by blogediter | Jul 18, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Q: Jason, I am trying to decide whether to put a Chimney Balloon in above or below my flue damper. You can see in the picture here what the damper looks like. The area below the damper is a trapezoid of 29″ x 20″ x 34″. Should I put a Chimney Balloon in this space?
The area above the flue damper is 30″x12″. You can see that in the second picture. – JR
A: Dear JR, By looking at this vestal damper application I would say the best location to put a Chimney Balloon in is above the damper door. The area below the damper has quite a bit of hardware in the way since the handle, the handle retaining clip, and the glass door retaining screws are all down there.
It also looks like your chimney flue was also recently re-mortared, although I am not sure it was done by a pro. The texture is quite rough and the surface is uneven. But this nice clean surface will make it easier to install the Chimney Balloon in that area.
You can put the Chimney Balloon in just above where the damper door is when it is open. When you inflate it in place the bottom of the Chimney Balloon will actually rest on the damper doors front edge.
Another option is to remove the damper door so you only have the frame of the damper in the fireplace and then install the Chimney Balloon just above the frame.
To remove the damper door just pull the cotter pin from the damper handle assembly ( you can see the cotter pin in your first picture) and remove the damper handle. Once that is removed you can reach up and lift the damper door off of the lip of the damper frame. There is no hinge on these dampers, they are just held in place by gravity.
Once the handle and door are out of the way you can simply install the Chimney Balloon above the damper frame. – 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 | Mar 12, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Chimney Balloon 4 feet up
Q: Jason, I have attached a few photos of my fireplace and I was wondering how I can get the Chimney Balloon up into the first chimney flue tile if it is about 4 feet above the hearth opening? See the attached photos that the smoke chamber above the damper stair-steps upwards to a smaller square 11″ flue tile clay chimney liner.
I see you have a handle extender but I would need to link 3 of them together to reach this first flue tile. – TR
A: Dear TR, You are making this way too hard for yourself. In the picture of your fireplace firebox, I see the handle of your damper sticking down and it looks like a vestal damper. This damper is installed about as low as possible and this makes it very easy to just inflate a Chimney Balloon in above the damper door.
Take your folding carpenters ruler or tape measure and get the width and depth dimension of that area just above the damper door and that will tell you what Chimney Balloon size to get.
It is hard to tell dimensions from a photo of a flue, but I bet you will find the measurement is around the 36″x15″ size by the looks of it. When there is a large vestal damper the size is usually 36×15. Occasionally the smoke chambers will be up to 45×18 in the area above the damper if the mason that built it gets a little crazy with setting the bricks in the smoke chamber. Either way, it is worth a quick check before ordering. – Jason
by blogediter | Aug 30, 2017 | Fireplaces
#40: I Have a Fireplace with a Twist-Knob on the Face of the Fireplace. How Do I Plug the Flue?
40-1 Open Worm Gear Twist-Knob Damper
40-2 Closed Worm Gear Twist-Knob Damper
40-3 Twist Knob on the Lintel Face
40-4 Inner Lip of the Lintel
Fireplace #40: Vestal Damper with Worm Gear Twist-Knob
These twist-handle worm gear actuated Vestal dampers are very common in masonry fireplaces of solid construction brick or stone. They come in a variety of sizes. The mechanical worm gear shaft of this damper has a tendency to jam or break. This locks up the damper door and makes access to the area above the damper difficult. These are their characteristics of the worm gear twist-handle Vestal dampers:
- They have a rectangular cast iron damper door that can be 24″ to 45″ long. (image 40-1)
- The door is opened and closed by a twist knob on the lintel face of the fireplace. (image 40-3)
- There is usually 5″ to 9″ of uninterrupted vertical space under the damper before the lintel opens to the room. (image 40-4)
Because of the propensity for this damper to jam closed. We will focus on products that install below the damper.
The Flueblocker covers the whole damper and worm gear
The Flueblocker is the best solution for this application, since the damper hardware below the damper door is not protruding down into the firebox. Here is how a Flueblocker is installed:
- Measure the wall to wall area left to right, and front to back below the damper (see yellow arrows). Then buy a Flueblocker that is a few inches bigger. If it is a really large area you may have to contact us for a custom size quote.
- Tuck the Flueblocker into the area you had measured. If it is over-sized, it may bow upward a bit from the pressure fit.
- Remove the Flueblocker before you have a fire.
What about the Chimney Balloon?
You can use a Chimney Balloon to plug the wall to wall area below a damper like this. There has to be at least 9″ of vertical space below the damper to fit the balloon in (image 40-4). Measure wall to wall left to right and front to back below the damper and buy a Chimney Balloon that is slightly larger than that. For example, if you measure 34×13 then buy a 36×15 Chimney Balloon. The Chimney Balloon will require a top-off of air each 6 to 12 months, and it is not quite as durable as non-inflatable plugs. So consider it a “Plan B” for this application.
by blogediter | Aug 30, 2017 | Fireplaces
#33: I Have a Side Handle Vestal Damper. How Do I Plug the Flue?
33-1 Open Side-Handle Vestal Damper
33-2 Closed Side-Handle Vestal Damper
33-3 Removable Cotter Pin Hinging Handle to Damper
33-4 Variation of Side Handle design
33-5 Flueblocker above the damper frame
33-6 Chimney Balloon Above the Damper
Fireplace #33: Side-Handle Vestal Damper
These Side-Handle Vestal Dampers are not very common. The Center-Handle Vestal Dampers are much more common. They are found in masonry fireplaces of solid brick or stone. These are their characteristics:
- They have a long rectangular cast iron damper frame and matching door.
- The door has a short curved cast iron handle sticking down with saw teeth (image 33-1)
- The damper handles can be a variety of designs (image 33-4).
- The handle pushes up through a bracket to open the damper door. (image 33-2)
- Handles are hinged to the damper door by a cotter pin or a bolt. (image 33-3)
- The damper door closes against the frame at a 45 degree angle, and opens past vertical.
There are both above the damper and below the damper install options for this application.
Flueblocker provides a durable and tight seal
The Flueblocker works well in this application, but you will have to get the damper door out of the way first. The Flueblocker will replace your metal damper door, and it will do a better job.
- With pliers, straighten and pull the cotter pin that holds the damper handle to the damper door (image 33-3). Then remove the damper handle.
- With the handle removed, you can push up on the damper door. It is now unhinged and free, since it is just setting in the frame by gravity. You can either flip the door back into the smoke shelf. Or turn the door sideways and lower it down through the damper frame to remove it.
- Measure the damper frame hole opening, and install a Flueblocker that is a few inches larger than the opening. It is best to hook the Flueblocker pad through the damper frame opening, and then pull the pad back toward you to seal (image 33-5)
- The Flueblocker is a wool pad with extra hems, so you can trim it down to size with sharp scissors.
If you want a tight seal, and don’t mind some maintenance, use a Chimney Balloon
The Chimney Balloon can work well in this application. It generally installs just above the damper frame at the bottom of the smoke shelf. It gives you a very tight seal, however it is an inflatable. So it is not as durable as the other options. And it requires a top-off on air every 6 to 12 months because of the swings in outside air temperature.
Here are the steps to use a Chimney Balloon:
- Open the damper as far as you can.
- With a folding carpenters ruler or tape measure, get the length and width of the smoke chamber area just above the damper frame .
- Buy a Chimney Balloon that is a little large for the application. For example, If you measure 33″L x 13″ W, buy a 36×15 Chimney Balloon.
- Lay the Chimney Balloon flat, then fold it in half length-wise (Like a big soft shell taco) away from the handle valve. This will allow you to easily tuck the deflated Chimney Balloon through the damper opening.
- When the deflated Chimney Balloon is setting on top of the damper frame, start blowing air into it. The damper frame will hold up the balloon as you inflate, and the belly of the balloon will be pressed against the damper frame. The handle valve will be sticking out of the damper frame opening. (image 33-6)
- Once the Chimney Balloon starts grabbing the sides of the chimney wall, do not reposition the balloon. The balloon material has a grabbing property on its outer layer. Moving it while it is grabbing will risk a puncture.
- Once it is installed you close the valve on the handle. You can then remove the inflation tube if you want to, or you can leave it hang down as a reminder.
