Smoke marks just above the fireplace opening are caused by smoke coming back into the room instead of being drawn away up the chimney. This means your chimney is not working properly and as well as staining the wall, gases like carbon monoxide are entering the room. Carbon Monoxide can cause serious illness and even death.

You should take immediate steps to uncover what is causing the problem and have it rectified. Firstly to understand the possible causes go to our blog ‘Why does smoke come into the room?‘.
Here we explain the various causes of smoke entering a room and offer solutions that should help you rectify the situation.