My home has a chimney on an external wall. The house is 25-30 years old. Whenever I use the chimney during the winter, it works great heating the living room. But the next day following a fire (and continues for numerous days thereafter), the living room smells like smoke.

What is the cause of this? I've read some places it's caused by the fact the chimney is on an external wall and the temperature difference between the chimney and the inside of my house causes the smoke to get "pushed" into the house. Is this true or is something else causing the problem? If so, what can I do to remedy this?

My parents have a chimney in their house, but it is located in the center of the home. They don't have a problem with the smoke smell, that's why I'm attributing this to the fact that the chimney in my home is located on an external wall.

Any thoughts/suggestions?

Thanks.