by blogediter | Aug 22, 2018 | Chimney Problems
Q: Jason, I have two issues. The website indicates that the chimney pillow should go above the damper. Our damper is about 4 feet up the chimney chute. It’s attached to a chain and when open, the damper bisects the flue in an up and down position. Would we still position a pillow above the damper? How?
Also, We have a set of vents below the damper on all four sides. There are about 6 horizontal vents per side and they extend from right below the damper to about 8 inches below. Can I install over those? – SS
A: Dear SS, It sounds like you have a Heatelator brand fireplace. I have done many installs like this one you described. As a matter of fact, there was a condo association in IL that had hundreds of these Heatelator fireplaces with butterfly dampers and vents underneath just as you described. See attached picture.
You will find a small ledge just above the firebrick lining the firebox. That ledge is a perfect spot to install a 36×15 Chimney Balloon. That area is trapezoid in shape but the 36×15 will have enough material to plug it anyway. See attached picture of Chimney Balloon installed. – Jason
by blogediter | Aug 20, 2018 | Fireplaces
Chimney Ballloon with no cap and the rain and snow comes in
Q: Jason, Can the Chimney Balloon still work if we don’t have a chimney cap or damper on top? Will rain affect the Chimney Balloon? We have a damper below. – MM
A: Hi MM, The Chimney Balloon will still work in a fireplace that does not have a cap or top damper on the chimney. The precipitation does not affect the Chimney Balloon at all. As a matter of fact, an open chimney top is often the case with large older constructions buildings with fireplaces (especially pre-1900’s).
However, there is something to be said about what a large amount of precipitation does to the inside of your chimney. Bricks are porous and absorb moisture, so when your chimney is getting wet on the inside and outside it can be hard on the bricks and tuck pointing. Sealing off the flue with a Chimney Balloon will eliminate the air current that flows through the chimney that assists the chimney brick drying it out.
If this is a fireplace you use I would recommend you look into a metal screened cap for it. If this is a fireplace that you do not use at all and will not use in the foreseeable future, you may want to cover the chimney crown with some type of simple metal or wood weighted lid to keep the precipitation from having free access to the inside of the chimney. See the attached picture of a homemade chimney cover made with plywood and a birch log screwed together. If you do cover the non-used chimney up-top on the chimney crown make sure to leave a large clear note down below in the fireplace that the chimney is plugged at the top. You don’t want any unsuspecting person to start a fire in that fireplace with that cover on there.
If you have a vented gas fireplace I DO NOT recommend putting a Chimney Balloon at the top of the chimney at all. The Chimney Balloon is too far away from the heat source at the top of the chimney. If someone accidentally and unknowingly lit the fireplace and the Chimney Balloon was too far away to burst from the heat, that would result in a deadly CO backup in the house. So if you have a vented gas fireplace don’t risk it. – Jason
by blogediter | Aug 17, 2018 | Fireplaces
Q: Jason, We have been renovating an older home from the 70’s for quite some time and have just recently moved in. The problem is the drafty original brick fireplace. No unpleasant odors, just drafty cold air. We’ve done quite a bit to update the look, but now the beautifully tiled hearth is always cold as well as the entire room. (Even though we live in the South, our winters can get cold.)
We have resorted to putting a huge piece of cardboard in front of the firebox because we do not have any glass doors. It does seem to help but is not an acceptable permanent fix.
The damper does open and close but does not provide a good seal. There is an ash fire grate in the center of the firebox floor, from which I feel a small draft. The fireplace also had a gas “starter” which uses a key to turn the gas off and on (No pilot light). There is a good amount of draft coming from the opening around the key. This area does not seem, to be connected to the chimney or flu area so I don’t know if the Chimney Balloon would even help with this.
There appear to be some cracks in the fire bricks in the back of the fire box, which may also be contributing to the problem. Will the Chimney Balloon help? Do you think there are other things I could do to improve situation – glass doors, repair bricks… – DE
A: Dear DE, Since you just have a gas starter there you will be fine to use a Chimney Balloon as long as you make sure the gas is turned off completely with the key. Turning off the gas essentially is disabling the gas starter. Be certain though that the gas is completely shut off to the starter and you mark the key or gas tap with a note that the flue is plugged.
You have a few options of where to put the Chimney Balloon. If you have at least 8” of vertical lintel area below the damper handle you could put a Chimney Balloon in below the damper. If the damper is too low for that or the handle is in the way, you could also put a Chimney Balloon in just above the damper. Essentially you would open up the damper and use a folding carpenters ruler folded into an L shape to get a measurement up there. You would measure wall to wall from left to right and from front to back and that would tell you what size Chimney Balloon to get. The Chimney Balloon would rest right on top of the open damper.
Next, take a close look at the ash cleanout. You can remove the cover and measure the rough opening and install a Chimney Balloon into that ash chute. I am certain the majority of your draft is coming from air being exchanged between the ash chute and the chimney. This is a very common issue since and ash cleanout essentially is an air path that connects the basement or crawlspace to the chimney and results in a strong air pull through the fireplace that makes it cold.
After this, if you still have a draft coming from the keyhole, you can look into filling that with fireplace caulk if needed. – Jason
by blogediter | Aug 15, 2018 | Chimney Problems
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Flies in fireplace
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text el_class=”.underlinelink , .blackh3″]Q: Jason, I have an awful fly problem, and I think they are coming down the chimney looking to get away from the outside heat. Will the Chimney Balloon stop flies for sure? – MH
A: Hi MH, From our conversation on the phone, I was glad to hear you had your fireplace cleaned recently. Sometime fireplace flies have to do with a dead animal in the flue, or pigeons using your chimney top as an outhouse. But since you have a screened chimney top and a clean flue we can rule that out.
Flies and wasps coming down through the fireplace is a very common issue, and the Chimney Balloon does stop them. Especially in spring and fall insects follow food and other smells down into the fireplace chimney and end up inside. We get this questions so frequently there is a section of our website dedicated to it: http://www.chimneyballoon.us/bat_wasps_in_fireplace.html and some other blog articles regarding wasps as well: http://www.chimneyballoonusa.com/blog/2009/11/help-wasps-are-coming-in-through-my-fireplace-damper.html
The key to stopping flies in particular is to get an accurate measurement. Here is a section of the website that outlines how to do that measurement: http://www.chimneyballoon.us/Chimneyballoonsizing.html also you can give me a call or email pictures if you want advice on the measuring.
Once you have the measurements we need to get a Chimney Balloon for you that is as close to your measurements as possible (even if we have to go with a custom size), so you get a perfectly tight seal. Flies and maggots can be persistent in their entry techniques so you don’t want wrinkles in the Chimney Balloon from a too much extra material. – Jason[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][vc_empty_space][/vc_column][/vc_row]
by blogediter | Aug 13, 2018 | Fireplaces
Fire Place
Q: Hi Jason, Is it easy to remove the Chimney Balloon. I have a gas fireplace with a warped damper. We use sometimes in winter. Would the Chimney Balloon be easy to remove and put back in for fires? – KN
A: Dear KN, Your questions are very common for Chimney Balloon users, and I can answer it from my own experience with our living room fireplace as well. Uninstalling and installing the Chimney Balloon in smaller gas log Fireplaces is really very easy so it doesn’t hinder your ability to use the fireplace seasonally at all. The first install usually has a bit of a learning curve to it, but once you do the install you will have a method down pat on how to do it again.
Personally, I have found using the Chimney Balloon has me clustering my fireplace uses in the winter. For instance…I will tell my kids and wife that when we put up the Christmas tree I will uninstall the Chimney Balloon and we will enjoy using our fireplace for those festive weeks before the holidays come, and I will just use the old damper during those weeks. After New Years the tree comes down and the Chimney Balloon gets reinstalled in the fireplace, and then I know it is sealed up tight again. This allows everybody to get their fireplace fix for the year, and I am only doing one install and uninstall. Sure the living room is a little draftier during that time when the Chimney Balloon is out, but it also helps me appreciate the difference when the Chimney Balloon is installed and saving me on the heating bills.
I hope this answers your question KN. Let me know if I can help further. – Jason
