by blogediter | May 3, 2019 | Chimney Plugs
Q:Jason, My fireplace chimney is very unusual since the flue is so far forward and the smoke shelf or smoke chamber is so deep. There is no place to put the Chimney Balloon that has parallel walls before the 8×18 tile flue. Do you see any options that may be easier to install in according to my diagram? – JA
Dear JA: This is not an easy install since your lowest point with parallel walls will be the flue tile above the smoke shelf. Looks like the 18″x 8″ location would be best with an HEK extender handgrip. The smoke shelf juts out so much that the CB handgrip would get in the way of it, if trying to put the CB into the chamber just above the smoke shelf. – Jason
Note: In this case, a Custom 18×8 with an HEK extender worked very well and was easy to install since the flue was only 13″ above the smoke shelf ledge.
by blogediter | Apr 5, 2019 | Chimney Plugs
Q: Jason, On the “Sizing a Chimney Balloon” portion of the Chimney Balloon fireplace damper website it says to find a spot in the chimney that is low, like in the smoke shelf of the smoke chamber or by the damper, to measure for and install your Chimney Balloon? Why shouldn’t I just measure higher-up in the flue and install a Chimney Balloon up there? A smaller Chimney Balloon costs less money. – JC
A: JC, I know it is tempting for you to think we recommend a lower install location because we are just trying to sell a larger more expensive Chimney Balloon. But that is not why we suggest this. There are a number of reasons why you should install a Chimney Balloon in a lower location. Here are a few:
- It is best to install a Chimney Balloon in an area that you can reach with your hand because it will be easier to install and uninstall. When installing the Chimney Balloon you may need to prod a corner into place or adjust the alignment of the Chimney Balloon with your hand, and this is easier to do if the Chimney Balloon is installed in an easy to reach location. We make handle valve extenders for the Chimney Balloon in case it is not possible to install in an easy to reach location.
- If you do have a smoke shelf or smoke chamber then this structure shelf will help to support the weight of the Chimney Balloon once installed. The Chimney Balloon is designed to hold itself in place just by grabbing the flue sides through air pressure, but a smoke shelf makes its job even easier as it gives the bottom of the Chimney Balloon a location to rest. If the shelf is unusually deep and you need the valve of your Chimney Balloon to be somewhere other than the direct center of the Chimney Balloon this can be done through our custom order process. Here is a link to the blog about how to order a custom Chimney Balloon.
- If you install a Chimney Balloon low down you will be sealing off more of the fireplace inner chimney surface from your home. There are two advantages to this. If the creosote of your fireplace is particularly smelly or humid this isolates your home air from being contaminated by the chimneys smoky creosote smell. The other advantage is that heated air in a fireplace chimney tends to naturally cool and sink and create a draft sensation (Here is an article that addresses problems with top sealing dampers that tend to not stop the chimney draft)
The damper photo image above is a perfect example. The fireplace owner told us the chimney area is humid and sooty and smelly and the damper leaked cold air. We recommended a Chimney Balloon to be installed just above the damper, nice and low. After the customer installed the properly sized Chimney Balloon and used vinegar to neutralize the smokey aroma, the stinky fireplace smell stopped for good. – 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 | Dec 5, 2018 | Gas Logs
Chimney Balloon Diagram
Q: Jason, Recently getting my chimney swept, I was given an estimate of 1k to replace my disintegrated Smoke Shelf. The guy was nice and said that is why I sometimes may get smoke in the room (I do — but only initially and it goes away in less than 20 seconds). But, on his estimate, he noted that the chimney could be brought “into” code with said Smoke Shelf. Getting back to this Smoke Shelf, it is above the damper, and if it looks like the diagram shown, how on Earth could it be disintegrated? One thing the sweep did not mention was my crusty damper that actuates open funny- NG
A: NG, 20 seconds of smoke at the start is quite normal. I wouldn’t worry about that, but if it bothers you then glass doors will work to cut that smoke escape way back. Since the damper is actuating funny you would be looking at a Chimney Balloon ($50) or a replacement damper ($500 or so installed) to fix that issue. Repairing your smoke shelf will not help this issue much at all. If the condition of the inside of the smoke shelf of the chimney is in question, then the whole interior of the chimney would be in question, so you would really be looking more at a stainless chimney liner. But that would be up to a sweep that has a camera to inspect it well. Or you could just plug it and forget it, since traditional fireplaces are such a losing heat energy option anyway. Using them makes your energy bill go up – not down. – Jason
by blogediter | Jul 2, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Fireplace wood burning
Q: Jason – I was helping my grandmother out by removing her fireplace insert wood stove since she doesn’t have the strength to use it anymore and it just leaks cold air in. When I finally got this 350lbs insert out I realized that the old damper was cut out with a blow torch when the insert was wood burning installed. this is a large fireplace so I got in there and measured the smoke chamber area for a Chimney Balloon. Will I have a problem with the Chimney Balloon since the damper is removed? I measured for a 48X18 Custom Chimney Balloon. -JC
A: JC, That is very nice of you to help out your grandmother like that. I certainly hope you didn’t pull out that old wood burning fireplace insert by yourself. It sounds like an old cast iron model and those can be real behemoths to move. You are fine putting a Chimney Balloon in the smoke chamber of this fireplace. I was hoping we could find a spot a little lower and smaller but after our conversation on the phone, it sounds like the smoke chamber is the best location since no other area has parallel walls. Just be very careful during install that the old damper hardware doesn’t have and sharp edges to it. Blow torch cuts can often leave very sharp edges that should be filed or padded so it doesn’t puncture your new Chimney Balloon. Let me know if you have any further questions. – Jason
