Smoke Pencil Puffer
Test Weather Stripping
In my opinion, a smoke pencil puffer is a tool that any home handyman should have in his toolbox. When working on energy saving home improvements like window & door installs, weatherstripping, duct sealing, insulation, and other air sealing projects they are such a helpful tool. You do your improvement, and then use the little trace of smoke generated from the smoke stick to see if you have stopped the air movement in that area.
The Trouble with Smoke Pencils
The trouble is up until this point smoke pencil puffers have been rather expensive ($50 -$75 or more) and most operate on toxic chemical mixes to make the smoke. Because the chemicals used in the traditional smoke stick puffers operate on acid fumes and the smoke they generate is toxic they are not healthy to use in confined areas and if you use them too much they can be bad for your health. Furthermore, if you travel with your tools you cant take an acid-based smoke puffer pencil on a plane in carry-on or checked luggage, and you cant send them in the US Mail since they are considered hazardous material.
New Non-Toxic Smoke Pencils
Fortunately, there is a new Smoke Pencil puffer that I just was introduced to at the affordable comfort Institute Conference in Kansas City. Instead of using acid mixtures to generate smoke this non-toxic smoke pencil puffer uses a harmless liquid mixture and heats it slightly to generate a nice highly visible smoke. The trigger mechanism on this Smoke Pencil allows you to control the amount of smoke you generate. So if you need just a little trickle of smoke to test weatherstripping you lightly depress the trigger. If you are testing a larger area like a door jamb you can hold the trigger down longer and create a nice plume of smoke. I have allergies so I am a bit sensitive to most smoke, but this smoke stick used a mixture of water, propylene glycol, and glycerin that is similar to the smoke generated by toy trains. So using this smoke stick does not bother my allergies at all and the faint sweet smell to the smoke fades fast so there are no lingering odors.
Price of a Smoke Stick
The thing that really sold me on this new smoke puffer pencil is the low price. At $25 this smoke stick was half the price of the cheapest acid based smoke puffers, I was familiar with. So I bought one of these non-toxic Smoke Pencils and brought it home and started testing it. I also gave 2 of them to some energy rater & insulation contractor friends to try out. After testing it, we liked it enough to have it offered on the Chimney Balloon website. So you can buy a smoke pencil puffer at www.ChimneyBalloon.us