Hi, When I purchased our house it had a fireplace insert. On some days it smells like burnt charcoal or even soot. We have lived in the house for 12 years and it has always been doing this. The house was built in 1980 and the insert was installed in 1990 by the previous owner. We have never used it but the smell is still there. We don't want to remove the insert because it is a very nice looking one. We have used many item such as baking soda, candles and odoban but the smell still wins out. Does anyone have an idea to help us remove or eliminate the odor.

It is soot and it needs to be cleaned out or burned out. The box and the chimney build up soot over time. You can try to sweeep the chimney yourself but its messy. Many hardware stores sell a stick that you throw into a fire that really boost the heat and actually burns off the soot. I end each fire place season with a rather large, log fire of kiln dried lumber scrapes, my fire bricks are actually white the next day. Do you have a good chimney cap on this unit, that helps too.

It sounds like you have creosote buildup in the chimney flue. Creosote is a resinous substance in certain types of wood, especially pine, which is very flammable. It can build up over time, which can be a fire hazard if not cleaned properly. They do have a fireplace cleaning log available in stores, which you have to burn along with a regular fire in the fireplace. Make sure your damper is open before using your fireplace. There is a lever up inside the fireplace which opens and closes a metal flap. It must be open to release the smoke up the flue. Close it during summer to prevent air conditioned air to escape.

If the fireplace log cleaner does not eliminate the smell, there is probably a very heavy buildup of soot and creosote which will require a professional chimney sweep to clean. Check in your area for one; make sure you check with the Better Business Bureau or references before hiring.

As a temporary measure, you might put a decorative container, like a basket or brass bowl (find at craft stores or thrift shops) with cinnamon scented pine cones which you can also find at craft stores.

Good luck!