by blogediter | May 27, 2019 | Chimney Plugs
Q: Following the instructions on this site our place for a Chimney Balloon would be roughly 4 feet above the metal damper in a space that is roughly 12×12. I am planning to purchase a 15×15 Chimney Balloon, but is there a HEX extension long enough for placement and inflation of the Chimney Balloon?- RM
A: Dear RM, It sounds like you are trying to size a Chimney Balloon in your first chimney tile area. We do make 36″ long custom HEK Extenders, but I think you will find it much easier to measure and install a Chimney Balloon in a lower location if possible.
What you are looking for in your flue is an area about 7″ or 8″ in height that has roughly parallel walls on at least 2 opposing sides, and is out of the way of the damper hardware.
Knowing that description, is there an area just above or below your damper that may be a better location to measure? Call us at 608-467-0229 for a little more guidance. – Jason
by blogediter | Feb 20, 2019 | Fireplaces
Stone Fireplace
Q: Dear Jason, I have a custom made wood burning cobblestone fireplace in my cabin upstate. The damper was made by the person that built the fireplace 35 years ago. I have looked all over to find damper parts for this damper because the handle has broken off and the damper is so rusty it cannot be opened or closed all the way anymore. My chimney sweep said he can have a metals shop custom make damper parts similar to the old one that he can install for me, but the quote was $975! I found the Chimney Balloon on-line as an alternative to a damper. Would there be any reason I cant use a Chimney Balloon instead of a damper? – TU
A: Dear TU, If you have a location in your fireplace flue either above or below the current damper that has roughly parallel walls and is 6″ in height and is not obstructed in other ways with damper hardware or other hardware than I do not see any reason why you couldn’t use a Chimney Balloon with this fireplace. Custom Chimney Dampers can be very expensive to have fabricated as you noted in your email. The Chimney Balloon will also give you a far tighter seal that results in heat and money saved. – Jason
by blogediter | Mar 14, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Surface texture above my fireplace damper
Q: Jason, The brick and mortar texture above my fireplace damper is very rough as you can see in the photo of my flue. The walls slant away in weird angles like looking up from the inside of a pyramid. Will the Chimney Balloon damper be able to seal this area ok?
I have a large rectangular metal damper. I believe you call that type of damper a “vestal” style damper. – RM
A: Hi RM, Thank you for the photo of the fireplace flue and your damper. You are correct that you do have a vestal style damper. This style is quite easy to fit with a Chimney Balloon even if there are slopping and slanting and rough texture walls in the flue above the damper.
Measure the area above the fireplace damper with a folding carpenters ruler and buy a Chimney Balloon that is at least that dimension (i.e. If you measure 37″x16″ buy a custom 39×16 Chimney Balloon. Do NOT buy a 36×15 standard since that will be too small). Take the un-inflated Chimney Balloon out of its packaging and tuck the Chimney Balloon material above the flue with the long side pointing in the length direction of the fireplace. The handle of the Chimney Balloon will stick down through the open damper door. It is OK to leave the damper door open since the Chimney Balloon will be serving as the damper when it is inflated. And quite frankly it will do a better job sealing than the old tired metal damper.
The type of texture you show if your picture is actually quite beneficial for the Chimney Balloon since it gives the Chimney Balloon membrane a nice surface texture to grab hold of when you inflate the Chimney Balloon damper in place. The Chimney Balloon material is very flexible and will seal around any mortar or texture as it inflates. Just make sure you do not attempt to move the position of the Chimney Balloon after you have it inflated in place. If you do have to adjust the position of the Chimney Balloon remove most of the air volume of the Chimney Balloon before you reposition it. – Jason
by blogediter | Aug 25, 2017 | Fireplaces
#24: I Have a Center Swing Handle Damper, How do I Plug the Flue.
24-1 Hardware for center swing handle damper
24-2 Center Swing Handle damper with Flueblocker installed
24-3 Measure area in red for a Flueblocker
24-4 Flueblocker cut for damper handle
Fireplace #24: Swing Handle Damper and High Flue Tile
These Swing Handle Dampers are very common in masonry fireplaces of solid brick or stone. These are their characteristics:
- They have a long rectangular sheet iron damper frame and matching door.
- The door has a straight cast iron handle sticking down. (image 24-1)
- The handle swings forward and back.
- All of the hardware is welded or bolted and is not removable.
- The damper door is at a slight angle when closed.
If you want to plug it tight, use the Flueblocker
If you have the swing handle damper that has a handle in the center of the damper (image 24-3) or with the handle on the side (image 24-4), you can use a Flueblocker. It seals and insulates very well. Measure the peaked area below the closed damper. (marked in red in image 24-3). Order a Flueblocker that is slightly large for the measured size. When you install the Flueblocker, cut a small slit for the straight damper handle to come through. (image 24-2 and image 24-4)
