#103: Plugging a Chimney At the Top

by blogediter | Sep 6, 2017 | Fireplaces

#103: Plugging a Chimney At the Top

103-3 Chimney Balloon in Flue Tile

103-2 Chimney Top With Plywood Cover

103-1 Chimney Top with Cover

Fireplace #103: Plugging the Chimney At the Top

Installing any of our chimney plug products at the top of the chimney is definitely an “off label” use. It is not something we promote at all, because of the dangers of putting a plug at the top of the chimney. That said, we always get people asking about it, so it is important to discuss.

Here are the situations where you should NEVER put a plug at the top of your chimney:

If you have a vented or vent-less gas log.
If you have a gas assist fire starter.
If you have fires in the fireplace at all.
If you think someone else may possibly have a fire the fireplace.
If you don’t have the equipment or good-sense to get to your chimney top safely.

Here are the decent reasons to consider plugging a chimney at the top:

If you have a fireplace that is completely out of commission for structural or safety reasons.
You have an electric fireplace insert, a TV, an aquarium, or some other large item occupying the firebox.
If you NEVER ever have fires, and you don’t own any matches, lighters, flint and steel, or other fire making devices.
If every visitor you have to your house has the good sense to not use your fireplace.
If you don’t mind a large red sign in your firebox that reads “STOP! This chimney is plugged at the top!”

If you do decide to plug the chimney at the top, you still need a chimney cap or cover of some kind, so the chimney plug is not hanging out uncovered in the elements. You can even make a plywood cover with a counterweight (image 103-2 and 103-1).

Whether you decide to use a Flueblocker or Chimney Balloon you should take a short bit of twine or cord and tie the chimney plug handle to the chimney cap or cover. This way if a lightening strike or squirrel incursion destroys the plug, it wont fall down the chimney and get stuck half way.

#102: Fireplace Inserts, Coal Burners, Heatelator’s, and Other Weird Applications

by blogediter | Sep 6, 2017 | Fireplaces

#102: Fireplace Inserts, Coal Burners, Heatelator’s, and Other Weird Applications

Fireplace Insert

Heatelator Tubes Above the Firebox

Pocket Coal Burner Fireplace

Fireplace #102: Inserts, Coal Burners, Heatelators, and Other Weird Applications

We have covered the common fireplace applications in our chimney plug blog articles. However, there are so many fireplace variations like Heatelator tubes, fireplace inserts, coal burners, etc… We cant cover them all.

If you have something that you don’t see represented in this fireplace product selector, please contact us to get personalized help. Our tech support will have you take a couple of flash photos of the fireplace, so we can give you specific instructions on how to measure and fit a chimney plug.

#101: I Have Wood Stove, How Do I Plug the Flue?

by blogediter | Sep 6, 2017 | Fireplaces

#101: I Have Wood Stove, How Do I Plug the Flue?

101-1 Double-Door Wood Stove

101-2 Double-Door Wood Stove Firebox Damper

101-3 Avalon Wood Stove

101-4 Firebrick in Burning Chamber on Avalon Wood Stove

101-5 Franklin Wood Stove

101-6 Chimney Pipe Connection to Firebox

Woodstove #101: Wood Burning Stove

Here are some characteristics of wood stoves, so you don’t confuse them with gas, pellet, or other kinds of stoves:

They are free standing units with a tube chimney attached to the back or side.
There is a door on the front of the firebox that you can open to put logs into.
Some models have a blower unit that pushed heated air into the room.
In the Spring and Summer chimney odor is often an issue with wood stoves.

The variety of sizes, shapes and efficiency of wood stoves is endless. I can’t possibly show them all, so lets look at the common ones.

Look For the Chimney Pipe Connection

Open up the door to your firebox and look around in there. See if you can identify a damper (image 101-2), or see if you can identify where the flue pipe is connecting with the firebox (image 101-6).

If you can see where the pipe connects to the firebox that is a perfect location to install a Chimney Balloon or a round Flueblocker. Use a ruler to make a quick diameter measurement of the entry point so you know what size plug to get. The Flueblocker is a more durable plug, but if you need a plug that has an auto-release feature if someone accidentally starts a fire without removing the plug first, then go with the Chimney Balloon.

There is Something Blocking My Access to the Flue Pipe

Sometimes there is a damper (image 101-2) or baffles that are in the way of giving you access to the flue pipe. If this is the case, see if there is a way around it. Sometimes firebrick baffles can be moved (image 101-4) to give you access to the area behind it. In the Avalon stove (image 101-3) there are firebrick baffles on the top of the burn chamber, but they are loose and can be lifted and removed. Getting them out of the way gives you access to the chimney pipe connection.

In many wood stoves there is simply no access to the chimney pipe through the burn chamber. It may be possible to access the chimney though an ash clean-out port, but this gets a little complicated. Contact us through phone or email, and we will see if there is a solution.

#52: I Have a Square Center-Pivot Damper with Chains Hanging Down. How Do I Plug It?

by blogediter | Aug 31, 2017 | Fireplaces

#52: I Have a Square Center-Pivot Damper with Chains Hanging Down. How Do I Plug It?

52-1 Closed Square Chain Damper

52-2 Closed Short-Rectangle Chain Damper

52-3 Measure Below a Square Chain Damper

Fireplace #52: Square Center-Pivot Damper With Chains Hanging Down

These metal clad square center-pivot pull chain dampers are rare. They are mostly found in double-sided fireplaces that face two rooms. These are their characteristics:

They have a square (image 52-1) or short-rectangle (image 52-2) sheet metal damper door.
The door has two chains hanging down. One to open the damper, and one to close it. (image 52-1)
The metal clad firebox walls get slightly narrower as you go up toward the damper. (image 52-1)

In this particular application it is easiest to install a chimney plug device below the damper, since the damper is set so high above the firebox.

52-5 Flueblocker Installed

Custom Flueblocker below the damper

We do not have any standard sized Flueblockers that fit this wide of a hole. Here are the steps to measure your application, and order a custom Flueblocker to fit below the damper.

Measure the size of the opening about 5 vertical inches below the damper. Measure wall to wall left to right and front to back (image 52-3).
From those dimensions, order a Custom Flueblocker that is at least 3″ larger than your measurements in both dimensions. The Flueblocker will need the extra material to get a tight pressure fit.
Contact us to get a quote on a custom Flueblocker size.

#51: I Have a Long Rectangular Center-Pivot Damper with Chains Hanging Down. How Do I Plug the Flue?

by blogediter | Aug 31, 2017 | Fireplaces

#51: I Have a Long Rectangular Center-Pivot Damper with Chains Hanging Down. How Do I Plug the Flue?

51-1 Closed Long Center-Pivot Chain Damper

51-2 Open Long Center-Pivot Chain Damper

51-3 Pull Chain on Chain Damper

51-4 Open Center-Pivot Damper Door

Fireplace #51: Long Rectangle Center-Pivot Damper with Chains

These long center-pivot (butterfly) rectangular dampers are rare. They are usually in custom masonry fireplaces of solid construction brick or stone. They come in a variety of sizes. These are their characteristics of the long rectangle butterfly chain dampers:

They have a long rectangular damper door that pivots on a center shaft. (image 51-1 and 51-2)
The door is opened and closed by a pair of chains attached to the face of the damper door (image 51-3). They hang down on the left and right side of the firebox.
The damper frame is narrow and the damper pivots on a center shaft. When the damper is open there is very little access to the smoke shelf or flue tile above the damper (image 51-4).
There is usually 2″ to 9″ of uninterrupted vertical space under the damper before the lintel opens to the room.

Because of the limited access above the damper. We will focus on products that install below the damper.

The Flueblocker is a durable option

51-6 Where to Measure for a Flueblocker

The Flueblocker is the best solution for this application, since the chains below the damper door can easily be pressed to the side of the firebox. Here is how a Flueblocker is installed:

Measure the wall to wall area left to right, and front to back below the damper (see yellow arrows in image 51-6). Then buy a Flueblocker that is a few inches bigger. If it is a really large area you may have to contact us for a custom size quote.
Tuck the Flueblocker into the area you had measured. If it is over-sized, it may bow upward a bit from the pressure fit, or you can trim it to fit with sharp scissors.
Remove the Flueblocker before you have a fire.

What about the Chimney Balloon?

51-7 Looking Up At a Chimney Balloon Below a Chain Damper

You can use a Chimney Balloon to plug the wall to wall area below a damper like this. There has to be at least 9″ of vertical space below the damper to fit the balloon in (image 51-7). Measure wall to wall left to right and front to back below the damper and buy a Chimney Balloon that is slightly larger than that. For example, if you measure 34×13 then buy a 36×15 Chimney Balloon. When you inflate the Chimney Balloon in place it may bulge below the lintel a bit and be visible from the room. The Chimney Balloon will require a top-off of air each 6 to 12 months, and it is not quite as durable as non-inflatable plugs. So consider it a “Plan B” for this application.

#50: I Have a Chimney Top Damper with a Cable Coming Down. How do I Plug the Flue?

by blogediter | Aug 31, 2017 | Fireplaces

#50: I Have a Chimney Top Damper with a Cable Coming Down. How do I Plug the Flue?

50-1 Chimney Top Damper Cable Coming Thru Old Damper Frame

50-2 Chimney Top Damper Cable Entering the Firebox

50-3 Lymance Brand Top Seal Damper on Chimney Top

50-4 Damper Cable Decending Flue Tile and Smoke Shelf

50-6 Damper Cable Descending into Firebox

Fireplace #50: Chimney Top Damper with Cable Down the Flue

These retrofitted chimney top dampers come in a variety of styles and brands. They are currently a very popular solution for replacing traditional throat dampers. These are their characteristics of top-sealing dampers:

They have a long cable or chain that descends from the damper apparatus at the chimney crown (image 50-3) to the firebox (image 50-6).
The chimney cable locks into a bracket mounted on the side of the firebox. (image 50-6)
If there was a lower traditional throat damper in this fireplace, it was removed or cut out to allow the cable to come down (image 50-1).
These top-sealing dampers can be used in round flue liners, or in square flue tile (image 50-4)

The nice thing about these chimney top dampers is they are easy to open and close, and they are suitable replacements for aged and rotted throat dampers that are hard to get parts for or rebuild. The downside to these top-dampers is they tend to trap in chimney odor and can sometimes feel drafty even when they seal tightly. Bottling a chimney at the top is problematic in many ways.

The Flueblocker is the durable solution

For this application, go with a Flueblocker. Here is a video on how the Flueblocker works.

Take a quick measurement of the narrow opening just above your firebox (Image 50-1). Often this will be the old metal damper frame of an old throat damper
Buy a Flueblocker that a little large than the hole. It pressure fits, so it doesn’t hurt to have a little extra material. Just don’t buy one that is too small.
The Flueblocker is a wool pad with extra hems, so you can trim it to size with sharp scissors.
You can cut a small slit in the edge of the wool pad for the top-damper cable to come down through. That way you can keep the top damper closed ,and have the Flueblocker installed.