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 | 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 | Jun 13, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Stuck fireplace damper
Q: Jason,
I’m the guy who talked to you on the phone and had a fireplace damper stuck. Finally got it open. What a pain to lay on your back and look up into the chimney at a stuck fireplace damper. Now I have another reason to hate my fireplace!!
I have two fireplaces. The upstairs fireplace damper is in good shape. The opening immediately above the damper is large, but it tapers down to an ~12″ circular flue. The round flue is 32″ from the top of the damper. Problem is that your extender is only 16″ long. Can you put two of the extenders together, or make a custom long extender?
The downstairs fireplace is the one with the rusted damper. I finally got it to open and now it moves ok. The opening immediately above the damper is ~42″x20″. This tapers down to a circular flue. The flue is on the left side of the fireplace (the two fireplaces share a chimney). I could put a 12×12 chimney plug in the lower fireplace, but the circular opening is 48″ above the top of the damper.
The house was built in California in 1960. It doesn’t match any of your standard sizes. Are the construction details unusual? Can I get a longer extension and use a standard chimney plug? -BE
A: Dear BE,
I’m glad to hear that the damper finally opened up. A stuck damper often requires safety goggles, a whole can of WD-40, some serious elbow grease, and patience.
Lets address the upstairs fireplace first… You can make an HEK extender longer by making some non-authorized adaptations to it. See this article on how to make a longer Chimney Balloon extender: http://www.chimneyballoonusa.com/blog/2007/01/i_talked_with_j.html
An easier solution would be to get the measurements just above the damper in this fireplace and install a Chimney Balloon there at a lower point.
Now, with the downstairs fireplace…If the dimensions are 42×20 in the smoke shelf just above the fireplace damper then that would be the easiest location to install a Chimney Balloon. We do make a custom size 42×20 Chimney Balloon and you can see it on the Custom Chimney Balloon page of the website: http://www.chimneyballoon.us/customchimneyballoon.html
Be sure to call again if you have more questions on how to measure in the smoke shelf area. – Jason
by blogediter | Jun 11, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Customer Diagram
Q: Jason – Here is a drawn diagram of my fireplace and how the hearth, smoke shelf, damper, and flue are interlinked. I am thinking that the best place to have the Chimney Balloon is right in the area that is 8″x18″ above the smoke shelf. How do I install the Chimney Balloon that high? – JA
A: Dear JA, Thank you very much for the diagram. We spoke about this application on the phone, but it really helps to see exactly what you are looking at.
I agree with you about the best location to install the Chimney Balloon. The spot above the smoke shelf that narrows down to 8×18 is the lowest spot possible to install the Chimney Balloon. The tapered walls of the fire box and smoke chamber make it too hard to install anywhere else. Since the smoke chamber is 13″ tall, you will want to purchase a HEK extender with your Chimney Balloon so the handle will have enough length to reach all the way up to where the Chimney Balloon needs to be. – Jason
