by blogediter | Jul 23, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Chimney Balloon sizing
Q: Jason, I have read in your Chimney Balloon sizing instructions that I need to find a location in my flue or firebox to install a Chimney Balloon that has roughly parallel walls on at least 2 sides so the Chimney Balloon can lodge itself in place during installation. In my fireplace 2 sides of the walls of the firebox taper upwards to a damper that is controlled (or actuated) by 2 chains (See picture). Does this mean I can measure the area below my damper (where the ruler is in my picture) and install the Chimney Balloon there? If yes, what do I do with the chains? – SH
A: Dear SH, Thank you for the picture, that did help to clarify what you are looking at. And yes, you can measure and install the Chimney Balloon in the area below your damper in this case. When you install the Chimney Balloon either push the chains to the side or allow them to rest on the top side of the Chimney Balloon. To get the proper sized Chimney Balloon you will want to measure the area where your folding carpenter’s ruler is at in this picture. If your measurement is 24″x28″ then buy a Chimney Balloon that is at least that size and it wouldn’t hurt to buy one slightly larger in both width and length. – Jason
by blogediter | Jul 20, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Fireplace damper open, or damper closed
Q: Jason, I bought a Chimney Balloon and have a question regarding installation …. When the Chimney Balloon is positioned in the chimney do I let the handle protrude down through the damper opening so that it is visible at the top of the hearth, (damper remains open) or do I make sure it is situated above the damper so that the damper can be closed. thanks – PM
A: Dear PM, That is really a personal preference. If you installed the Chimney Balloon to resolve some odor problems with the fireplace…the lower you install the Chimney Balloon the better.
Also, it is simply easier to install and uninstall the Chimney Balloon if it is lower.
Personally, I have a 9×9 in my living room fireplace and I install it nice and low, just above my damper, and leave the damper open (the Chimney Balloon works better than my damper anyway). Also, the handle hanging from the Chimney Balloon in the firebox reminds me of its presence so I (or anyone else using the fireplace) don’t forget it is in there. So, personally, a low install is what I prefer.
On the other hand, if seeing the handle bugs you and you really want it up above the damper far enough to close the damper. There is nothing wrong with that. The only trouble is… the install can be tougher to do (tougher installs can wear out your Chimney Balloon sooner), and if the Chimney Balloon is tucked too far up out of site you may forget about it being up there.
Hopefully, this answer gives you the pros and cons to make your own choice. – Jason
by blogediter | Jul 18, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Q: Jason, I am trying to decide whether to put a Chimney Balloon in above or below my flue damper. You can see in the picture here what the damper looks like. The area below the damper is a trapezoid of 29″ x 20″ x 34″. Should I put a Chimney Balloon in this space?
The area above the flue damper is 30″x12″. You can see that in the second picture. – JR
A: Dear JR, By looking at this vestal damper application I would say the best location to put a Chimney Balloon in is above the damper door. The area below the damper has quite a bit of hardware in the way since the handle, the handle retaining clip, and the glass door retaining screws are all down there.
It also looks like your chimney flue was also recently re-mortared, although I am not sure it was done by a pro. The texture is quite rough and the surface is uneven. But this nice clean surface will make it easier to install the Chimney Balloon in that area.
You can put the Chimney Balloon in just above where the damper door is when it is open. When you inflate it in place the bottom of the Chimney Balloon will actually rest on the damper doors front edge.
Another option is to remove the damper door so you only have the frame of the damper in the fireplace and then install the Chimney Balloon just above the frame.
To remove the damper door just pull the cotter pin from the damper handle assembly ( you can see the cotter pin in your first picture) and remove the damper handle. Once that is removed you can reach up and lift the damper door off of the lip of the damper frame. There is no hinge on these dampers, they are just held in place by gravity.
Once the handle and door are out of the way you can simply install the Chimney Balloon above the damper frame. – Jason
by blogediter | Jul 16, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Install low just above the damper
Q: Jason, We have a wood fireplace that we haven’t used since we bought the house (5 years) and who knows how long before that. So, I checked out the fireplace damper website and read the instructions for measuring my fireplace. It measured 12″ X 12″ with a carpenter’s rule, so I ordered a 12″ X 12″ Chimney Balloon. I received the Chimney Balloon and went to install it and promptly learned that the fireplace was not a comfortable and fun place to lay or sit in to install the Chimney Balloon and the enclosed plastic tubing was way too short! One trip to the hardware store to get six foot of tubing and I was in business. Since where my flue is getting “square” seems to be pretty far up (about an arm’s length or so, if I am sitting inside the fireplace) I had one heck of a time trying to get the Chimney Balloon in place. Attached is an image of the flue looking up from a sitting position. – JS
A: Dear JS, From the attached picture I think you are selecting a location that is too high to install your Chimney Balloon. It appears that there is either no damper in the fireplace or you put the camera up above the damper when you took the photo, so it would be better to choose a location that is lower and closer to the firebox to install your Chimney Balloon (See image below). A lower installation point is always preferable since you can guide the Chimney Balloon into place better with your hands while inflating and you don’t have to reach so far up to do it.This would require a larger Chimney Balloon for this installation, but if you send back the one you have we can credit the price to a larger Chimney Balloon. I am just taking an educated guess, but it looks like the flue down lower would take a 36×15 Chimney Balloon. Measure the area where the green arrows are in my picture and give us a call and we will get you a Chimney Balloon that is easier to install for this application. – Jason
by blogediter | Jul 13, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Inflating a Chimney Balloon
Q: Jason, I am about to purchase one of your Chimney Balloon fireplace dampers, but have one question. Since this fills with air, Can I use my air compressor, or do I have to purchase your pump? – PS
A: Dear PS, The easiest and the handiest thing you can use to inflate your Chimney Balloon fireplace damper is good old-fashioned lung power. If you would prefer not to inflate it by mouth, you can use an airbed inflation pump or a low power shop-vac to inflate the Chimney Balloon.
I do not recommend using an air compressor to inflate the Chimney Balloon because air compressors will inflate the Chimney Balloon so quickly you might damage the balloon by accidentally over inflating it. The Chimney Balloon is only designed to take about 15 to 20 PSI and an air compressor can get to that PSI level so quick…it is just not worth the risk.
In the picture above is a battery powered air bed pump. In our test lab in the UK we use a rechargeable airbed inflation pump for testing. The nice thing about air bed pumps is they do not have enough power to overinflate the Chimney Balloon. – Jason
by blogediter | Jul 9, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Newspaper burn
Q: Jason – I have heard that newspaper is not good to use to start a fire in a wood burner or fireplace. Why is this and what can be used instead? – MG
A: MG, I have also heard quite a bit of banter back and forth about the newspaper and how it is not good to use to start fireplace fires. Most of the nay-sayers point to the fact that the ink can cause sticky properties to chimney soot that helps to cause premature buildup of soot and creosote in the fireplace or wood burner chimney. They also say the plastic coatings on the slick pages can cause some toxins to enter your house when burned. It is a strong possibility that these folks are on to something. But they might also be full of hot air.
Honestly, I have not researched the studies done on this topic, but I do not burn newspaper in my fireplace. In my garage I have two recycle boxes for paper. One has newspaper and the other has paper shopping bags and brown cardboard. I simply take my starter paper from the grocery bag and cardboard box. I figure I will just take the high road on this one since it is not a big change. – Jason
