by blogediter | Apr 26, 2019 | Fireplaces
Q: Jason, I am very interested in this fantastic Chimney Balloon product. I live in Australia – do you have any reps here that I can purchase one from??
I have a ‘Coonara’ style fireplace. It’s a freestanding wood fire with glass door and a flue that goes up into the plaster roof lining and up outside where it has a pointed swivel thing that moves with the direction of the wind. My problem is that when its windy we have an enormous amount of wind noise that belts down the flue, even with the flue closed. Can I use one of your products?? If so would I have to take the swivel thing off of the roof to add the Chimney Balloon? Thanks very much for taking the time to read my question and I await in anticipation your response. Regards, CS
A: Dear CS, Thank you for your interest in Chimney Balloons. First I will answer your question about the chimney. The weather- vain on the top will not interfere with the Chimney Balloon installation at all, but it may be causing some of the wind noise you are experiencing. Also, the Chimney Balloon should work well with a Coonara style fireplace as long as you can access the flue.
For ordering, you will receive better service through the Australian distributor which can be reached through the website www.chimneyballoons.com.au
by blogediter | Apr 24, 2019 | Gas Logs
Q: Jason, I have a set of vent free gas logs in my fireplace. The fireplace also has a regular 18″ round chimney flue and a round metal flapper damper. If I understand correctly most vent free gas logs do not have a chimney since they are supposed to vent into the house directly to provide all the heat to the living area.
The damper on this ventless gas log fireplace chimney is worn out and lets in noise and cold air when the fireplace is not being used. Can I install a Chimney Balloon above the damper and close the damper and keep the Chimney Balloon in place even during the time I use this ventless gas log fireplace? – KK
A: Dear KK, We get a lot of questions about using a Chimney Balloon with gas log fireplaces. Especially about ventless gas log fireplaces that have chimneys. Most vent less (or vent free) gas log fireplaces do not have chimneys or flues in the first place. They are often designed to vent directly into the living area. This does allow them to give all of their heat to the living area, but it also allows them to give all of their fumes and moisture to the living area as well. For this reason I am not too keen on vent free gas logs.
To get to your question about the Chimney Balloon and if you can use it above your damper on this vent free gas log. You said your damper is leaking in cold air and noise from the outside and the damper is not in good shape. This means the leak goes both ways on your damper. Cold is coming in and heat certainly going out both during your fireplace use and when the fireplace is dormant. The Chimney Balloon is designed to shrivel and release when heat or fire is introduced to it. This release mechanism triggers at about 180 to 220 degrees. The Chimney Balloon does this because it is designed to plug the chimney flue, and in most cases it is not desirable to have a plugged chimney flue when you have a fire in your fireplace.
So if you light a fire in your ventless fireplace and the Chimney Balloon is installed above your damper (even with the damper closed) the damper itself will heat up and conduct heat through. As you said, the damper is also leaky since it allows cold air down, it will also allow heat up as well. That heat will come in contact with the Chimney Balloon. This will certainly trigger the release of the Chimney Balloon sooner or later (probably sooner). Then you will have a cooked Chimney Balloon. It is still worth it to have the Chimney Balloon in place in your fireplace when you are not using this vent free fireplace since it will eliminate the cold air and noise issue, but you cant leave it in place during use of your fireplace.
I have had many people ask: “what is safe to use above a ventless gas log to plug the flue?” Some people use safing insulation to plug the fireplace flue above a ventless gas log. I realize safing insulation is fire retardant, but safing insulation is not made for this specific purpose so this is a risky venture at best. – Jason
by blogediter | Apr 22, 2019 | Chimney Plugs
Q: Jason – I see in some places on the chimney balloon website and in literature you state that a Chimney Balloon can save a homeowner $200 in home heat. How do you get that figure? – JP
A: Dear JP, I’m glad you ask this. A person should always challenge marketing claims of any product. Lets take a look at what the Department of Energy, the Energy Information Administration, and some independent studies say…
Open or Missing Fireplace Dampers:
A European research study titled “Ventilation perturbations due to an open fireplace in a house” – by P. Dalicieux and C. Nicolas concluded that a missing or left open fireplace damper can result in a home to have a 30% increase in heating costs. The US Energy Information Administration said that in 2005-2006 the average US family spent $1044 on home heating bills. This information is on their 2005-2006 report. So 30% of $1044 is $313. Keep in mind this is 2005-2006 information and energy cost trends have home heating cost increasing 25%-30% each year since then. As you can see, $313 is more than our more conservative statement about $200 in savings using a Chimney Balloon. But, lets look at another study…
Fireplace Dampers That are Functional or Damaged:
The Department of Energy (DOE) states that 14% of a homes heat loss is lost through the fireplace even when there is a damper in the fireplace. They also say the average family in 2005 spends $1600 per year on utility bills. Personally, I think this figure is low. I live in a tight 1100 sq ft ranch (with new power vent furnace and water heater) and I know I spent more than $2000 on utilities in 2007, but I suppose the DOE is figuring in the North and South US climates together.
So if we spend the $1044 per year on home heat that the (The US Energy Information Administration says we spend) and 14% goes up the fireplace flue, then the person is loosing $146 in home heat per year even if you have a functional damper.
So with these two studies we take the average between the two to be $230 in home heat. That is where we get our $200 in heat savings. I hope you can pardon us for rounding down on the final figure. – Jason
by blogediter | Apr 19, 2019 | Fireplaces
Q: Jason, I am very interested in this fantastic product. I live in Australia – do you have any reps here that I can purchase one from? I have a ‘Coonara’ style fireplace. Its a freestanding wood fire with glass door and a flue that goes up into the plaster roof lining and up outside where it has a pointed swivel thing that moves with the direction of the wind. My problem is that when its windy we have an enormous amount of wind noise that belts down the flue, even with the flue closed. Can I use one of your products?? If so would I have to take the swivel thing off of the roof to add the Chimney Balloon? Thanks very much for taking the time to read my question and I await in anticipation your response. Regards, CS – Melbourne Australia.
A: Dear CS, First I will answer your question about the chimney. The weather-vain on the top will not interfere with the Chimney Balloon installation at all, but it may be causing some of the wind noise you are experiencing. and the Chimney Balloon should work well with a Coonara style fireplace. The only hang up may be if the baffles in the fire box give you access to the chimney. You need to be able to touch the chimneys interior in order to install a Chimney Balloon.
For ordering you will receive better service through the New Zealand distributor which can be reached through the website www.chimneyballoons.co.nz or this number 03-314 3832. You will want to speak with Kathy (email: kathy@chimneyballoons.co.nz), and i am sure she will be happy to serve you.
by blogediter | Apr 17, 2019 | Fireplaces
Q: Jason, I spoke to you on the phone about my double sided fireplace. There is about 3.5″ from the bottom of the flue to the top of the arched opening into the family room. The dims are 42″ x 27.5″. None of your customer sizes looked like they would work. Can i get one 45″ x 31″? How much(go easy on me)? I live in Ohio. – KK
A: Dear KK, I would go for the exact size that you need since these large Chimney Balloons can be pricey. A 42×27 Chimney Balloon is a rather large Custom Chimney Balloon. I put that size on our Chimney Balloon custom page for you in case this is what you decide to do. Here is a link to the 42×27 order page, it costs $139.99.
You may find a better location to install a Chimney Balloon if you look for a spot with parallel walls either above or below the damper. Keep in mind you can use an HEK handle extender to install the Chimney Balloon higher. Large Chimney Balloons are difficult to make properly and require a lot of material so they do cost more than the smaller models. – Jason
