Fireplace wood burning

Q: Jason – I was helping my grandmother out by removing her fireplace insert wood stove since she doesn’t have the strength to use it anymore and it just leaks cold air in. When I finally got this 350lbs insert out I realized that the old damper was cut out with a blow torch when the insert was wood burning installed. this is a large fireplace so I got in there and measured the smoke chamber area for a Chimney Balloon. Will I have a problem with the Chimney Balloon since the damper is removed? I measured for a 48X18 Custom Chimney Balloon. -JC

A: JC, That is very nice of you to help out your grandmother like that. I certainly hope you didn’t pull out that old wood burning fireplace insert by yourself. It sounds like an old cast iron model and those can be real behemoths to move. You are fine putting a Chimney Balloon in the smoke chamber of this fireplace. I was hoping we could find a spot a little lower and smaller but after our conversation on the phone, it sounds like the smoke chamber is the best location since no other area has parallel walls. Just be very careful during install that the old damper hardware doesn’t have and sharp edges to it. Blow torch cuts can often leave very sharp edges that should be filed or padded so it doesn’t puncture your new Chimney Balloon. Let me know if you have any further questions. – Jason