pods are created using natural wood shavings and food-grade wax, and each pod measures 1.5" x 1.75". These fire starters eliminate the requirement for lighter fluid, charcoal lighter, or any other kindling tool to start a fire. Simply light the pod with a match, and it will burn for 15-20 minutes with ease.
All Natural Fire Starters are an alternative to complex and risky lighter fluid. Each pod is built with all natural food safe material of wood and wax. Every pod is manufactured by persons with disabilities, providing them with useful work experience. To start a fire in a matter of seconds, one pod is more than enough, each of them being able to last for 15 minutes. They can also be used to start a charcoal or wood fire. As they do not have any taste or odor, all-natural shaving and wax pods will not preserve the natural flavor of your food.
Lightning Nuggets N50VBOX Firestarters Box of Fire
Lightning Nuggets N50VBOX Firestarters Box of Fire-Starting Nuggets, 50 Count,Tan
- 50 fire-starting nuggets for quickly starting any fire, indoors or out
- Non-toxic and environmentally safe; pine scented; unlimited shelf life
- Made of pitchwood sawdust and food-grade paraffin wax; no residue left behind
These nuggets are suitable to start any fire either indoors or outdoors, and they are made of pitch-wood sawdust and food-grade paraffin wax. One of these nuggets is more than enough to start any fire without the need of newspapers and kindling or complex lighting fluids.
Kamado Joe KJ-CHAR Hardwood Lump Charcoal, Extra Large
Kamado Joe KJ-Char Hardwood, Extra Large Lump Charcoal (2)
- Produces a robust wood fire flavor
- Burns clean and longer than similar products
- Available in a 20lb size
Kamado Joe 100% Natural Lump Charcoal is manufactured with real trees, burning with a deep woody flavor. Other brands employ recycled or treated wood. Therefore, the flavor of wood-fired cooking will decrease. As this Charcoal is manufactured with hardwood, it burns hotter, allowing you to get steak-searing temperatures. Paired with a ceramic grill, being able to insulate well, you will need less heat to cook your food, resulting in moister meats. It burns longer, allowing a better slow cooking.
Kamado Joe 100% Natural Lump Charcoal is cheaper per use as the hardwood charcoal burns hotter and the larger pieces burn longer. You can also re-use partly burned charcoal pieces if you close the vents in your grill.
OLIVETTE Organic Charcoal Briquettes USDA Organic Certified
OLIVETTE Organic Charcoal Briquettes USDA Organic Certified | 100% Recycled Olive Tree Byproducts Charcoal Briquettes | Grilling, Fireplace and Sauna...
- ORGANIC CHARCOAL BRIQUETTES Olivette’s organic charcoal briquettes, made from recycled olive pulp, olive pits and olive pruning branches, bring a sustainable, eco-friendly element to your next BBQ! An innovation on the US market, our USDA organic certified charcoal contains no chemical additives at all, leaving you to enjoy the pleasant scent of olive wood perfume.
Produced with re-used olive pulps, pits and pruning branches, ORGANIC CHARCOAL BRIQUETTES Olivette’s organic charcoal briquettes provide a sustainable, ecologically friendly element to your BBQ and no trees are cut down to produce it.This is a USDA organic approved charcoal that does not feature chemical ingredients, so it allows you to enjoy the delightful aroma of live wood perfume.
Unlike other charcoals available on the market, the Organic Charcoal Briquettes Olivette is significantly healthier. Additionally, they do not generate smoke or toxic substances that may be harmful or toxic to your health and do not come with chemical particles adhering to your food, providing a tastier and healthier BBQ experience.
Whether you are cooking, warming up in front of a fireplace, or resting in the sauna, grilling and heating with charcoal olivette briquettes are adaptable and effective for such a purpose. Apart from that, Olivette is simple to light up, burns for up to 5 hours, features a high and constant heating power(50% higher than normal wood),does not ignite or generate volatile ash and is very cheap as well. As it does not produce smoke, Olivette offers a healthier experience.
Blazing Coco Premium 20 Pound Coconut Shell Charcoal Logs – All Natural High End Grilling
Blazing Coco Premium 20 Pound Coconut Shell Charcoal Logs - All Natural High End Grilling
- BURNS UP TO 3X LONGER- Unlike your average grocery store charcoal briquettes, coconut charcoal burns hotter and up to 3 times longer so you can cook more with less. Perfect for smokers, kamados, dutch ovens and large BBQ’s
Compared to typical charcoal briquettes, coconut charcoal burns hotter and for up to three times longer, allowing you to cook more with less. It is suitable for smokers, kamados, dutch ovens, and large grills. It is entirely composed of natural coconut shells, decreasing waste.This product is sustainable and eco-friendly now that during its elaboration process trees are not cut down. It does not matter if you are a skilled cook or BBQ enthusiast, you can enjoy using the coconut charcoal logs.
Coconut lump charcoal, unlike ordinary charcoal, does not have chemicals or fillers, diminishing the amount of smoke and ash, making cleaning up easy. Ash may be used as fertilizer in the garden. Coco Coconut logs generate little to no smoke and smell, helping you to preserve the natural flavor of your food, including the authentic BBQ flavor.
Featured image credit: “Steve’s Chiminea” by SteveR- is licensed under CC BY 2.0
