by blogediter | Apr 9, 2018 | Chimney Plugs, Fireplaces
Q: Dear Jason, Attached is a picture of a very large fireplace in our 260 year old home. You will also see another picture of the flue are of this fireplace at eye level when I am standing in the fireplace. As you can see this is a very large fireplace (10 feet across) and it has no damper at all. I am afraid to think how much heat is wasted up the flue in the winter since it is also a very drafty fireplace. How big do you make your custom size Chimney Balloons? The measurement of the area in the flue just above the pot-holding bar in the second picture is about 23″x92″. How much does a Chimney Balloon of that size cost, and when can I get it? – CW
A: Dear CW, This is certainly one of the largest fireplaces we have sized for a Chimney Balloon, and fortunately we do make a 23×93 Chimney Balloon. That is pretty close to our maximum size (the largest we can make them is 96″x40″).
A 23×93 Chimney Balloon is not inexpensive since it is of triple construction, it cost $243. However, the cost of this Chimney Balloon will pail in comparison to the cost of the heat that is pouring our of this fireplace flue. I find it remarkable that this fireplace does not have any type of damper on it at all. That is essentially like having a full size door wide open all the time. Considering you live in New England you should recoup the cost of the Chimney Balloon in saved heat in a matter of a few months.
A custom of this size will take about 14 days to build and another few days to get to your door. I will see what I can do to speed the process up for you. You will notice an extreme difference when you install it. – Jason
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 16, 2018 | Fireplaces
Draft Decor
If you have a fireplace that has a set of glass doors you have probably notices the vents both above and below the glass doors. Those vents are there to allow the fireplace to intake air and output heat.
These can also be present in direct vent fireplaces that have a sealed glass display. If you need to cover those vents up you can use vent covers made by Christy Walker Creations. They come in the black and gold variety to match your fireplace decor.
by blogediter | Jan 29, 2018 | Fireplaces
Large fireplace Frank Lloyd Wright home with pull chain damper
Large fireplace in Frank Lloyd Wright home with Chimney Balloon installed
[/vc_column_text][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width=”3/4″][vc_column_text el_class=”.underlinelink , .blackh3″]Hi Jason, This is an old fireplace that is brick and masonry. When I look up the chimney I see the long rectangular metal damper door that pivots in the middle, and two pull chains [or linked pull rods] on the left and right that open and close the damper door by flipping it from horizontal to vertical like a big carburetor choke. The area below the damper is 52″x17″. How can I size a Chimney Balloon for this type of fireplace? – AE
Hi AE, From looking at the photo it looks like the damper is set up about 12 inches vertically above the termination of the lintel. This will give you enough room to put a large Chimney Balloon under the damper. I see the walls taper some on the sides, but are reasonable straight up and down in the front and back.
I recommend we go with a custom size 52″x17″ Chimney Balloon below the damper. As you inflate the Chimney Balloon the chains will be pushed off to the side and the Chimney Balloon will seal around them.
BTW, you are going to want a pump to inflate this 52×17 Chimney Balloon. It takes a lot of air to fill a Chimney Balloon of this size. – Jason
***three weeks later***
Hi Jason, I got the 52×17 Chimney Balloon in the mail a few days ago and Saturday I got it installed. Attached is a photo of the floor looking up at it.
After I inflated it I noticed that about 2 inches of the belly of the Chimney Balloon are still visible below the lintel, but since the Chimney Balloon is clear it is not very noticeable. Especially since I keep the chain spark screen closed anyway. This isn’t going to negatively affect the seal the Chimney Balloon offers, is it? – AE
Hi AE, This large of a custom Chimney Balloon will be about 12 inches tall when inflated, so it is not too surprising is protrudes below the lintel a bit. However, the Chimney Balloon is clear and the fireplace is dark so you won’t notice it.
And, no the seal will not be affected by the Chimney Balloon hanging down below the lintel a few inches. The contact seal will be on the upper side of the Chimney Balloon anyway. If you use a strong flashlight to look through the Chimney Balloon, you will see how the Chimney Balloon sealed to the walls.
Good Job BTW with the measurements and the install. You handled that application like a pro! – Jason
by blogediter | Jan 24, 2018 | Fireplaces
Stuck Fireplace Dampers
Q: Jason, I have two fireplaces in my house and would never use them because fireplaces are a MAJOR SOURCE OF POLLUTION AND SHOULD BE BANNED!
Anyway, the top fireplace was used by previous owners and the damper is in pretty good condition. The bottom damper wasn’t used much and ironically the damper is warped a bit and also rusted so that I can’t open it. How can I use a Chimney Balloon in this application? – BT
A: Dear BT, Because of the acids and moisture in Chimneys it is very common to find rust and corrosion on the damper like you found in your lower Chimney. It is also very common to find a warped and rusty damper even after little use. That is part of the reason that dampers are made so loose fitting. The heating and cooling process causes this to occur in almost any damper situation.
It is possible to install a Chimney Balloon below the damper as long as the walls are parallel and the Chimney Balloon has a point of contact on all sides and the damper hardware does not interfere. Otherwise, above the damper is the best location. – Jason
Note: In this particular situation we found some WD40 and persistence can loosen a stuck damper. Once the damper was open we got a measurement of the smoke chamber above the damper and got a Chimney Balloon to fit that area.
by blogediter | Jan 19, 2018 | Fireplaces
Hi Jason, I just bought a house, and I have a fireplace that has been painted on the inside and out. Also it has been permanently sealed with expanding foam and foam board. I would like to open up the fireplace so it can be used again. I’m wondering if I just cut the foam out and start a fire will I have a problem with the paint and leftover foam? Will that just burn off? – RM
Hi RM, Well, the previous owners were obviously not interested in using that fireplace, because they took some semi-permanent measures to decommission it. They are typical DIY mistakes really, but they will take some effort to undo. First of all, if you just rip out the foam and fire up some logs you are going to have some toxic off-gassing of the foam and paint. It is not going to be good, so you have to do your best to get that stuff stripped.
1) Cut the foam out. Do your best to cut out as much of the expandable foam. You will have to use a scraper and wire brush to get all of it off. The good thing is it looks like they used it over the area that was painted. If you get that Great Stuff foam into bare brick it soaks in deeply, and it is a nightmare to get off. The paint may have kept it from soaking into the brick pores. DO NOT try to burn the foam it off at all. The smoke from burning expandable foam can straight up kill you. No joke, it is bad news if you burn it.
2) Get that paint off the walls next. There is a gel paint strip called Lightning Strip. You will probably have to buy it online. I don’t know of any chain store that sells it, since it is a specialty low vapor paint remover. Do not cut corners on this and get any old paint stripper. You are working in a tight space with this project, so you cant be using any old heavy vapor stripper. I have used Lightening Strip quite a bit to get latex paint off concrete and brick. You spray it on, and it releases the paint so you can scrape or scrub it off. Porous brick takes a few applications to get the paint out of the nooks and cranny’s.
3) Now that you have it back to original, size it up for a Chimney Balloon. The reason the previous owner plugged it was because it was drafty. So get that thing plugged right with a Chimney Balloon. If I was to take a guess on size (just by the photo). I bet it takes a 24×12 Chimney Balloon, but go ahead and measure and pick a Chimney Balloon size from your measurements.
4) Before you have your first fire have the chimney inspected by a CSIA chimney sweep. Make sure they do a level 2 inspection that includes fishing a camera down the flue to see how the flue liner or flue tile look. If they say you need a new liner get an inspection report with photos and have it quotes by 3 contractors.
RM, I’m sure you were hoping I would say: “Rip out the foam board and fire up the logs!” but that would be the dangerous solution for many reasons. Painting and foaming up a fireplace interior are very common mistakes well-meaning homeowners make, and it takes some work to undo. But if you follow these steps you can have a usable fireplace and still have it sealed tightly in the off-season. – Jason
