May 24, 2014 3 min read

Q. We use the fireplace in our 100-year-old house maybe three times a week, burn only hardwood, and have the chimney swept every year. In the last couple of years we have noticed that when we have a fire we must keep a towel on the floor of the second floor guest room or the room gets a bit smoky. Not bad but there is an odor. Also a built-in china cabinet on the first floor has a smoky odor. I don’t know if the chimney is suspect, but should I be worried about a crack in it, and that sparks may be getting into the walls. Is a fix as simple as having a liner installed? I’d hate to have the walls torn apart to fix the chimney.

A. Get thee to a chimney specialist or chimney sweep ASAP, because that chimney is leaking fumes! It probably does not have liners, and the chimney just provides flues, which are passages to allow fumes to go up and out. The cracks allow some fumes go into the bedroom closet and the china cabinet.

It might be possible to put in a stainless steel liner for the fireplace. But others should have them too, because other flues are shared by gas burning appliances. I think every appliance needs a flue liner. I am not sure the cracks have to be repaired; that would be up to the specialist or the sweep. Contact someone as soon as possible.

Q. The brick in front of my fireplace is ugly. So says my wife. I’d like to cover it with a slab of bluestone cut to shape. Is that the right material to use?

A. Ugly is in the eye of the beholder. I suggest you get your wife to decide what she wants, and then do it or pay for it. Your idea of bluestone is perfect for a hearth.

Q. Last week my heat kicked on early, and I was told the batteries in my thermostat may need replacing. That sound right? For now, I just switched it off.

A. Your thermostat is one of those newfangled programmable units that have batteries. So, replace the batteries. My thermostat is old-fashioned and manual, with no batteries. And while I have to handle it manually, I think it is simpler and superior to programmable thermostats, which I think are gadgets.

Q. Do you have suggestions on how to get some type of strong adhesive off a 6-foot-by-12-inch granite shelf that is stuck to wood?

A. That’s not a lot of info to get a valid opinion, so I answered my hot line, and got you. You said the contractor may have used carpenter’s yellow glue and he tried to chip it off, and chipped only a few pieces. Such glue is water soluble, so try this: Wet the edges of the granite where it sits on the wood, and try to get water between granite and wood, and you can pry more of it off. If the wood is a countertop, get rid of both granite and wood and start all over.

Q. My sister-in-law is 96 and lives by herself, and has plenty of help. Her vanity overflowed twice, causing stains on the ceilings below, so her son removed the drain plug. She may drop something down the sink and cause more problems. Are there any alternative methods to this problem?

A. There are various alert alarms out there, for overflowing water, low temps, and other emergencies. Call an alarm company to see what they can offer.