The most common cause is a clogged flue, but just as often the problem is a cold chimney, an open cleaning door or a house that lacks fresh air. With flue cleaning and a draught check we find the cause. Cleaning costs from €100, certificate included.
Safety first
If the stove is smoking into the room, stop heating, open the windows and do not light it again until the cause has been found. Smoke contains carbon monoxide, which you cannot smell. If anyone in the house has a headache, feels dizzy or sick, everyone must go outside and call 112. If you hear a roaring sound in the chimney and sparks are flying out of it, it may be burning soot: call 112 in that case too.
Stove smoking into the room: the most common causes
| Cause | How it shows | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Soot, tar or debris in the flue | the draught has weakened gradually, over months | flue cleaning |
| A bird's nest or fallen bricks | the draught has gone suddenly, often in spring or after a long break from heating | cleaning from the top, a cap with mesh |
| Cold chimney | smokes only when you light it; once the chimney has warmed up, all is well | warm up the flue, light with dry, small firewood |
| Open or leaking cleaning door | weak draught even though the flue is clean | close the door, replace the seal or the door |
| Not enough fresh air | smokes when the kitchen cooker hood is on or all the windows are closed | let air in: window trickle ventilation, an air inlet by the stove |
| Two appliances on one flue | smoke appears in one stove when the other is lit | check the flue system; usually a separate flue is needed |
| Chimney too low, or a taller building and trees nearby | smokes in windy weather or with the wind from a certain direction | raising the chimney or a cowl |
| Flue too wide for a new appliance | unstable draught, a lot of condensation and tar | a liner of the right diameter |
What you can check yourself
- Whether the damper is fully open. After the summer it sometimes sticks half-way.
- Whether all the cleaning doors, including those in the attic and other rooms, are closed.
- Whether it still smokes when you open a window in the room with the stove. If the draught is good with the window open, the house lacks air.
- Whether it smokes only when you light it. A cold chimney can be warmed up before you light the wood in the firebox: burn a crumpled newspaper at the flue opening or at the top of the firebox.
- Whether something taller has been built next to the house in recent years, or a tree has grown that shelters the chimney from the wind.
If none of this helps, do not climb onto the roof to look into the chimney. Describe in your request exactly when the stove smokes, and we will check it.
How we look for the cause of poor draught
- Questions We find out when the problem started, whether it is constant or only in wind, and what has changed in the house: windows, boiler, cooker hood or roof.
- Cleaning We clean the flue, the flue pipe and the chimney base, and remove nests and debris. In many cases that is enough.
- Draught check We check the draught with the windows closed and open and with the cooker hood on, to tell a flue problem from a lack of air in the house.
- Chimney head We look at the height of the chimney relative to the ridge, the cap and whether it is clogged. If needed, we examine the flue with a camera.
- Recommendation We explain the cause and record it in the certificate. If a repair, a liner or a cap is needed, we name the price separately.
What the building code says about chimney height
The top of the chimney must be at least 0.5 m above the roof covering. If the chimney is closer than 1.5 m to the ridge, it must be 0.5 m higher than the ridge, and between 1.5 and 3 m away it must not be lower than the ridge. Each stove needs its own flue channel; two appliances may be connected to one flue only within one flat and on one storey. More detail: chimney height above the roof.
Building code LBN 231-15 “Heating and Ventilation”, point 41 (a separate flue channel for each stove), point 61 (height depending on the distance to the ridge), point 62 (at least 0.5 m above the roof covering), point 65 (caps and cowls); Cabinet Regulation No. 238 “Fire Safety Regulations”, sub-point 89.1 (using a damaged flue is forbidden). Source: likumi.lv, checked 04.11.2026. Regulations checked 04.11.2026; from 2 January 2027 they will be replaced by new fire safety regulations, which we will check as soon as they are adopted.
How much fixing a draught problem costs
Flue cleaning with a draught check costs from €100, usually €100–130, with the certificate and call-out in Riga and the Riga region. If the cause is not soot but the height or width of the chimney or the cap, we price the work after an inspection: chimney lining, chimney repair or fitting a chimney cap. We do it only once you have agreed to the price. All prices: prices.