Constant smoke smell when not in use

[begreen]

We can't say

So just to be clear. Do you all believe that putting in the liner will be able to stop the actual problem of air flowing down the chimney constantly?
Or is it just going to be flowing downward with less odor?

It should make for a nice improvement, but we are not in the house and can't say for sure. Normally the two recommended steps will solve the problem. But if there is another problem of negative pressure on that floor then no, the problem may not be completely solved. Is the insert normally easy to light or reload with no smoke spillage? If so, the odds are in favor of the cleanout and liner stopping the problem. If there is some spillage typically, then this could be a negative pressure zone. It's that 4th floor that makes it a bit hard to answer where the neutral pressure point is in the house.

 

[aouke]

Do you guys have any suggestions on chimney liners? Single, double, triple walled? Flex Vs Rigid?

 

[bholler]

I always suggest single heavy wall flex liner but really the only one i would not recommend is the 2 ply light wall smoothwall stuff. The heavy flex is much more durable than the light wall but light wall will work fine. Rigid will work if your chimney is a straight shot but i think it is a real pain to install. But what ever liner you choose you should insulate it

 

[TradEddie]

My chimney is on an exterior north facing wall, which is the perfect recipe for downdrafts. Before I replaced my slammer, the smoky smell was a common occurrence on those thundery late Spring days. I now have an EPA insert, with insulated liner and blockoff plate, and while the smell was hugely reduced, it still did sometimes happen. When the burning season was over, I would block the liner with stuffed rags (with a note in the firebox to remind me in the Fall) and that worked well. Later, I modified my air inlet so that it is possible to truly close the air supply when the stove is not in use and that solved the problem completely.

TE