by blogediter | Apr 27, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Chimney Balloons to squirrel, raccoon, opossums and larger vermin.
Q: Jason, A couple of times in the last few years we’ve had flying squirrels come down the chimney.
How resistant are the Chimney Balloons to the claws of little critters such as this? (I would put a screen on top of the chimney but I’d have to rent a lift to do so. Tall house, taller chimney, steep roof…) Thanks, – ADH
A: Dear ADH, Have you got a friend with a bucket truck or cherry picker? No?, neither do I, but I wish I did many times.
Chimney Balloons hold up well keeping out birds, bats, insects, and wasps, but they fall short when it comes to raccoons, squirrels, mice, and opossums.
If the critter has teeth and claws, you are going to need a wire mesh cap on the chimney and I would spend the extra to get a stainless one so you don’t have to replace it soon. Don’t risk your neck on your steep roof, call a chimney sweep to put the cap on for you. And if it is opossums or raccoons you are trying to keep out of your chimney make sure you anchor it VERY well. Those critters have the strength of a Gorilla when it comes to removing chimney caps! – Jason
by blogediter | Feb 12, 2018 | Chimney Plugs
Let’s take a look and see what’s in the box of a standard size Chimella Umbrella. Upon opening the box, you’ll see the color of a standard size Chimella Umbrella which is green. The most important thing is the instruction booklet that you must read. Take the Chimella Umbrella out of it and push together to make sure that the button is fully pushed up. Push the button again to close your Chimella Umbrella and turn it around like a handle bottle grip. Push together firmly and it’s ready to go. Try it!
by blogediter | Jan 31, 2018 | Chimney Problems
Flies in fireplace
Flies in Fireplace
Q: Jason, I have an awful fly problem, and I think they are coming down the chimney looking to get away from the outside heat. Will the Chimney Balloon stop flies for sure? – MH
A: Hi MH, From our conversation on the phone, I was glad to hear you had your fireplace cleaned recently. Sometime fireplace flies have to do with a dead animal in the flue, or pigeons using your chimney top as an outhouse. But since you have a screened chimney top and a clean flue we can rule that out.
Flies and wasps coming down through the fireplace is a very common issue, and the Chimney Balloon does stop them. Especially in spring and fall insects follow food and other smells down into the fireplace chimney and end up inside. We get this questions so frequently there is a section of our website dedicated to it: http://www.chimneyballoon.us/bat_wasps_in_fireplace.html and some other blog articles regarding wasps as well: http://www.chimneyballoonusa.com/blog/2009/11/help-wasps-are-coming-in-through-my-fireplace-damper.html
The key to stopping flies in particular is to get an accurate measurement. Here is a section of the website that outlines how to do that measurement: http://www.chimneyballoon.us/Chimneyballoonsizing.html also you can give me a call or email pictures if you want advice on the measuring.
Once you have the measurements we need to get a Chimney Balloon for you that is as close to your measurements as possible (even if we have to go with a custom size), so you get a perfectly tight seal. Flies and maggots can be persistent in their entry techniques so you don’t want wrinkles in the Chimney Balloon from the too much extra material. – Jason
by blogediter | Jan 22, 2018 | Chimney Problems
Q: Hi Jason,
I am a South Florida resident with a Chimney in my home. Does a Chimney Balloon or Flueblocker help at all in reducing warm & humid air from entering the home? And for that matter, do they limit escape of cold air from the home? Thanks in advance for your assistance – MB
A: Hi MB,
Yes, the Chimney Balloon and the Flueblocker both help quite a bit from stopping hot and humid air infiltration. In the summer your AC, clothes dryer, bathroom vent fan, etc…can cause a reverse draft through the Chimney. This causes the fireplace to siphon super-hot air from your roof area down the Chimney into the house. If you have a wood burning fireplace this reverse draft will often manifest itself by a slightly smoky smell near the fireplace when you start to use your AC, clothes dryer, etc… Installing a Chimney Balloon or Flueblocker seals off the flue, so the Chimney cannot snorkel the hot air down into your home.
Cold A/C air, on the other hand, tends to stay low and doesn’t fly up the Chimney. So you will find your energy savings comes from keeping the hot air out. – Jason
by blogediter | Jan 12, 2018 | Chimney Problems
Q: Jason, Are there any restrictions in using the Chimney Balloon in areas of the country where temps in the summer exceed 120 degrees? We live in Arizona and the outside temperature gets very high. I imagine it is even hotter by the Chimney-top on the roof. I don’t want my Chimney Balloon to burst from the heat. – KL
A: Hi KL, As long as the thermometer outside doesn’t go past 180 degrees F your Chimney Balloon will be fine, but if that happens we will have other things to worry about.
All kidding aside… The Chimney Balloon is heat reactive. If someone accidentally lights a fire under it. At about 180 degrees F, the balloon material is designed to burst and shrivels like a shrinky-dink, so it can get out of the way fast.
But keep in mind your balloon is installed low in the Chimney Balloon on by the firebox. The Chimney balloon will be nice and shaded in there, so even if you roof temps get close to 180, that won’t bother the Chimney Balloon. – Jason
