The Redondo Beach air and your chimney sweep
Salt air rusts cast-iron dampers and steel caps faster here than inland, and a rusted damper plate rarely opens all the way. Late spring can bring a marine layer that sits over the beach all day, keeping the flue cool and the draft weak. Expect a damp, sooty smell on those gray mornings. 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.
