Chimney Balloon fireplace damper

Jim Dulley comments on the Chimney Pillow in his home energy saving suggestions.

Q: Jason, I saw something mentioned about a Chimney Pillow on a newsletter I get from Jim Dulley on home energy savings. I bought one and am very pleased with how it has plugged the flue despite my rusty damper. - TW

A: Jim Dulley of www.dulley.com is a nationally renown expert on home energy usage and an expert on all things "Green". Jim has written on the Chimney Pillow in a couple of different bulletins. See Below for excerpt from his articles:

"Even though it seems like the damper is closed completely, many dampers do not fit tightly or seal well. You can stuff some old rags up around the damper to help seal it off. The best sealing method is an inflatable chimney pillow. You just place it up into the chimney and blow it up with air. It both seals and insulates. Check at your hardware or home center store." Link to the article at : http://www.dulley.com/tip/t1119.shtml

"The most heated room air is lost up chimneys when there is no fire burning because of a nonexistent or poor sealing chimney damper. To seal the chimney and provide insulation, I use an inflatable chimney pillow in my fireplace. It is clear plastic and you blow it up like a mini-air mattress." Here is the Link: http://www.dulley.com/docs/f553.htm

Images and article excerpts are copyright property of www.dulley.com, All rights reserved. Copyright 2005

I Melted my Chimney Balloon...Now What?

Q: Jason - Somehow I knew I was making a mistake when I took the inflation tube off of the installed Chimney Balloon. I figured i would remember it was in there, no problem but I neglected to tell my wife about it and she fired up the gas log. So we know the safety release function works on the Chimney Balloon. What do I do now? This melted Balloon doesnt look fixable. - TM

A: TM - Well the good news is the saftey release function on the Chimney BAlloon worked like a charm. The bad news is, your Chimney Balloon is irreparrable. But we do have a $5 coupon on the website at http://www.chimneyballoon.us/chimneyballooncoupon.html. Send that coupon in with a check and the downloaded order form from the website and order fulfilment will honor the coupon. It is called the "I melted it coupon". Im sure you are aware of the saftey function of the Chimney Balloon and why we created it to break away if a fire is lit under it, but in case you want to know more on the topic please see the blog entry on the Chimney Balloon and carbon monoxide and gas logs.

See how much heat your neighbors are wasting!

The UK has a new energy spy technology called hotmapping http://hotmapping.co.uk/. This allows an individual to look at their neighborhood and identify houses an being heat wasters or heat savers. This could spark a new revolution of "Keeping up with the Jones's".

Personally i dont have a problem with this type of invasion of privacy. I would want to be able to see how my home stacks up compared to my neighbors. And if I am doing a bad job...Shame on me! I should weatherstrip some more!

Here is a blog that has sparked a discussion on this hotmapping matter: http://blogs.business2.com/futureboy/2007/05/for_energy_wast.html

5 Uncommon Ways To Save Home Heat in the Winter months?

Q: Jason - Do you have any other advise on how to save heat in my house? Im looking for some little known advice, not the same stupid stuff about "buy a setback thermostat" and "put a sweater on". I read that stupid advice and say "Well-DUHHH!" - YT

A: YT - I will try not to let you down with my advise to you. I dont want you to get done reading this and say "well-DUHHH!"

1) Dont burn a fire in your open or zero clearance fireplace. The US DOE estimates that burning in an open fireplace can cost you an additional 10% on your heating bill. If this is a myserty to you, be sure to read the blog article on fireplaces and how they waste home heat.

2) If you are looking to do an upgrade to your home that will save you heat and cost some money then upgrade your furnace. In most cases this will get you a higher return for your money and your effort that buying a corn burner, a fireplace insert, replacing windows, or most any other upgrade. Unless of course you already have a high efficiency furnace.

3) Look in your attic. how many inches on insulation do you have up there? If it is less than 2 feet you should look at maybe adding some. A harware or home improvement store can tell you what you should have up there. The meards near me even lent me their insulation blower to blow the stuff into the attic with. It is not hard to do but you need two people and a good mask for the guy running the hose.

4) If you have a basement look to see if the wood is insulated where the concrete basement wall stops at the top and the wood base of the house comes together. This spot is rarely insulated and it allows a bunch of cold to convect through this bare uninsulated wood to your floors and basement. See picture.

5) Put on a sweater! HA! I couldnt resist YT. Please forgive me - Jason

How can I exchange my Chimney Balloon for a different size?

Q: Jason - I bought a Chimney Balloon a week ago and I thought i knew the size of my fireplace flue so I bought a 9x9 without measuring my flue or damper area. Now I see the tube type chimney is actually in need of a 12x12 to seal it up well. Can I exchange my balloon? - TW

A: TW - The returns department will certainly work with you on this. Clean up your Chimney Balloon as best as you can and colapse and refold it so it is in as close to original condition as possible. If the Chimney Balloon is sooty from an attempted install, inflate it fully and rinse it off in your shower. Do not use anything abraisive (like a brush or brillo pad) to remove the soot. Just scrub stubborn spots with your finger or a little liquid dish detergent if needed. Keep the Chimney Balloon inflated and allow it to air dry overnight before you fold it up.

Package up your clean Chimney Balloon along with a copy of your reciept in a padded envelope, but DO NOT include your clear inflation tube or instruction card in the envelope. Write on your reciept a reason for the return and the size of replacement Chimney Balloon your require. Retain your inflation tube and instruction card in your possesion to use with your replacement Chimney Balloon.

Address your padded envelope to:
Chimney Balloon USA
Attn: Returns Dept
2123 N Pontiac Drive
Janesville, WI 53545

Be sure to use a Postal or courier service that has the ability to track your package. Chimney Balloon LLC cannot accept responsibility for product that is not recieved. UPS or US mail with delivery confirmation is acceptable forms of tracking to ensure delivery.

When the returns department receives your returned Chimney Balloon they will test and inspect it to ensure it is in acceptable condition. Then a representative will contact you via phone or email to find out what size you require and help you with measurements.

In case you are wondering we do not sell returned Chimney Balloons as new on our website. We do further testing of the returned Chimney Balloons to ensure they are in "like new" condition. Then a couple of times per year we post our "like new" Chimney Balloons on ebay at a discount.

You can read more about this on the Blog about "Like New" discounted Chimney Balloons.

DoItYourself.com talks about chimmey damper codes

We have often fielded the questions about Gas log fireplaces and why a damper has to be removed or restricted when a gas log fireplace is installed. If a gas log fireplace was installed after 1991 the building codes state that the damper must be disabled or removed. Below is a portion of a Q and A sesion on www.doityourself.com about this very topic. You can see our Q & A writitups on this topic here.

http://www.chimneyballoonusa.com/blog/vented_gas_logs/index.html

Here is the Q & A session from DoIt Yourself.com on gas logs and dampers:

" Q: The folks who are buying my home, upon advice of their home inspector, have asked that I remove the fireplace damper prior to closing escrow. I've explained that this would be impractical since an open chimney would allow warm air to escape from the home during the winter months. They agreed with this point but insisted that dampers are unsafe when fireplaces have gas burners. This is a new one on me. Are the buyers right about removing the damper? -B

A: Dear Bl, Changes in the safety requirements for fireplace dampers were enacted in 1991, but current standards apply only to newly installed gas log fireplaces...." click here to read the rest of the article"

Do I have to measure my flue before I buy a Chimney Balloon?

Q: Jason - I am relatively certain of the dimensions of my flue and the area in which i wish to install a Chimney Balloon. I think it is a 32"x14" opening. Would a 36"x15" Chimney Balloon work for this size flue? - RT

A: RT - When you say you are "relatively sure" of the flue dimension it makes me think you may not have actually measured this area of the flue with a ruler or tape measure. It you have not, I would encourage you to measure it again. You will find that a wooden folding carpenters ruler is very useful to measure up in a flue. Bend the ruler into an L shape and use it as a feeler gauge to reach up and get a measurement of the area you plan to install a Chimney Balloon into. OK, now that you have measured and found your flue to be 32"x14" as you previously said, then yes a 36"x15" Chimney Balloon will work just fine. Even though your Chimney Balloon will be a little large, it will function perfectly.

As a side note, you can easily install a Chimney Balloon that is no more than 6" too large in either dimension if your chimney flue area is at least 24"x12". However, do not buy a Chimney Balloon that is too small for a flue dimension. That is like having a submarine door that is a little too small...it just doesnt work.

Article on how to pick quality fireplace accessories

Here is an article on Fireplace accesories and how to identify a quality fireplace accesory like a poker set or fireplace screen or doors. http://fireplacemantel.4houseandgarden.com/fireplace-accessories-for-every-household/

Here is an excerpt from the article:

"Two main factors that determine the purchase of most fireplace accessories are style and convenience. Style requires that the accessories you buy fit well with the design and look of the fireplace. Convenience refers to the ease of using the accessories. Without convenience, even the most stylish accessories are practically worthless, since you do mean to enjoy the warmth of your elegant fireplace (or do you really want a showpiece?)... " Read more

How to save energy and fight the "fat American" trend

When I read this blog article it made perfect sense to me. We spend much time concentrating on how to save energy in the power grid we forget the wastes of energy in our food supply. Some of the things in the article are overly simplistic but overall I think the advise is good. http://wisdomfrommywife.blogspot.com/2007/04/how-to-save-environment-and-cure.html

Here is an excerpt of the article:

"Food is energy, so don't waste it. You shouldn't throw food away. That's wasting it. But at the same time, you shouldn't try to put the food in your body either, that's wasting it also. Once it gets stored in your body, you want to get rid of it, and you exercise, but you're not doing useful work with it. You are just burning it. So here's my tips on not wasting food..."

click here to read the rest of it

trouble with Mercury in energy efficient CFL bulbs

There is trouble with Energy efficient CFL bulbs and some brands are worst than others. The mercury contained in them is a hidden hazard. Here is a blog entry that describes the advantage and drawbacks of the bulbs and the false and true statements about them. http://freestudents.blogspot.com/2007/04/annoyance-of-energy-efficient-lighbulbs.html

A housewife in Prospect, Maine purchased these mercury bulbs that are now the Green fashion. She thought it would save her money, which is what was promised. But as the local paper puts it, she “is paying much more than she had ever expected to.”

Read the rest of the article