Chimney Balloon fireplace damper

Why is my Trusty old Smoke Pencil is not making smoke anymore?

2010-02-28T15:49:00-06:00

Dear Jason,

My smoke puffer has stopped working. The batteries are fresh and the unit has full fluid. The light does come on when the trigger is pulled. I am using a fresh set of regular energizer batteries. (I've tried another set thinking it may be weak batteries but it isn't.)

I'm not sure if the internal parts are bad. Are there replacement parts for the device? I use it everyday for my energy audits. I've been using mine for about 6 months. It's the best tool on the market for draft testing smoke. - WA

Dear WA, It sounds like the heating element in the Smoke Pencil took one jolt too many. We highly recommend rechargeable batteries to use with your Smoke Pencil, because alkaline batteries tend to create power spikes at the start and end of their power cycles (every time you pull the smoke trigger). These voltage jolts tend to be hard on the small heating element in the smoke pencil and eventually wear it down over a long periods of time (like 6 months). Rechargeable batteries on the other hand keep a nice steady voltage and don’t spike, so they are not hard on the smoke pencil and they can help it last many times longer.

I would really recommend rechargeable batteries for your Smoke Pencil, especially since you use it every day. We sell a rechargeable kit on our website www.smokepencil.com but to be honest you can use any AA rechargeable. This advice is too late for your current Smoke Pencil, but I tell you what, if you call in an order and ask for me, I will make sure you get free shipping on your next one. - Jason

Can I plug a modern wood stove with a Chimney Balloon when I am not using it?

2010-02-18T14:40:05-06:00

Dear Jason, Help! I have a very nice EPA rated wood stove that was put in about a year ago. It was installed in my lower level and the trouble is it smells of creosote and smoke smell when I am not using it. I know it is negative pressure bringing the smokey stink back into the house. Can I plug the flue with a Chimney Balloon to prevent the back draft from bringing the smell back in? - TW

Dear TW, It depends on what type of stove you have. The image to the left is the inside top of an Avalon woodstove that has firebrick baffles on the top of the firebox. These brick baffles can be removed and it gives you easy access to the round flue so you can install a 9x9 Chimney Balloon when it is not being used. In the picture you can see the one brick is being lifted because they just set in there by gravity.

Other wood stoves are completely metal-clad in the firebox and the baffles are welded steel. In these fireplaces you often have no access to the flue through the firebox.

On occasion you can get access to another part of the chimney through a clean-out door portal. Usually these are outside and near a bend in the chimney or pipe.

You have to have access to the wood stove flue or chimney to plug it with a Chimney Balloon. - Jason

Can a square Chimney Balloon fit a round chimney flue?

2010-01-18T15:58:24-06:00

Q: Dear Jason, Do you make a Chimney Balloon for a 10.5" diameter, circular chimney uptake? Your products seem to be made for squares or rectangles. I can't put a square into a round hole and expect a snug fit...or can I? Thank you. RM

A: Dear RM, Thank you for your Chimney Balloon question. You present a very common question about the Chimney Balloon. How can you fit a square or tapered Chimney Balloon into a round hole (like a round metal flue)? The answer is... balloons are flexible and only expand as far as the flue wall allows it to and no further, the extra material either folds or pops inward and the balloon is still able to seal tightly.

We have a tradeshow demo that we use to explain it and I took two photos of the demo, so you can see what I mean. This image is of a 9" clear tube with a 9x9 Chimney Balloon installed in it. Your 10.5" diameter flue would need a 12x12 Chimney Balloon, but it will seal the same.

However, if you really want to get a round 12" Chimney Balloon we do make those as a custom for the same price as the standard, it just takes 14 days to get a custom made and shipped to you. The rounds are not listed on the website, so you would need to call in the order and we can enter the order in directly with proper build notes. - Jason

How can a Chimney Balloon get you on the "naughty list"

2009-12-22T15:05:55-06:00

Customer Service at Chimney Balloon USA received a phone call from old Saint Nick today. He was a bit concerned about all of the Chimney Balloons he has been seeing recently in fireplaces in Europe, Australia, and North America.

You see, the jolly-old-elf bounces when he runs into a Chimney Balloon in the flue, and all that bouncing slows him down. He has a lot of deliveries to make in just one night, so although the bouncing is fun he would rather be forewarned about a Chimney Balloon being present so he can slow his decent and not bounce.

So Santa asked us, to ask our customers to make sure you put the little red Chimney Balloon reminder card (it came with your Chimney Balloon) in the firebox tonight so he can see it from the top of the chimney and know he has to take it slow.

Remember, if you decide to play a trick on old Saint Nick and not put out the card, you may just find out what a bouncing Santa looks like. (But that is also a quick way to get on the naughty list.)

Merry Christmas!

from Santa
and the staff here at Chimney Balloon!

How do I cover my fireplace glass door vents?

2009-12-09T17:02:43-06:00

If you have a fireplace that has a set of glass doors you have probably notices the vents both above and below the glass doors. Those vents are there to allow the fireplace to intake air and output heat.

These can also be present in direct vent fireplaces that have a sealed glass display. If you need to cover those vents up you can use vent covers made by Christy Walker Creations. They come in black and gold variety to match your fireplace decor.

Help! Wasps are coming in through my fireplace damper!

2009-11-05T11:03:59-06:00

Q: Jason, I live in Dallas TX and I have a gas log fireplace. Every fall I get wasps coming in through the fireplace chimney and they make it through the damper into the house. Right now I am runing the gas log 24/7 to keep the wasps out, but I know it is going to cost me in the utility bill at the end of this month. If I put in a Chimney Balloon will it seal tight enough so the bees cant get in the house? Can the bees sting through the balloon? - TY

A: Dear TY, In the late fall (usually November) we get inundated with calls from fireplace and gas log owners that have wasps and bees coming down their fireplace chimney and right around their metal damper.

The Chimney Balloon seals wall to wall inside the chimney flue so it is a very good way to plug the chimney nice and tight so the wasps have no entry point through the flue. The balloon material is made of a multi layer laminate so the wasps would never sting their way through it. But, It is always a good idea to get the Chimney Balloon installed before the wasps start their annual pilgrimage down your chimney. Once wasps start coming in they generally do it en-mass, so it is best to cut them off first.

Plugging the flue will allow you to turn off the gas log fireplace and save some of that gas you are burning up. It also wont hurt for you to look around for other entry points that the wasps and bees may be comming in through like soffits or window jambs - Jason

I cannot remove the handle from my fireplace damper

2009-10-22T14:12:00-05:00

Q: Jason, I am very interested in a Chimney Balloon for my fireplace dampner. I have a question that does not appear to be answered in your FAQ's. How do you install a Chimney Balloon with a dampner handle sticking down into the firebox area? I cannot remove the handle and it would seem to be an object preventing a seal. I am sure there is an answer to this and await your reply. - DS

A: Hi DS, I dont mean to be picky about vocabulary (It was not my strong suite in school either) but the correct word for the metal door in the fireplace is a "fireplace damper". It is a common slip of the tounge, people call them dampners all the time.

In your particular application I would recommend that you take your Chimney Balloon measurement above the damper opening. This location will get your balloon up and out of the way of the damper hardware that is below the damper door.

From the picture it looks like the damper is nice and low, but photos of flues can be deceiving in depth. If you cannot easily touch the damper door with two hands I would recommend you purchase a HEK valve extender with your balloon to make the inflation go easier. - Jason

The surface texture above my fireplace damper is very rough. Will a Chimney Balloon be able to seal?

2009-10-15T13:46:00-05:00

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?

A:I have a large rectangular metal damper. I believe you call that type of damper a "vestal" style damper. - RM

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 39x16 Chimney Balloon. Do NOT buy a 36x15 standard since that will be too small). Take the un-inflated balloon out of its packaging and tuck the balloon material above the flue with the long side pointing in the length direction of the fireplace. The handle of the 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 balloon since it gives the balloon membrane a nice surface texture to grab hold of when you inflate the Chimney Balloon damper in place. The 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 balloon remove most of the air volume of the balloon before you reposition it. - Jason

BobVilla.com mentions the Chimney Balloon and other energy savers

2009-10-08T14:49:00-05:00

BobVilla.com wrote a fantastic article including Chimney Balloons and other energy saving measures that really add up to make a difference in home energy costs.

"The chimney can be the number one source of heat loss in a house. Use a Chimney Balloon to prevent drafts from flowing through your chimney and prevents heat from escaping. Cost: $55 per fireplace" Read the rest of the article here...

BTW, Notice that Bob (in the picture to the left) is holding one of our favorite chimney tools...a folding carpenters ruler! Way to go Bob!

Compare and Review of Smoke Pencils and Smoke Puffer Sticks for Air Testing

2009-09-25T17:16:08-05:00

We did quite a bit of research on smoke pencils and smoke sticks before we selected one to be offered through our website. We tested and tried at least one of each variety that is on the market. We ended up going with the Smoke Pencil, but here is the pros and cons of each of the types of smoke pencils, smoke sticks, and smoke puffers.

Acid Based Smoke Puffers:
There are a few brand varieties of the acid based smoke puffers. The most common are the Retrotec and TT Smoke Sticks. They operate on a mixture of acids that create the chemical smoke.

Pro:

- The smoke consistency is very good for draft detection.

- The squeezable smoke sticks were nice (as pictured) because it was easier to control the quantity of smoke.

Cons:

- Because they are acid based you have to pay extra for hazardous material shipping via UPS

and the US mail will not ship them at all. This also presents an issue if you have to travel by plane with them to a work location. TSA will not allow them on commercial aircraft.

- The smoke is corrosive and irritating to the eyes and nose if you are working in a closed in area like a drop ceiling or crawlspace.

- If exposed to excessive heat (like if you left them in your work truck on a hot day) the smoke pencils can sometime “blowout or meltdown” so they are best kept away from your other tools and in a sealed container like a welding rod case. Don’t store them by your new IR camera.:)

MSRP Cost: around $60

Glycol and Glycerin Based Smoke Puffers
: These smoke pencils are battery operated smoke sticks. A very small internal heating element heats the Glycerin, Glycol & Water solution to produce a fine steam that looks like smoke.

Note: This was the type of smoke pencil we chose to sell on www.chimneyballoon.us .

Pros:

- The smoke is non-toxic, smells faintly sugary and is of a good consistency for draft testing.

- The smoke quantity and on/off feature is easy to control by the trigger on the device. They have a built in LED light that helps illuminate the area you are testing.

- Batteries last a long time in this device but rechargeable batteries are recommended.

Cons:

- Some condensation takes place in the nozzle so after long periods of use you will have to empty the overfill tank that collects this condensation.

- The smoke fluid tank only holds about 1/2 oz of fluid so it sometimes requires more fluid between jobs.

- They are an allowable device by TSA on commercial flights, but they look suspiciously like drug paraphernalia on an x-ray scanner so expect that your package/luggage will get checked. If you are traveling by air with it keep some batteries handy and an MSDS sheet, since TSA will want to see the thing work and see the MSDS on it.

MSRP Cost: Around $25

Silica Based Smoke Puffer:
This smoke puffer sold by Regin operates by jetting out a very fine silica powder. There are a variety of different silica puffer types that are larger with bulb type squeeze actuators and smaller bottle types (in picture). They are often used in chemical lab environments since Silica is a relatively non-reactive substance.

Pro:

- The “smoke” is non-toxic. This item can easily be shipped or taken on a plane for travel without hassle.

Cons:

- Although the Silica is non-toxic it tends to hang in the air and cause sneezing and coughing.

- The powder also can be hard to see in poorly lit areas.

- The Silica powder will collect as dust on flat surface areas and make a bit of a mess.

- You cannot squeeze the bottle while upsize down or it will spit out a flaky silica blob.

- Overall it is difficult to control the smoke quantity so you can detect drafts.

MSRP Cost: Around $10

Incense Sticks "The Makeshift Smoke Stick":

Inevitably Rookie energy raters or homeowners will ask, "Why don’t you just use an incense stick to test for air sealing and drafts?"

Any Home performance Professional can tell you from experience that you don’t want to be inspecting a home with a lit incense stick in your hand. You are constantly moving stuff around and crawling around looking for air leakage. If you use an incense stick, inevitably you will set it down in the wrong place or have ash or an ember fall off of the stick and burn or stain the carpet, furniture or floor. Paying for a bo-bo like that makes the relatively inexpensive smoke pencil look like a pretty good investment. As a matter of fact keep a spare smoke stick handy in the service truck.

Pros:
- They are cheap, and you can buy them at any dollar store.

- The smoke is adequatly visible.

Cons:
- They smell pungent and the smell hangs in the air.

- You run a very good chance of burning yourself or the carpet, furniture, etc... since you cant turn them off.

- They drop hot ash and embers.

- You cant set them down while you work.

- They produce too much smoke.

MSRP Cost: Six for $1