by blogediter | Mar 30, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Fireplace flue measurement
Q: Jason, As near as I can tell the area where I would install the Chimney Balloon is 30″ by 10″. Would the 36″ by 15″ balloon work?- KL
A: Dear KL, A standard large 36″X15″ would work for this 30″X10″ flue opening. However, a better option would be to order a 30×12 Chimney Balloon.
Here is a good rule of thumb on buying a Chimney Balloon that is bigger than you need:
On any flue opening smaller than 12″X12″ you should order a size no more than 3″ larger than your measured dimensions.
On any flue opening larger than 12’X12″ you should order a size no more than 6″ larger than your measured dimensions.
by blogediter | Mar 28, 2018 | Chimney Plugs, Fireplaces
Fireplace aroma out of the house
Q: We have caps on our chimney. But no damper. Will the Chimney Balloon still work to keep the smells out when fireplace is not in use?- JW
A: Dear JW, the short answer to your question is “yes” on both accounts. The Chimney Balloon will seal the Chimney nice and low to block out the smells. It will also seal your Chimney so you do not lose so much heat up the flue in the winter or A?C in the summer. If you have any lingering smells often times a large bowl of vinegar kept in the firebox for a few days will neutralize them.
Here is a link to a blog article of a customer that solved the very issue you are referring to:
http://www.chimneyballoonusa.com/blog/2007/06/how_a_chimney_b.html
by blogediter | Mar 23, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Christmas Chimney Balloon
Customer Service at Chimney Balloon USA received a phone call from old Saint Nick today. He was a bit concerned about all of the Chimney Balloons he has been seeing recently in fireplaces in Europe, Australia, and North America.
You see, the jolly-old-elf bounces when he runs into a Chimney Balloon in the flue, and all that bouncing slows him down. He has a lot of deliveries to make in just one night, so although the bouncing is fun he would rather be forewarned about a Chimney Balloon being present so he can slow his decent and not bounce.
So Santa asked us, to ask our customers to make sure you put the little red Chimney Balloon reminder card (it came with your Chimney Balloon) in the firebox tonight so he can see it from the top of the chimney and know he has to take it slow.
Remember, if you decide to play a trick on old Saint Nick and not put out the card, you may just find out what a bouncing Santa looks like. (But that is also a quick way to get on the naughty list.)
Merry Christmas!
from Santa
and the staff here at Chimney Balloon!
by blogediter | Mar 14, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Surface texture above my fireplace damper
Q: Jason, The brick and mortar texture above my fireplace damper is very rough as you can see in the photo of my flue. The walls slant away in weird angles like looking up from the inside of a pyramid. Will the Chimney Balloon damper be able to seal this area ok?
I have a large rectangular metal damper. I believe you call that type of damper a “vestal” style damper. – RM
A: Hi RM, Thank you for the photo of the fireplace flue and your damper. You are correct that you do have a vestal style damper. This style is quite easy to fit with a Chimney Balloon even if there are slopping and slanting and rough texture walls in the flue above the damper.
Measure the area above the fireplace damper with a folding carpenters ruler and buy a Chimney Balloon that is at least that dimension (i.e. If you measure 37″x16″ buy a custom 39×16 Chimney Balloon. Do NOT buy a 36×15 standard since that will be too small). Take the un-inflated Chimney Balloon out of its packaging and tuck the Chimney Balloon material above the flue with the long side pointing in the length direction of the fireplace. The handle of the Chimney Balloon will stick down through the open damper door. It is OK to leave the damper door open since the Chimney Balloon will be serving as the damper when it is inflated. And quite frankly it will do a better job sealing than the old tired metal damper.
The type of texture you show if your picture is actually quite beneficial for the Chimney Balloon since it gives the Chimney Balloon membrane a nice surface texture to grab hold of when you inflate the Chimney Balloon damper in place. The Chimney Balloon material is very flexible and will seal around any mortar or texture as it inflates. Just make sure you do not attempt to move the position of the Chimney Balloon after you have it inflated in place. If you do have to adjust the position of the Chimney Balloon remove most of the air volume of the Chimney Balloon before you reposition it. – Jason
by blogediter | Mar 14, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Jasy reviewed our product and he mentioned that Flueblocker is a chimney insulator to stop cold drafts, insects, and odor from getting in your house when you’re not using your fireplace.
And this I made out of thick layers of wool from Herdwick sheep which is a durable, natural insulator. It comes in round or rectangular shapes and a variety of sizes.
And depending on your chimney, you can use this outside your damper or inside the flue pipe and all you have to do is to push it up in the chimney when you’re not using it. It has a reminder to remove it before you start a fire.
by blogediter | Mar 12, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Chimney Balloon 4 feet up
Q: Jason, I have attached a few photos of my fireplace and I was wondering how I can get the Chimney Balloon up into the first chimney flue tile if it is about 4 feet above the hearth opening? See the attached photos that the smoke chamber above the damper stair-steps upwards to a smaller square 11″ flue tile clay chimney liner.
I see you have a handle extender but I would need to link 3 of them together to reach this first flue tile. – TR
A: Dear TR, You are making this way too hard for yourself. In the picture of your fireplace firebox, I see the handle of your damper sticking down and it looks like a vestal damper. This damper is installed about as low as possible and this makes it very easy to just inflate a Chimney Balloon in above the damper door.
Take your folding carpenters ruler or tape measure and get the width and depth dimension of that area just above the damper door and that will tell you what Chimney Balloon size to get.
It is hard to tell dimensions from a photo of a flue, but I bet you will find the measurement is around the 36″x15″ size by the looks of it. When there is a large vestal damper the size is usually 36×15. Occasionally the smoke chambers will be up to 45×18 in the area above the damper if the mason that built it gets a little crazy with setting the bricks in the smoke chamber. Either way, it is worth a quick check before ordering. – Jason
