by blogediter | May 20, 2019 | Fireplaces
Q: Jason, I’m originally from Florida and don’t know anything about fireplaces. I just bought a house in Utah and there is a very ugly wood burning furnace/insert in the fireplace. We plan to eventually put a gas insert there because air quality is bad in Salt Lake and we will never burn wood. So, we want to remove this fireplace insert monster but have no idea if there will be a flue/damper remaining in the chimney because there is already one that is a part of the insert.
My question is – should we put a damper on and then buy a Chimney Balloon? If we use a Chimney Balloon, do we need a flue/damper? If we need a damper, what type works well with a Chimney Balloon? – BU
A: Dear BU, I have good news and bad news for you in the damper department.
The Bad news; when you remove your insert you will very likely remove the damper as well. Most of the time when a fireplace insert is put in, the original fireplace damper is removed. There is usually a damper built right into the insert. Occasionally there is a throat butterfly damper as well but that is mostly with free standing stoves, not inserts. So let’s assume when you remove your insert you will have no damper.
The Good News: You can put a Chimney Balloon in the flue without a damper. On this website, we show all kinds of diagrams of how to install a Chimney Balloon around or with a damper because in most American fireplaces they have one. But if you have no damper it is actually easier to put in a Chimney Balloon because you have no hardware to contend with. So just measure the lowest spot in the flue that has parallel walls, and buy a Chimney Balloon that will fit that spot.
Let me know if you have more questions, I am happy to help. – Jason
by blogediter | May 17, 2019 | Chimney Problems, Fireplaces
Q: Jason, On warmer winter days and rainy days, we have a strong smoke smell in the house. We have a fireplace insert. Would the Chimney Balloon help with this problem?- SQ
A: Dear SQ, The first thing you can do to cut down on smoke smell during the humid days is first to clean the ash out of the fireplace insert with a shop vac. Humidity has a bad habit of making soot, creosote, and ash to smell stronger.
Some people are under the misconception that a chimney sweeping or cleaning will remove this burnt smell, and I have not found that to be the case. Chimney sweeping is good and should be done regularly, but the brushing action often stirs up the creosote and ash in the flue making it stronger smelling for a while.
The next step is to separate your flue from the house by sealing it off. A Chimney Balloon will work to stop the smelly fireplace stink if you can access the chimney flue opening. Some inserts have metal baffles in the firebox that prevent access to the chimney flue from the firebox. However, there should be a way to access your flue since a chimney sweep has to do this in order to sweep the chimney and then get the ash he brushed off out. You may want to ask your sweep how he accesses your lower flue to remove the ash he brushes off the flue wall. There may be an ash clean-out or removable portion of your flue pipe that you are unaware of. If you can touch the inside of the flue or damper opening area then you can install the Chimney Balloon and it will seal off the chimney low and tight and will not allow the creosote buildup in the chimney to stink up the house.
If you still have a smell to deal with it is probably from the firebox. To further neutralize any lingering smell, you can use a large salad bowl of white vinegar. Just put a good amount of vinegar in the bowl and set it in the firebox for a day or two. This can also do a great job of neutralizing the fireplace burnt smell.
If you need to go one step further, you can also treat the firebox with baking soda (just remember to remove the vinegar bowl first). Sprinkle baking soda liberally over the floor and walls of the firebox. Let it set a few days and then vacuum it off. – Jason
by blogediter | May 15, 2019 | Gas Logs
Q: Jason, We have a 2 sided fireplace on the ground floor of our house and a 3 sided fireplace in the basement. Our house was insulated from electric heat. When we have a fire in one fireplace we get smoke coming back into the house through the other one. Would a chimney pillow stop the smoke from coming back in? Thanks very much for your help. – JJ
A: Dear JJ, Correct me if I am wrong, but it sounds like you have two separate chimneys for your two fireplaces and the two chimney flues go up one main brick chimney structure?
If the answer is Yes, you do have two separate fireplaces. Then the Chimney Balloon will stop the smoke from crossing over and re-entering the house through the other chimney flue. This is called smoke crossover. It is when the one chimney is breathing out air from the home and smoke from the fire mixed together, the other chimney is breathing in outside air to equalize the pressure in the home but is also sucking back in smoke.
Many people assume closing the damper on the unused fireplace will stop this crossover, but that is not the case. Dampers are not tight enough to stop this air draw. That is why a Chimney Balloon is needed in the unused fireplace to stop the air draw inward through the second flue. This forces the house to find another location to draw air in at where there is no smoke.
by blogediter | May 13, 2019 | Save Energy
Q: Jason, Just purchased a Chimney Balloon but it keeps deflating. Lots of cold air coming down my pre-fab fireplace which I never intend to use. No obvious rip in the Chimney Balloon and it stays inflated when not up until the flue. Could too much cold air be the reason? I live in a northern State.- KW
A: Hi KW, When the Chimney Balloon is inflated by mouth the warm air that you blow into it will cool and sometimes this will compress the air inside the Chimney Balloon enough that it will lose noticeable pressure. Our first recommendation is to try topping it off with air after the air inside has had a chance to cool.
If that does not work, I would recommend that you call our customer service line (608) 467-0229 and we can get you a replacement. It is not common, but occasionally there can be a defect that is causing an issue. No matter what the problem is, customer service will get you taken care of with whatever it takes to make this right for you. – Jason
by blogediter | May 10, 2019 | Gas Logs
Q: I have a set of gas logs that are un-vented. Am I able to use the Chimney Balloon to completely seal off the outside air and use the fireplace at the same time? I have a damper and would keep it closed, but I would be afraid the “auto-deflate” option might kick in on me. – NE
A: Dear NE,
Even if it is a vent free gas log If you light a fire under a Chimney Balloon it will burst and deflate. The heat will sneak up past your damper and get the Chimney Balloon to its burst temperature point.
However, it does benefit you to have the Chimney Balloon in while the vent-free gas log unit is not in operation. – Jason
