01
Rust, smells and damp in a chimney that never sees frost?
- A sour, smoky smell that peaks in the humid months
- Rust on the damper, firebox or chase cover years before it seems due
- Everything metal on the roof aging faster than the roof itself
Why it happens in Louisiana: Louisiana's chimney enemies are humidity and storm water. Flues never dry, metal corrodes on a coastal schedule, and hurricane-driven rain tests flashing like nowhere inland. Frost is simply not the story, which means most national chimney advice isn't either.
What fixes it, and what it costs
Work with the climate instead of against it: sweep so there is nothing in the flue to sour, stainless for every replaceable metal part because galvanised loses this fight, a top-sealing damper to keep the humid column out of the house, and crown-and-flashing checks on the storm calendar rather than the frost one.
- Standard single flue, wood-burning
- $170–$320
- Gas appliance venting check
- $120–$220
