The Long Beach air and your chimney sweep
Wet harbor air eats at steel dampers and chimney caps, so a damper stuck half open is a common find here. Afternoon onshore wind pushes down on a short flue and carries the smell of old soot into the room. On Check Before You Burn days, wood is off limits and a gas log set is the legal way to use the hearth. On a typical Ramsey visit that means smoke pencil test at the damper before brushing, rotary brushing from firebox to crown, and smoke shelf vacuumed, not just swept, with the order set by what the smoke test shows rather than a fixed list.
