by blogediter | Jun 24, 2019 | Chimney Plugs, Chimney Problems
Q: Jason, I have a Large 36 x 15 Chimney Balloon and over the period of 1 week it tends to get soft and let outside air blow by it. It doesn’t get totally limp or fall from the chimney. Is this normal? RP
A: RP, No it is not normal. The Chimney Balloon is designed to be air tight and should only need a little extra air every 12 months. It probably has a small pin-hole by the seams and as it loose a little air pressure the pin hole closes and keeps it from gong totally limp. The Poly tri-laminate that makes up the balloon portion of the Chimney Balloon is a very tough material that resists stretching and abrasions very well but occasionally a sharp bit of metal or hardware in the flue can puncture all 3 layers of a balloon and cause this to happen.
The fix is very easy. Find the hole, cut a oval patch out of some thick gauge packaging tape, and tape over the hole. The toughest part is finding the hole. What our testing and return personnel do to find and patch a pinhole is:
1)They inflate the balloon with an cordless air pump untill it is drum tight full. Then they passs the balloon under a showerhead to make sure all the soot residue has been removed, and they dry the balloon off with a rag.
2)Then they hold the balloon about 3 inches from their eyelashes and pass the entire surface of the balloon past their eyelash. The cheek and the eye are so sensative to air currents that it will be easy to sense when the pinhole passes by the eye or cheek and blows air at it. they then inspect that area closely with a flashlight to find the exact spot that the hole is at.
3)They cut an oval patch out of very thick gauge 3M packaging tape and they place the patch over the hole so there are no bubbles or wrinkles under the patch.
4)Then they let the Chimney Balloon set for 48 hours fully inflated to make sure it doesn’t loose any air.
If you want to do this on your own you are welcome to do it yourself. Or you can mail it to our return testing lab with a note explaining the situation. They will be happy to do it for you and return it to you free-of-charge.
by blogediter | Jun 21, 2019 | Chimney Problems
Q: Jason, I’ve been thinking of various ways to insulate my whole house fan for the winter and happened to your product. I was thinking of removing the shutter and placing the Chimney Balloon in the plenum space just as you would a chimney. Have you ever had anyone inquire about this application? Any idea what level of R-value it may offer? Thanks for your time! – RF
A: You are bringing up a little known, but much used, application of the Chimney Balloon. HVAC contractors use the Chimney Balloon all the time to seal off ducts like you are referring to with your whole house fan systems or HVAC duct systems. The Chimney Balloon is quite effective in air sealing this way.
Unfortunately, we cannot have an R-value assigned to our product since that rating system applies to insulation building materials like fiberglass batting and windows. The Chimney Balloon is an air sealing product that the R system measurement does not apply to (much like Tyvek wrap is not R system rated). However, in a vent environment air sealing is key since it is the unwanted cold air currents through the vent system that you want to stop.
Keep in mind that the Chimney Balloon will take up about 9″ to 12″ in depth space (top to bottom of the balloon) when inflated in a vent or duct. The Chimney Balloon handle/valve can also be shortened if necessary, so it will only require about another 4″.
If you have any questions about your application give us a call at 608-467-0229 and we can walk you through getting a properly fitted Chimney Balloon to plug your whole house fan vent. – Jason
by blogediter | Jun 19, 2019 | Chimney Problems
Q: I have a very old fireplace that is not operational and I use strictly for decoration. the flue in masonry and unlined. It was capped/closed at the top by the previous owners. I want to get a Chimney Balloon because I suspect that there is still heat loss through this flue gave the age of the house–120+ years old.
However, I also like to burn decorative candles in the fireplace from time to time. Will the Chimney Balloon work in this case or do I need to find something more fireproof? how much space should I allow between the candles and the Chimney Balloon? Thanks.- PH
A: A Chimney Balloon will help this capped chimney retain more heat by closing it low in the flue and tight. But you don’t want it too close to the flame because it is designed to melt and release at a temperature of 180-230 degrees Fahrenheit.
If you keep the candles at least 3 feet away from the Chimney Balloon and keep the wicks trimmed you should not have a problem. But if you have 12 candles raging in the fireplace with long smokey flames you could easily get up to the 180-230 Degree flash point.
Personally, I burn a 6 candle candelabra in my fireplace in the summer and I have a 9×9 Chimney Balloon installed about 3 feet above them…and I have never had a problem. – Jason
by blogediter | Jun 17, 2019 | Save Energy
Q: Jason, I have a pot belly stove with a bad damper on it. Can I use this Chimney Balloon to stop up the chimney?I believe the stove pipe is 8.25″ ID – PS
A: Dear PS, If you can reach into your stove and touch the location where the chimney meets the stove you can use a 9×9 Chimney Balloon.
You will put the Chimney Balloon into the pipe right where it attaches to the firebox. The handle of the Chimney Balloon will be sticking into the firebox and the Chimney Balloon will plug the pipe. Most of the time on a pot belly stove the butterfly damper is ways up the flue pipe so that will not be a factor at all. I would recommend you put the Chimney Balloon reminder card on the pot belly stove handle if you use that stove at all.- Jason
by blogediter | Jun 14, 2019 | Fireplaces
Q: Jason, It looks like your product would fit my application, but I already had to mail back another company’s product for a refund because I couldn’t get it to fit well.
Here is a little more information. I have a Bellfires retrofitted, concrete fireplace (http://www.bellfiresusa.com/fireplaces/model_BR.htm), and I also had my old chimney flue replaced with the Solid/Flue product (http://www.solidflue.com/). The horizontal cross-section of the firebox is roughly trapezoidal but has rounded corners. The smoke chamber zone is also concrete (fairly smooth) and has sloping surfaces with no corners to smoothly join the Bellfires fireplace with the 8″ round flue. The round flue begins at about 4 feet above the floor of the fireplace.
I have a lock-top type, cable operated damper at the chimney top and no damper right above the fireplace. Would my best bet be using the 9″ x 9″ Chimney Balloon in the flue itself? Would the square Chimney Balloon conform adequately to the round flue? The damper cable is pressed against the side of the flue at that point, so I don’t think the cable will be an obstacle. Would I need to order auxiliary parts to use the Chimney Balloon up that high?- JW
A: Jay, I understand the fireplace configuration you are describing and we have a solution that will fit that application. A 9X9 Chimney Balloon will fit your 8″ solid flue tube. The square corners of the Chimney Balloon are designed to conform to a circular flue as well as a square flue. When inflated the Chimney Balloon will also press your lock top cable to the side of the flue wall. We have had many customers with Lock-top dampers and Chimney Balloons in their chimney. It is a very effective combination. To accommodate the 4′ reach I would recommend a HEK Extender for your Chimney Balloon. – Jason
Customer followup email: Jason, Thank you for the information. I ordered the Chimney Balloon, it arrived in 3 days. It works great. Thanks – JW
