Colonial Chimney Question?

Colonial Chimney Question?

Q: Jason, My house has a standard colonial Chimney made in 1796. What size chimney do i have and what size Chimney Balloon should I use? – JS

A: Dear JS, Unfortunately, there is really no way I can estimate a size Chimney Balloon you would need without seeing the application or having some measurements of the flue. There were certainly no codes or standard sizes for 1796 fireplace construction. It really would be necessary to measure the flue first.

If this is not something you are comfortable with doing, any handymen service or chimney sweep would be capable of doing the measurement. Often times customers will hire a Chimney Sweep to do a chimney cleaning and request that the Chimney Sweep measure for a Chimney Balloon while they are there doing the cleaning. If you wish to do it yourself, you will find a very useful reference at our Chimney damper and flue sizing page: http://www.chimneyballoon.us/Chimneyballoonsizing.html

If you want a little more assistance you can email photos of the fireplace and flue area and I can give you more direction on specifically where to measure. You will be looking for a location in the flue to measure that is within arms reach and has roughly parallel walls. Let me know if I can be of further assistance. – Jason

My home gets smokey when the furnace and the fireplace are being used at the same time.

Q: Jason – Our house gets smoky when our furnace runs while using the fireplace. The chimney inspector told us we needed to extend the fireplace chimney, so he did. We keep a window cracked by the fireplace as he suggested. that didnt fix it, so it still gets smoky in the house when the furnace runs. – LW

A: I would suggest a couple of things try while you are running your fireplace. these things should help you diagnose where the issue is.

1) Burn a fire in the fireplace with the glass doors closed first…if this eliminates the problem then the smoke is comming straight out of the hearth and getting into your cold air return for circulation around the house. Be sure to compare burnin with the doors closed first and then the doors open.

2) Try running your furnace on fan only and see if the problem is still there. If it is not then your furnace is drawing air from the outside that is smokey. If it is still there than it is certain that your cold air return is getting access to the smoke somehow.

3) If this smoke problem is intermittent then try to note which direction the wind is blowing when this happens. Wind can be a factor in the fireplace smoke wisping past the furnace intake. this is particularly an issue if you have a direct vent furnace.

4) Did your chimney inspector do a complete inspection of the interior of your chimney. Possibly a camera inspection should be done. If you have a crack in your chimney liner the smoke may be getting into the home that way. A damaged liner is a very dangerouse situation that will need immediate repair. – Jason

My fireplace is giving me a headache, litterally!

Q: Jason – I have a gas fireplace and I get a headache and get sick every time I run it for a long period of time. I started running vaporizers or humidifiers when I run the fireplace and now I’m not getting headaches or sick. – BE

A: BE, I don’t mean to be an alarmist here, but you have a very serious problem with your fireplace. It is obviously putting out a serious amount of Carbon Monoxide. This is a lethal problem!

I could try to troubleshoot this for you on the phone but I need you to promise 3 things to me first. You must do them all at the same time.

  1. Do NOT use your fireplace
  2. Buy a carbon monoxide tester today in case there is another contributing factor in your home.
  3. Call a local reputable fireplace dealer or chimney sweep to look at your fireplace.

OK, that said, I feel better now that you won’t die while I am typing this letter. There is any number of things that could be causing your fireplace issue. I am certain your humidifiers are not correcting the issue. You likely have an obstruction in your flue, or an insufficient draft, or some mechanical issue with your gas fixture. I could try to go over this with you but it would be time and money well spent to bring in a local pro to look it over in person. If you have any specific questions though please let me know. – Jason

Can I clean my fireplace by salting the wood while it is burning?

Can I clean my fireplace by salting the wood while it is burning?

Q: Jason – Can I clean my fireplace chimney the easy way and just pour salt on the logs during a burn? – TW

A: TW, No, Where do rumors like this come from? I have heard this before but it is not true. Salt added to your fireplace wood during a burn does not help clean your fireplace.

Personally, I use my fireplace about 6 times per year. I clean it myself with a brush every 2 years (in the summer) and have a chimney sweep come and do it every 4 years. But that is a fireplace that gets very little use.

I have used the chimney sweep logs every once and a great while, but they really only help to a small degree to make your creasote less flammable. They certainly don’t hurt but my opinion is they are falsely advertised if they say they “clean” your chimney.

There is nothing like a good chimney scrubbing every so often. – Jason

Who can install a Chimney Balloon properly?

Who can install a Chimney Balloon properly?

Fall & Winter

Q: Who can come out to measure the size needed for the installation of the Chimney Balloon? Do they install?

A: If you prefer not to do the sizing and install of a Chimney Balloon yourself, you can have your local chimney sweep do it. Most Chimney Sweeps are already familiar with the product. It is good to have a chimney cleaned every so often anyway to remove dangerous creosote buildup. When the chimney sweep comes over to clean your chimney you can show him or her the sizing page on this website (or you can email them about it in advance) and they can certainly size a Chimney Balloon up for you according to the directions. It is a very simple measurement, so it should not cost any extra in labor.

Installation of a Chimney Balloon is even easier than measuring for one, this page shows how it is installed. http://www.chimneyballoon.us/chimneyballooninstall.html
But you could call any chimney sweep to install it as well. That will likely cost you another house call though.