by blogediter | Sep 24, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Clean Your Own
This is a summary of a phone conversation I had with a very nice older woman in a North suburb of Chicago. I will refer to her as Mrs. G:
Mrs. G: Thank you for the information on the Chimney Balloon. I hired a chimney sweep to come to my home so I could have him measure to fit a Chimney Balloon.
Jason: That is a great idea. I know you expressed concern about getting your old damper open as it has rusted closed. How did that work out for you?
Mrs. G: It went well but the chimney sweep suggested an Exhausto Chimney Fan so I can seal up my chimney. He said it would cost about $900 to install one.
Jason: Exhaust makes a very good product Mrs. G. but I thought you said you do not use this fireplace at all?
Mrs. G: I never use this fireplace but the sweep told me this was a good way to stop heat loss through the chimney.
Jason: Well the Exhausto does have a feature that tops the chimney when it is not blowing, but if you really want to top your chimney it would be best to just have the sweep cap the chimney with a top cap plug.
Mrs. G: The sweep told me that the Exhausto will keep me from losing heat out the chimney and act as a top sealing damper.
Jason: Yes, but primarily the Exhaust is made to draw air up the chimney. It is perfect if you had a chimney that did not draft well and you use it often. In my opinion, You would be better served to get a more economical top sealing damper, like the ones made by Lymance, if you are looking to seal the fireplace at the top and you would like to still have the option of using it. If you don’t plan to use the fireplace and you never have, and if you have no known smoke draft problem, you would be wasting money by installing an exhausted. Is this Chimney Sweep someone that you know and trust.
Mrs. G: Well, this chimney sweep is from the yellow pages, I have not used him before. But he says he knows what he is talking about. He thinks this will work to create the right amount of air in my chimney so it won’t be cold anymore.
Jason: Mrs. G. I think this guy is trying to up-sell you and does not have your best interest in mind. I would call another sweep and have him look at your fireplace. Ask him if he thinks a Chimney Balloon or a top sealing damper would work best for you.
Mrs. G: Well I already have signed the estimate for the Exhausto so they are installing it tomorrow since they had a cancellation.
Jason: Mrs. G I would encourage you to call to see if you can have this guy let you out of that estimate. I really encourage you to have another person look at this first. We can look up some reputable chimney sweeps through the National Chimney Sweeps Association and get you another opinion.
Mrs. G: Maybe that would be good I will call him and call you right back
Jason: OK, in the meantime I will look up some reputable sweeps in your area. I will have you a few phone #s by the time you call back.
Mrs. G: OK Jason, thanks, goodbye.
Mrs. G never called me (Jason) back. I can only assume this chimney sweep talked her into the installation again. I didn’t care if she bought a chimney balloon or not. I actually thought a lock top damper may be what she wants. But I knew for sure an exhaust was going to be overkill.
by blogediter | Feb 28, 2018 | Chimney Problems
Vacustack
Q: Jason – I cleaned our fireplace hearth several weeks ago and still notice a smoke smell in the living room. I did the vinegar fireplace smell deodorizer trick that you suggested in another article and had little results. On windy and/or rainy days, the smell is worse. I am thinking of purchasing a special chimney cap, such as a vacu stack, which would prevent downdrafts especially when a fire is burning. That would solve back-drafting when the fireplace is lit.
I am wondering, in addition to the cap, if the Chimney Balloon would stop the odor from coming into the room especially days after the fire is out. Just wanted your opinion on that. I also measured just above the damper and came up with 36″ X 14″. Which Chimney Balloon would I need? – PM
A: Dear PM, In order for the vinegar and baking soda trick to have a lasting effect in neutralizing the smell coming from the chimney the trick, is to seal the flue first so more creosote laced air doesn’t descend the flue into the room.
The 36×15 Chimney Balloon will fit well in a 36×14 flue and it will help you stop the smelly air from descending the chimney. It will all but eliminate the fireplace smoke smell as long as you install it in a low location (like by the damper).
The vacu stack (photo of one above) is great if your fireplace belches smoke during your burn from a deflecting outside downdraft that is pushing down at the chimney. This can sometimes be an issue if the chimney top is not above the roof-line or if trees deflect winds at the chimney.
If the issue is due to limited stack effect in your home then a vacu stack may not work so well. A fireplace that is smokey during the burn can have any number of issues causing the problem, but your Chimney Professional will likely be able to diagnose the issue.
by blogediter | Feb 16, 2018 | Chimney Problems
Smoke Backing Fireplace
Help! Smoke is backing up into my home from the fireplace!
One of the most common issues with fireplaces is they sometimes do not draft well. You open the damper and place your starter paper and kindling properly and ignite the fire…next thing you know you have smoke billowing into your home because the smoke does not want to go up the chimney. When this happens your fireplace is not drafting well.
The damper is open, so why does a smoke backup from my fireplace?
This could be happening for any number of reasons. Your house might be sealed up too tight, or you might have a bathroom or kitchen fan on that is creating back pressure into the house. There might even be a wind outside that is hitting your chimney just right and forcing air down the chimney. Whatever the culprit is, it would be better to know about it before you light the fire.
Know about a draft problem before you light the fire
Wouldn’t it be nice to know if you have a draft issue with your fireplace before you light that fire, so you don’t have the smoke backup? You can use a smoke pencil puffer (sometimes called a smoke stick) to test the draft of your fireplace before you light your fire. By pulling the trigger on a Smoke Pencil it allows you to make a small plume of smoke that will test your fireplace draft, and then immediately you can stop the smoke by releasing the trigger. Just watch the smoke to see if it lifts up the chimney like it should, or if it wafts back into the room. The smoke stick gives you a nice visible controllable smoke that is non-toxic and has a faint sweet smell that fades in seconds.
How much does a smoke pencil cost?
A Smoke Pencil puffer like this costs $25 and will work hundreds of times. If you have ever had to clean and deodorize your home after backing up smoke from the fireplace you know that $25 is a small price to pay to keep this from happening.
What else is a smoke pencil good for?
Besides using them in the fireplace, Smoke Pencils are also used to find air movement drafts in the home due to bad door or window seals, or other small gaps in the homes energy envelope. Home energy raters use Smoke Pencils to test homes for air tightness. HVAC professionals use them to see if they have sealed up a home’s ducts well. You can use them to test your homes HVAC ducts as well and see if you need to tape your ducts to save energy. Click here to buy a Smoke Pencil Puffer
