Chimney Balloon fireplace damper

I have stuck fireplace dampers, they appear to be rusted shut and they are drafty.

Q: Jason, I have two fireplaces in my house and would never use them because fireplaces are a MAJOR SOURCE OF POLLUTION AND SHOULD BE BANNED!

Anyway, the top fireplace was used by previous owners and the damper is in pretty good condition. The bottom damper wasn't used much and ironically the damper is warped a bit and also rusted so that I can't open it. How can I use a chimney balloon in this application? - BT

A: Dear BT, Because of the acids and moisture in chimneys it is very common to find rust and corrosion on the damper like you found in your lower chimney. It is also very common to find a warped and rusty damper even after little use. That is part of the reason that dampers are made so loose fitting. The heating and cooling process causes this to occur in almost any damper situation.

It is possible to install a chimney balloon below the damper as long as the walls are parallel and the chimney balloon has a point of contact on all sides and the damper hardware does not interfere. Otherwise, above the damper is the best location. - Jason

Note: In this particular situation we found some WD40 and persistence can loosen a stuck damper. Once the damper was open we got a measurement of the smoke chamber above the damper and got a chimney balloon to fit that area.

Will a Chimney Balloon work to seal off a fireplace chimney that has a top damper and cable coming down the flue?

Q: Jason, I have an 113 year old house with 6 fireplaces ... they were originally coal burning units .. they all have the damper on the top of the chimney ... will the ballon work with that configuration? -GB

A: Dear GB, WOW 6 fireplaces! that has to be some kind of record! It is very wise that you have a chimney top damper on these chimneys, however the chimney top damper still allows the warm air of your home to rise up into the chimney and cool in the chimney and sink back down. You may notice a slow cool release of air from your fireplaces. That cool air is likely not outside air, but just cooled inside air sinking back down again.

I have had customers with chimney top dampers that have used the chimney balloon on the bottom of their chimney in addition to their top damper and it has made a difference. With 6 chimneys the difference would be significant.

Q: Jason, thanks for the response ... one of my concerns is if the damper cable will interfere with the balloon sealing properly.

A: Recently a home owner in Detroit asked me the same question you are asking when he ordered 3 Chimney Balloons for his home. He had Lock-top dampers just like you, on all three chimneys as well. After he installed the chimney balloon he reported that it sealed just fine despite the cable & chain. The balloon simply presses the chain against the flue wall or expands around it causing no leak or draft. You can install the Chimney Balloon with the cable tight or relaxed. The image above is a picture of the chimney balloon installed with the damper cable relaxed. But here is an article with a picture of a Chimney Balloon with the cable tight: http://www.chimneyballoonusa.com/blog/2007/11/my-lock-top-or-.html 
- Jason

Can the Chimney Balloon work with a fireplace Heatelator?

Q: Jason, My fireplace was constructed with a 42" metal heatelator box. The walls above the damper taper to a 16"x12" opening about 28" above to face. This seems to be the nearest location that has any ledge to grip. However, just above this metal the ledge has a 18"x16"  dimension that tapers up to a 12" square flue liner several feet above. Of the sizes you list, only the 15"x36" would seem to be big enough at this location, but it's disproportionately long for the 18" width of that opening. Would maybe consider using a 15"x15" and an extender, placing it higher up in the chimney? Suggestions, please . . .DW

A: Dear DW, You may have a wood burning fireplace insert instead of a built in Heatelator, but either way this would be my advice... Order a custom 18X18 Chimney Balloon draftstopper and also get a HEK extender for the valve. This will allow you the reach to get to this higher height in the flue. That area above the metal ledge is where you want to install at as long as that metal edge does not have any dangerously sharp edges. An 18X18 Chimney Balloon with an extender will cost $64.99 including USPS shipping. Custom Balloons do take 14 days from your order to ship, due to build time. You can call the customer service line if you have any further questions about this particular application. - Jason

Do I need to close my damper after I install a Chimney Balloon?

Q: Do I close the chimney damper after installing the Chimney Balloon?- JJ

A: Dear JJ, There is no need to close the damper below your Chimney Balloon. The balloon is doing the job of the damper and quite frankly it is doing a better job than the metal damper could anyway. So closing the damper after the balloon is installed is like closing a screen door on the inside of a submarine.

However, You can have the damper closed if you have the Chimney Balloon in there far enough to close it. There is a few things to keep in mind though if you do decide to close the damper. If you try to force the damper closed it may put upward pressure on the valve section of your Chimney Balloon. That is a little tough on your Chimney Balloon sense it puts undue pressure on the valve and balloon.

The other issue is if you close your damper you may forget you installed the Chimney Balloon and just open the damper and start a fire.

Personally, I leave my damper open and leave the inflation tube attached, so it dangles just above my head when I open the glass doors to the fireplace. With this solution I still have no draft problem and I haven't accidentally melted a Chimney Balloon yet. - Jason

I cannot remove the handle from my fireplace damper

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 Damper Handle is Off to the Side In My Fireplace

Jason, Most of the diagrams on the Chimney Balloon.us show fireplace dampers with the handle in the middle of the damper door. On my fireplace I have the damper handle way off to the right side (see the two attached pictures with the damper open and damper closed). Does this make a difference? Should I still install a Chimney Balloon above my damper? I measured the area above the damper and it is 11" deep and 30" across - TY

Dear TY, Thank you for the two damper photos. The opening and closing mechanism is unique on this fireplace damper. I have seen this type of damper before, but have never take a photo of it. I can tell by the cobwebs hanging in your open flue (in the open damper photo) that you must not use this fireplace very much.

In this particular application I would recommend that you install the Chimney Balloon above the damper. The handle and other damper hardware are in the way below the damper and it looks like the firebox opens to the hearth almost immediately below the damper so there is not much lintel there.

Since your measurements above the damper are 30"x11" and it looks like the flue stair steps smaller as it goes upward I would go with a 33x12 Chimney Balloon in this fireplace flue. You can always go a little larger (up to 6" or so) in the Chimney Balloon size you purchase, just never buy one smaller than your measurements. - Jason

A Chimney Balloon 4 feet up in the chimney flue tile?

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 on 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 36x15. Occasionally the smoke chambers will be up to 45x18 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

Is the fireplace flue tile the best place to plug the chimney with a Chimney Balloon?

Jason, We have a wood fireplace that we haven't used since we bought the house (5 years) and who knows how long before that. So, I checked out the fireplace damper website and read the instructions for measuring my fireplace. It measured 12" X 12" with a carpenter's rule, so I ordered a 12" X 12" balloon. I received the balloon and went to install it and promptly learned that the fireplace was not a comfortable and fun place to lay or sit in to install the balloon and the enclosed plastic tubing was way too short! One trip to the hardware store to get six foot of tubing and I was in business. Since where my flue is gets "square" seems to be pretty far up (about an arm's length or so, if I am sitting inside the fireplace) I had one heck of a time trying to get the balloon in place. Attached is an image of the flue looking up from a sitting position. - JS

Dear JS, From the attached picture I think you are selecting a location that is too high to install your Chimney Balloon. It appears that there is either no damper in the fireplace or you put the camera up above the damper when you took the photo, so it would be better to choose a location that is lower and closer to the firebox to install your Chimney Balloon (See image below). A lower installation point is always preferable since you can guide the Chimney Balloon into place better with your hands while inflating and you don't have to reach so far up to do it.This would require a larger Chimney Balloon for this installation, but if you send back the one you have we can credit the price to a larger Chimney Balloon. I am just taking an educated guess, but it looks like the flue down lower would take a 36x15 Chimney Balloon. Measure the area where the green arrows are in my picture and give us a call and we will get you a Chimney Balloon that is easier to install for this application. - Jason

 

Chimney Balloon above or below the flue?

Q: Jason, I am trying to decide weather 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

Fireplace damper open, or damper closed? How should I install my Chimney Balloon?

Jason, I bought a Chimney Balloon and have a question regarding installation.... When the balloon is positioned in the chimney do I let the handle protrude down through the damper opening so that it is visible at the top of the hearth, (damper remains open) or do I make sure it is situated above the damper so that the damper can be closed. thanks - PM

Dear PM, That is really a personal preference. If you installed the Chimney Balloon to resolve some odor problems with the fireplace...the lower you install the Chimney Balloon the better.

Also it is simply easier to install and uninstall the Chimney Balloon if it is lower.

Personally, I have a 9x9 in my living room fireplace and I install it nice and low, just above my damper, and leave the damper open (the chimney balloon works better than my damper anyway). Also the handle hanging from the Chimney Balloon in the firebox reminds me of its presence so I (or anyone else using the fireplace) don't forget it is in there. So, personally a low install is what I prefer.

On the other hand, if seeing the handle bugs you and you really want it up above the damper far enough to close the damper. There is nothing wrong with that. The only trouble is... the install can be tougher to do (tougher installs can wear out your balloon sooner), and if the balloon is tucked too far up out of site you may forget about it being up there.

Hopefully this answer gives you the pros and cons to make your own choice. - Jason