by blogediter | Feb 12, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
There are two types of Chimella. The green one for the standard and purple one which is large. The difference between the two is the handle of the large Chimella is detached while the handle of the standard Chimella is already attached. Don’t forget to read the instruction booklet inside the firebox. Take the Chimella, out of it and push together to make sure that the button is fully pushed up. Try it! Push the button again to close your Chimella and turn it around like a handle bottle grip. Push together firmly and it’s ready to go.
by blogediter | Feb 12, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
My Majestic brand direct vent fireplace is letting in cold air
Q: Jason, I have a vented Majestic fireplace. We do not use it, but it is getting tons of cold air into my house. The vent on the outside of the house doesn’t seem to have any sort of damper on it whatsoever… so closing that is not an option. Right now we have the gas turned off & a blanket over it.
Would a Chimney Balloon help with this? How exactly would we get in to measure the hole? How do we get into the part that has the gas logs?– CG
A: Dear CG, With a few hints in your question, I am assuming that you have a direct vent fireplace, not a gas log fireplace. You say “vent to the outside”, does that mean the vent is a PVC pipe that goes directly through the exterior wall, not out the roof like a chimney?
If it vents through the wall you definitely have a direct vent fireplace.
The good news is, that direct vent gas fireplaces (unlike vented gas logs) generate heat efficiently when running. The bad news is, if the fireplace installer does not take care to insulate the fireplace install correctly it will let in a great deal of cold air when dormant.
If you have not had the original installer over to look at the problem I would try that first. If they stonewall you about it, call an insulation contractor that is forward thinking enough to work with closed cell foam.
You see, a fireplace installer will sometimes slap in a fireplace and think “good enough” but an insulation contractor has a different way of thinking. He will look over an install and consider how it affects the home’s envelope and how he can make an install both safe and tight.
I’m sorry but a Chimney Balloon will not help you on a direct vent fireplace since a firebox is a sealed unit and you can’t gain access to the vent flue and that vent flue is just a small pipe through the wall anyway. – Jason
by blogediter | Feb 12, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Let’s take a look and see what’s in the box of a standard size Chimella Umbrella. Upon opening the box, you’ll see the color of a standard size Chimella Umbrella which is green. The most important thing is the instruction booklet that you must read. Take the Chimella Umbrella out of it and push together to make sure that the button is fully pushed up. Push the button again to close your Chimella Umbrella and turn it around like a handle bottle grip. Push together firmly and it’s ready to go. Try it!
by blogediter | Feb 9, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Seal an old chimney
Q: Jason, I have a property built around 1900. It is a three-story building with a three-story shed behind it. The chimney is located on the back wall of the building. All of the sheds are not insulated but roughly 50% are.
The previous owner got some pipes installed in the chimney to provide water for washer outlets in the sheds. Needless to say, the pipes froze! Anyways…I wanted to know can I install a Chimney balloon on the top of the chimney to stop any drafts from coming in? Is it as effective as fiberglass? If it gets up to freezing temperatures is the Chimney Balloon still going to stay in place? Will it not change shape or wither up to -30 degrees (Celsius)? Thanks!
PS. The space is quite small about 1.25 feet by 1.25 feet or perhaps even smaller. – OM
A: Dear OM, Ahhh, running pipes through an open chimney. That previous owner really set you up for a fall on that one. Since this is essentially an abandoned chimney you can install a Chimney Balloon at the top and it will help significantly as long as you have a spot to put the Chimney Balloon in that isn’t in the way of the pipes. From your measurements, it sounds like it would take a 15×15 Chimney Balloon.
The Chimney Balloon will not shrivel in the cold, but it will soften slightly. To minimize this I do recommend inflating it when the temp outside is cool (like late fall or winter) and you should inflate it with a pump, not by mouth. That way you will inflate it with cold air when the ambient air is cold as well.
I would advise checking it once a year in the fall just to top it off with air and make sure it didn’t shift. Also, make sure you install it at arm’s length into the top of the flue so the suns UV doesn’t reach it. UV will shorten the life of the membrane of the Chimney Balloon.
The Chimney Balloon will plug the chimney better than a fiberglass plug since the Chimney Balloon will insulate and air seal at the same time. Fiberglass is a great insulator, but it is not an air sealer, so if there are air currents (like in a drafty chimney) it will let cold right through. That is exactly why people call us all the time and say “I plugged my flue with fiberglass but it is still drafty…what is the deal?” – Jason
by blogediter | Feb 9, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
All fireplaces have a smoke chamber behind and a lobby that goes to the left or to the right. It is so rare that it will go straight. Having a huge lovely fireplace in your home, use a large Chimella to perfectly fit in so you can feel the warmth of it. Insert the Chimella inside and tighten it up. It will only take 5 seconds to install it. The air pressure changes in the house and it can’t come into your fireplace. It will definitely keep the heat in your house.
by blogediter | Feb 8, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
The first thing to do before inserting the Chimella is to check the direction of your chimney. You need to know if your chimney goes straight up, does or it go to the left and does it go to the right. Look up and check the direction of your chimney. Place one Chimella and see how it will keep you warm, will save your energy and will save your money.
