by blogediter | Mar 29, 2019 | Fireplaces
Q: Dear Jason, Help! I have a very nice EPA rated wood stove that was put in about a year ago. It was installed in my lower level and the trouble is it smells of creosote and smoke smell when I am not using it. I know it is negative pressure bringing the smokey stink back into the house. Can I plug the flue with a Chimney Balloon to prevent the backdraft from bringing the smell back in? – TW
A: Dear TW, It depends on what type of stove you have. The image to the left is the inside top of an Avalon woodstove that has firebrick baffles on the top of the firebox. These brick baffles can be removed and it gives you easy access to the round flue so you can install a 9×9 Chimney Balloon when it is not being used. In the picture, you can see the one brick is being lifted because they just set in there by gravity.
Other wood stoves are completely metal-clad in the firebox and the baffles are welded steel. In these fireplaces, you often have no access to the flue through the firebox.
On occasion, you can get access to another part of the chimney through a clean-out door portal. Usually, these are outside and near a bend in the chimney or pipe.
You have to have access to the woodstove flue or chimney to plug it with a Chimney Balloon. – Jason
by blogediter | Mar 27, 2019 | Chimney Plugs
Q: Dear Jason, Do you make a Chimney Balloon for a 10.5″ diameter, circular chimney uptake? Your products seem to be made of squares or rectangles. I can’t put a square into a round hole and expect a snug fit…or can I? Thank you. RM
A: Dear RM, Thank you for your Chimney Balloon question. You present a very common question about the Chimney Balloon. How can you fit a square or tapered Chimney Balloon into a round hole (like a round metal flue)? The answer is… Chimney Balloons are flexible and only expand as far as the flue wall allows it to and no further, the extra material either folds or pops inward and the Chimney Balloon is still able to seal tightly.
We have a tradeshow demo that we use to explain it and I took two photos of the demo, so you can see what I mean. This image is a 9″ clear tube with a 9×9 Chimney Balloon installed in it. Your 10.5″ diameter flue would need a 12×12 Chimney Balloon, but it will seal the same.
However, if you really want to get around 12″ Chimney Balloon we do make those as a custom for the same price as the standard, it just takes 14 days to get a custom made and shipped to you. The rounds are not listed on the website, so you would need to call in the order and we can enter the order indirectly with proper build notes. – Jason
by blogediter | Mar 22, 2019 | Fireplaces
Q: Jason, I am very interested in a Chimney Balloon for my fireplace damper. I have a question that does not appear to be answered in your FAQ’s. How do you install a Chimney Balloon with a dampener handle sticking down into the firebox area? I cannot remove the handle and it would seem to be an object preventing a seal. I am sure there is an answer to this and await your reply. – DS
A: Hi DS, I don’t mean to be picky about vocabulary (It was not my strong suit in school either) but the correct word for the metal door in the fireplace is a “fireplace damper“. It is a common slip of the tongue, people call them dampers all the time.
In your particular application, I would recommend that you take your Chimney Balloon measurement above the damper opening. This location will get your Chimney Balloon up and out of the way of the damper hardware that is below the damper door.
From the picture, it looks like the damper is nice and low, but photos of flues can be deceiving in depth. If you cannot easily touch the damper door with two hands I would recommend you purchase a HEK valve extender with your Chimney Balloon to make the inflation go easier. – Jason
by blogediter | Feb 25, 2019 | Chimney Plugs
Q: Jason, See below. There doesn’t seem to be enough room under my damper to use the Chimney Pillow/Balloon. There is plenty of drafts. – SZ
A: SZ, Thank you for the pictures. they are very descriptive. With this application, I would tend to recommend to put the Chimney Balloon above the damper. I see you have what appears to be sufficient room below the damper if you open it up to get the handle out of the way, but I think the best route would be to measure above the damper with a folding carpenters ruler. I have attached a diagram of your chimney if it does have a smoke chamber above the damper in the flue, If you install it high enough you may even be able to close the damper after the Chimney Balloon is installed. I am just taking a guess that this fireplace does have a smoke chamber, but even if it doesn’t I think the best install location is above the damper. See the diagram below. – Jason
by blogediter | Jan 2, 2019 | Chimney Plugs
Fall & Winter
Q: Do I close the chimney damper after installing the Chimney Balloon? – SR
A: You can have the damper closed if you have the Chimney Balloon installed up in the chimney far enough to close the damper and clear the damper hardware. But doing this is kind of like making sure to close your screen door when your heavy storm door is already closed. The screen door (damper) is not holding much back, the storm door (Chimney Balloon) is doing the bulk of the work.
There are a few things to keep in mind though if you do decide to close the damper.
1) When you inflate the Chimney Balloon make sure to install it as high above the damper as you can comfortably reach after it is snugly in place remove the long clear inflation tube from the valve handle and store the inflation tube.
2) If you try to force the damper closed and the Chimney Balloon is not high enough, it may put upward pressure on the valve section that is sealed to the Chimney Balloon portion. That is a little tough on your Chimney Balloon since it puts constant undue pressure on the valve and balloon seal.
3) The other issue is if you close your damper you may forget you installed the Chimney Balloon and just open the damper and start a fire. So make sure you put the red reminder card that is included with your Chimney Balloon in a very visible place, like on the burning grate or by the gas spigot lever.
I leave my damper open and leave the inflation tube attached so it dangles just above my head when I open the glass doors to the fireplace. With this solution, I still have no draft problem since the Chimney Balloon seals the flue tighter than my metal flapper damper ever did. – SR
