Ways to Fix Old Fireplaces in Historic Homes
So you have old fireplaces in a home from the early 1900's, or 1800's to 1700's? Historic homes with old fireplaces are often wide open or have broken dampers and hardware that rusted and rotted-out a long time ago. It is impossible to get parts for these old...
5 Places to Use a Smoke Pencil in a Fireplace to Test Air Leakage
How to use a Smoke Pencil in a fireplace to test for smoke draft, air leakage, or downdraft. Fireplaces are designed to move air. The Dept of Energy estimates the fireplace makes up 14% of a homes air leakage. But many times we do not want our fireplace to do move...
4 Reasons Chimney Balloons are a Bad Idea
You are probably saying to yourself: "Wait, aren't you the Chimney Balloon guy? Why would you tell me reasons Chimney Balloons are a bad idea?" The reason is, I am an honest guy. And there is no chimney plug or metal damper that is the absolute best for every kind of...
Flueblocker article in the US Sun online magazine July 31, 2023
Suzanna Blake with the US Sun online magazine, wrote a Flueblocker article on how to save money on Summer A/C costs. Growing up in Wisconsin taught me quite a lot about air sealing and insulation for the winter months. However, living the last decade in the hot humid...
How to Plug a Gas Fireplace Chimney?
So you bought a vent free gas log or a vented gas log to retrofit your fireplace from wood burning into "clean" gas burning, and you wonder can I plug a gas fireplace chimney? You read all about how your "clean" burning gas log can operate at 99% efficiency, because...
Positive Smoke Pencil Review Video Highlighted on Family Handyman
Family Handyman online did a "Stuff We love" segment that includes a Smoke Pencil review video: https://cdn.jwplayer.com/previews/O3dBHSzv This informative Smoke Pencil review video takes a close look at a number of tools and solutions to tighten up the energy...
#1 Reason Your Fireplace Chimney Snorkels In Hot, Humid, Dirty Air From Your Roof all Summer.
Do you have a room in your house that has a fireplace, and is really hard to cool in the summer? Your fireplace chimney snorkels in hot, humid, dirty air from your roof all summer. Metal dampers are just rough-closures and have no weatherstripping to them, so they let...
Flueblocker Has Gaps Around the Edge? Try 3 Easy Steps to Fix it?
Q: My Flueblocker has gaps around the edges. I measured my opening of my cast iron damper frame. The opening of the damper frame in the flue is 7"x20". So I purchased the 8x24 Flueblocker. I don't know if I needed a bigger size, or what the issue is, but the seal is...
Does Your Home Have a Wood Toilet? Here are 4 Reasons Not to Flush It!
I bet you didn't know your home has a wood toilet. Uh-huh...Yes, it does! Your wood toilet may not look like the stylish throne pictured above, but the wood toilet you have is actually worse! There is a pejorative name for fireplaces in the energy conservation world....
Energy Efficient Home Improvements that Drop Cooling Costs 15% this Summer
Temperatures aren’t the only thing rising this time of year. According to the National Energy Assistance Directors Association, home energy bills sit at 10-year highs just as air conditioners hum into gear across the United States. While there are several ways to...
5 Unusual Home Improvements to Save On Home Cooling Costs
With record high energy rates this year, it is even more important to save on home cooling costs. See how to save energy on air conditioner in summer. Investing in long-term solutions for saving on home cooling can save you money in the long run. Here are some...
6 Important DIY Steps to Keep Wasps and Flies Out of Your Home
Want to know how to keep wasps and flies out of your home? We have 6 easy DIY steps that can help you keep wasps and flies out of your home, and stop other even more destructive bugs from infesting your home this summer. My son loves bugs, he always has....