Will a Chimney Balloon fit a Bellfires retrofit fireplace with a locktop damper cable?
Q: Jason, It looks like your product would fit my application, but I already had to mail back another company’s product for a refund because I couldn’t get it to fit well.
Here is a little more information. I have a Bellfires retrofitted, concrete fireplace (http://www.bellfiresusa.com/fireplaces/model_BR.htm), and I also had my old chimney flue replaced with the Solid/Flue product (http://www.solidflue.com/). The horizontal cross-section of the firebox is roughly trapezoidal but has rounded corners. The smoke chamber zone is also concrete (fairly smooth) and has sloping surfaces with no corners to smoothly join the Bellfires fireplace with the 8″ round flue. The round flue begins at about 4 feet above the floor of the fireplace.
I have a lock-top type, cable operated damper at the chimney top and no damper right above the fireplace. Would my best bet be using the 9″ x 9″ Chimney Balloon in the flue itself? Would the square Chimney Balloon conform adequately to the round flue? The damper cable is pressed against the side of the flue at that point, so I don’t think the cable will be an obstacle. Would I need to order auxiliary parts to use the Chimney Balloon up that high?- JW
A: Jay, I understand the fireplace configuration you are describing and we have a solution that will fit that application. A 9X9 Chimney Balloon will fit your 8″ solid flue tube. The square corners of the Chimney Balloon are designed to conform to a circular flue as well as a square flue. When inflated the Chimney Balloon will also press your lock top cable to the side of the flue wall. We have had many customers with Lock-top dampers and Chimney Balloons in their chimney. It is a very effective combination. To accommodate the 4′ reach I would recommend a HEK Extender for your Chimney Balloon. – Jason
Customer followup email: Jason, Thank you for the information. I ordered the Chimney Balloon, it arrived in 3 days. It works great. Thanks – JW
