Issue 134. Vermiculite or Micafill: I have my reservations about these methods. Joined: 15 Mar 2008 Messages: 2 Thanks Received: 0 Location: North Dakota Country: Hello Xerxes, thank you for your reply. Answer: You can purchase one the available metal fireplace closers that are on the market. What you want to do is essentially create ‘plugs’ of insulation (Rockwool is recommended) by compressing it and putting it into the opening, it will then expand slightly and fill the hole. The chimney balloon is an inflatable, balloon-type seal. However, it all depends on what you want. How to Close an Unused Chimney. Fiberglass will not burn, but it may melt if temperatures exceed 212 degrees Fahrenheit. So in preperation for this winter I made a simple unused chimney insulation. The properties of spray foam make it effective in tackling all most areas in a home. EarSlaps Tue 17-Nov-15 18:59:50. I don't consider simply capping the basement end of the chimney, as the furnace installers have done, to be a proper way of dealing with the unused chimney. Installing wood stoves with existing fireplace chimneys: How to Find Qualified Green Building Professionals. But what can you do about the four largest “holes” in your home -- the folding attic stair, the whole house fan or AC return, the fireplace, and the clothes dryer? This difference causes an upward draft in the chimney, sucking warm room air around the edges of the closed flue damper. February 2010. You will also find information about why masonry fireplaces are so inefficient and just how much money might be going up your chimney. reduce droppings from potential chimney nest-makers. Install a heat-exchange system. You can also seal the edges with foam weatherstripping tape, too. What's the best way to insulate an unused fireplace and chimney? An error occurred. Search (0) Home; Shop . 37 sold. Sealing off the fireplace Made with Herdwick wool, it reduces your heating bills, carbon footprint and wind noise down your chimney. If you want it sealed temporarily, purchasing an inflatable chimney plug is your best option. Remember that if left unchecked, fires present great risks to your personal safety and your belongings. This leads to a slight difference in air pressure between the higher and lower zones in your house. Keep the warmth in your home with a Chimney Sheep draught excluder. This is to protect you from deadly carbon monoxide. You closed all windows and doors to make the system work better and save energy. Spray Foam insulation If you have a chimney without a clay liner/damaged liner, then moisture can migrate through the brick into the flue area. But there are still air leaks around ducts and cracks around windows. If your damper is near the firebox, you can use insulation to seal the chimney. I really don’t understand why the issue of heat loss up chimneys is not more high profile. At the moment we've got a nice new chimney pot on the top with one of those tops which vents the chimney and keeps the rain out. Capping an unused chimney/flue. In the right hands, the treatment of chimney damp is quick and easy. Question What's the best way to insulate an unused fireplace and chimney? Simply cut a tight fitting plug out of foam insulation and block the hole on the bottom. I have an unused fireplace that feeds a lot of cold into the house so I would like to insulate and shut it. Replace the damper. When it comes to the former, do use an inflatable plug, which in this case is done internally on the flue. To stop your chimney from being a major source of heat loss you need to insulate inside the chimney from the top and bottom, in addition to insulating the exterior. Apart from a chimney balloon, There are also woolen chimney insulators known as “chimney sheeps.” You can also try old pillows and stuff them in the chimney hole. I need a bit of advice re the ventilation of unused chimneys. If you forget to close the flue when you're not using the fireplace, the loss of heated air continues. Chimney Insulation. Job Done. Spray Foam insulation. You should then secure th… This … FAST & FREE. Discussion in 'Building' started by overlandrover, 14 Apr 2007. overlandrover. Sealing up an unused brick fireplace chimney will save money on your heating bills and increase your comfort level at home.In addition to letting in cold, these chimneys pull hot air out of the house. If you do not want to purchase a fireplace sealer, you can make one yourself. The best permanent solution would be to cap the chimney against rain and ventilate the fireplace, then to dry-line the exterior walls and fill the attic with glass wool. Does an Unused Chimney Need Ventilation? As such, it can be used to insulate a chimney. Have your assistant hold the bottom connector in position, while you apply caulk around the crown of the chimney. But DIY loft insulation is a possibility. If you want to make it yourself without plywood, substitute sheet metal for the plywood following the instructions above. Insulating unused chimney (10 Posts) Add message | Report. See more ideas about fireplace draft stopper, draft stopper, fireplace cover. Once you've capped the top of the chimney, you will need to insulate the bottom of it. The next time you want to use your fireplace, simply deflate and remove the pillow. These often overlooked sources of energy loss and air leakage can cause heat and AC to pour out and the outside air to rush in -- costing you higher energy bills. minnow from Seattle on September 30, 2010: great hub! One of he best methods for closing up the bottom of the chimney depends on whether you want it sealed permanently or temporarily. When it's time to use the chimney again, all you have to do is deflate the plug and pull it out. Is that safe? The technician that fitted the electric boiler cut back the flue the the ceiling, filled part of the flue with insulation, and then applied cement to the underside to seal it. He developed several residential energy conservation products including an attic stair cover and an attic access door. Note: If you do not have a metal screen, you will have to improvise. Our original and best-selling product, a Chimney Sheep® chimney draught excluder ensures your home is heated efficiently by keeping heat in and cold draughts out. Understanding these two terms is necessary for deciding on the appropriate actions and calculating costs. Even with the fireplace damper closed, there are air leaks around the edges of the damper. I used a total of seven plastic bags, each filled with some insulation material. My unused flues have a "bung" of glass fibre stuffed up them and pushed up to the level of the loft insulation (~ bedroom ceiling level). However, it is often not difficult to insulate a liner (just adds cost) so it is up to you. If you seal up more than one fireplace, you can save even more. Unsealed fireplaces can really burn through your wallet. Galvanised Metal Chimney Cowl / Flue Liner Cap / Duct Plug Stove Pipe Rain Cover. Cut out the pattern and put it in place to see if it fits. If you cap off the chimney top side you need to install one in there as well,basically you need to have an airflow through it,we used to take the pot/cowel off along with the flaunching, chop out a brick and replace with an airbrick and bed a paving slab top. The one shown here is 12" x 12" (medium) and fits many chimney flues. If the stone or brick is entirely insulated outside it will become part of the interior conditioned space, but if any of it is left exposed from the interior through to the exterior it will continue to conduct heat. Insulate your chimney. In addition to reducing draftiness, chimney pillows also: If you have a metal fireplace screen, you can buy a cover fitted with magnets that attach the cover to the metal screen. The vermiculite will then absorb the moisture, and when you heat up your metal flue, steam may start burping vermiculite out of the top of your chimney (I've read of this, though don't know if it's true). The benefit of this draft-stopping method is that it's easy to install and uninstall, meaning that if you want to seal off a fireplace for the night (once the embers have died down, of course), you can do so in a flash and then take it off again just as easily to build a fire the next day. Just make sure to remove anything you put in the chimney hole before starting any fires. When installing a new liner for your heating appliance — whether it is a furnace, hot water heater, wood-burning insert or stove, or existing fireplace — consider insulating the liner. Holes hidden in attics, basements, and crawlspaces are much harder to locate and usually cause bigger problems. The chimney would then be benign thermal mass inside the building envelope, and maintain the same temperature as the rest of the conditioned space. How can I do that in way where I may be able to use it again in the future if we need it? The glass fibre will slow down the draft up the chimney but not seal it and the chimney breast will be within the thermal envelope of the house. 5. I would probably frame around the existing fireplace in a manner that would allow a … I’ve seen plastic balloons, umbrellas and chimney ‘sheep’ ... or we could use an old pillow Sat 3 Nov 2018 05.27 EDT First published on Sat 3 Nov 2018 03.00 EDT Share on Facebook Answer this question. If this is the case, consider installing an insulating liner in your chimney. Not only will it save you from a steep expenditure on fuel and heating, but it also will probably save your life. There are so many different options nowadays to cap off an unused chimney. I would place this over the fire retardant fireplace cover that I already have. Venting an old / unused chimney We have just had our old / unused chimney stack completely taken away and tiled over because it was causing damp on our upstairs bedroom wall. If you want to insulate your unused fireplace, rather than block it up and seal it permanently, use a chimney balloon or scrunched-up newspapers to insulate the fireplace effectively. This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. You’ll then be in a position to begin tackling the problem. No need to have airflow through an unused chimney. Whether you use a balloon-type seal or a rigid seal, be careful not to inadvertently light a fire in the sealed fireplace. The main reason we propose exterior insulation would be to create an envelope around the chimney to eliminate any thermal bridging. What's the best way to insulate an unused fireplace and chimney? Latest Stories. Using a long stick a pushed the first one about 4 m ( 12 ft) down the chimney. There are ways of extracting more heat from the flue when using a brick chimney but they do involve making absolutely sure the steel flue is gas tight and secure and it does need Rockwool insulation around the flue in that portion above the house walls and knocking out bricks on the inside. There are two major terms which will come up repeatedly in a chimney project. I've heard about cavity wall insulation but have been advised that this may lead to damp in my house. How To Reduce Your Energy Bills / Energy Conservation Begins at Home. Get the Chimney Bottom Insulated. How Do You Cap An Unused Chimney? When retiring a chimney, many chimney experts recommend using Roxul, a hydrophobic mineral wool insulation, which means that it will dry out if it ever gets wet. We have also come across people insulating their chimneys using tea towels and newspaper in the past – which again as flammable materials are a really bad idea. Creosote buildup in your chimney can drastically reduce the efficiency of your fireplace. Insulating unused chimney (10 Posts) Add message | Report. Sealing up an unused brick fireplace chimney will save money on your heating bills and increase your comfort level at home.In addition to letting in … £11.56 to £143.15. You may not be able to fill cavity walls with insulation but you may be able to cut down heat loss from your roof. Submitted by Harold Remlinge... on Tue, 01/11/2011 - 18:45. Spring loaded legs are fitted securely to the base of the cap which allow the cap to be securely fitted to the chimney pot. xerxes, 15 Mar 2008 #2. Fireplaces are huge energy wasters when used incorrectly. Fit the cap over the top of the place, and clamp into position. EarSlaps Tue 17-Nov-15 18:59:50. The glass fibre will slow down the draft up the chimney but not seal it and the chimney breast will be within the thermal envelope of … Near the top of the chimney, the pressure is higher, near the bottom it is lower, and in between is the "neutral" zone. A contracter has advised us to have the two unused bedroom chimneys piped together via an inverted "Y" … Whether to insulate it on a permanent or temporary basis. fiberglass insulation (no vapor retardants) plywood; I would cut the fiberglass to the size of the plywood, then take a slightly larger piece of foil and wrap it around, then tack and tape it in place. After tieing the top of each plasticbag, I connected them all together with a string. Posted on 25th November 2012 by Sally Phillips. If your damper is near the firebox, you can use insulation to seal the chimney. When you go to bed at night, you should leave the damper open if there are embers remaining from the fire. I consider this setup effective and safe. It is taking quite a while to dry out (i have dehumidifier in there) the builder that did it said that we need to put two brick vents on the outside so that its vented and to help keep it dry. John enjoys home improvement projects that improve the quality of home living. Make any adjustments to your measurements so that it fits tightly in place. We're still open as usual with FREE delivery on all UK orders over £25 Shop Now. This way, hot air is blown back into the room rather than left to escape up the chimney. Re: Chimney breast insulation « Reply #1 on: September 21, 2011, 01:33:17 PM » Be careful if you block both ends as it can cause condensation resulting in stains appearing on your walls, the usual advice is to maintain some ventillation in an unused chimney. As such, it can be used to insulate a chimney. The air between the liner and the chimney wall will insulate the liner (air is a good insulator) although the liner obviously touches a cold wall in many places. We have a chimney in our living room that seems to be completely open (you can feel a massive draught when you stick your hand up there and the wind is making quite a noise blowing over the top of the chimney). As I stated in my first post vermiculite chips are the preferred method of insulating voids in & around flues - and serve a double purpose - as they poured into the chimney (a special funnel can be purchased or made) & tamped down firm. This makes it an ideal insulation material for use in areas that experience high temperatures. Caution Some fiberglass batts come backed and/or faced with kraft paper or foil. For a more lasting seal, check out this DIY article on how to permanently seal an unused fireplace. While radiant heat from the fire emanates into your room and creates that feeling of warmth, heated air, pollutants and gasses from the burning fire rise up the chimney and into the atmosphere. The fireplace flue can be a major source of energy loss. One of the best ways (in my opinion) is to use a Chimney C Cap. If you keep the fireplace open then a register plate will be needed to retain the insulation in the flue. Instead of insulating the exterior of the brick chimney, we were actually advised to fill the interior cavity with loose fill insulation. Filling the chimney with insulation should better address the cold wall of that bedroom. Learn how to seal your fireplace and save your hard-earned money! Last year we had our soild fuel boiler replaced by an electric boiler. Unfortunately, the breast has a habit of protruding into all the rooms it passes through. One of the best ways (in my opinion) is to use a Chimney C Cap. The rigid foam I used to seal the fireplace was an inch and a half thick, and I was able to buy it in 4′ x 2′ pieces for $4.15 each. It is often installed in gaps around the chimney and flue to prevent airflow that can … We like to use the fire every now and then, but most of the time all the warm air escapes up it. This brick wall encases the flu and other functional parts, providing extra insulation and major structural support. Sealing and insulating the clay flue at the top and bottom of the stack will ensure the job will yield these desired results. Question: How do I close off an unused fireplace without using plywood? It fits most any masonry fireplace. As the fire burns down and out, heated room air continues to be drawn up the chimney. It is often installed in gaps around the chimney and flue to prevent airflow that can siphon the heat away from the interior of the building. Stainless Steel Stove Pipe Cowl / Metal Chimney Cap / Flue Liner Pot. But leaving the damper open when there are no embers left allows the heated air from your room to escape up the chimney. Hold in position, and then pull the connection band around the liner, securing it to the top plate. Imagine leaving a window open all winter long -- the heat loss, cold drafts and wasted energy! Now you have two options: Use Text to type in Caution: Fireplace Sealed. I removed it completely -- including the gas log set, the propane tank, and the connecting tubing. Use an x-acto knife to trim around the text. Learn how to stop cold air from coming down the chimney. Next, I installed a flue sealer that I fabricated myself as I describe above. Asked by Jim Simmons. Answers . Having an insulated chimney plays an important role in any chimney construction or modification. For a professional look, do this: If you want to seal your fireplace off for good, the easiest way to do so in a hurry is to cut out a foam insulation plug, place it at the bottom of your chimney, and caulk or weatherstrip it in place. I think it is a good idea to place a small label on the fireplace noting that it is sealed. You can add a bunched up ball of unfaced fiberglass insulation if you desire; it won't hurt but neither will it have any positive results. Air from your room, already heated at some expense, is lost up the chimney in the draft. Sealing your older, unused chimney should not be a complicated task as long as attention is paid to prevention of air intrusion, as well as environmental and pest control. At the moment we've got a nice new chimney pot on the top with one of those tops which vents the chimney and keeps the rain out. We have a chimney in our living room that seems to be completely open (you can feel a massive draught when you stick your hand up there and the wind is making quite a noise blowing over the top of the chimney). Choose carefully between Polyisocyanurate, EPS & XPS or Mineral Wool & Hemp as the wrong choice can reduce insulati…, Crawlspaces are becoming rare for new home construction in USA & Canada. In between the higher and lower pressure zones, there is a "neutral" pressure zone. Insulating your whole house professionally can seem expensive to some. No need to have airflow through an unused chimney. Spray foam insulation is one of the versatile and best materials to use when insulating your home. The topic ‘insulating an unused chimney?’ is closed to new replies. I would probably frame around the existing fireplace in a manner that would allow a future owner to resurrect the fireplace. The bottom ends are not sealed. The tops are capped but ventilated. Apply a bead of butyl rubber caulk around three sides of the chimney at the top, and set the cut piece of metal on the chimney so the edges line up with the caulk bead. It seems to me that without sealing the chimney off and insulating at the attic level, my unused chimney is virtually like having a 5 inch diameter hole in my home's outside wall. Heated air from the electric fireplace is circulated out into our family room keeping it warm and comfortable. I never thought of sealing off our fireplace but I'll look into it for this winter, how to permanently seal an unused fireplace. Answer this question. Use a color printer to print this color picture. If you dont already have a cowel fit one on top of the the correct chimney stack. Free postage. Thank you. In the heating season, with the flue damper closed, some of your valuable heated air is escaping up the chimney. This of course would need to be done by certified professionals, and only if the existing chimney is structurally solid. However, if you want to permanently close up your chimney, cutting out a foam insulation plug and placing it in the bottom of the chimney and caulking around it is the best method. Home / Blog / Chimney Insulation. I really don’t understand why the issue of heat loss up chimneys is not more high profile. My unused flues have a "bung" of glass fibre stuffed up them and pushed up to the level of the loft insulation (~ bedroom ceiling level). Then right-click inside the select box. To do so, you simply have to remove the insulation plugs and have a new chimney stack inserted inside the brick fireplace. I think what you describe would actually lead to a colder bedroom wall. Chimney Insulation. I need a bit of advice re the ventilation of unused chimneys. Reduce energy bills and keep the heat in by blocking your unused chimneys. A retired chimney should be sealed only at the top or bottom. Fortunes are spent on loft and cavity wall insulation, double glazing and exterior cladding. It should be installed just above the damper, or in the bottom of the smoke shelf. Yet having an open flue is like leaving a window open all the time. Save energy by sealing off an unused fireplace with insulation. Your fireplace chimney works the same way. This will allow air to pass through the chimney and help prevent problems caused by moisture. This is ugly, of course, but I … A few years a go I saw something about device that you blow up to block your chimney. If your home has a folding attic stair, a whole house fan or AC Return, a fireplace or a clothes dryer, that may be just what is occurring in your home every day. The most important part though is to stop the air flow, so again, what you mention would work, but always make sure to create a good air seal. This one from Amazon features a fire-resistant (not fireproof) Pavenex fabric cover. Whether to insulate it on a permanent or temporary basis. Ec…, When it comes to choosing a building envelope there are many variables to consider: what climate zone you're building in, performance, durability, health, comf…, Whether a house is worth rebuilding or is better torn down depends on a lot of factors, many of them personal, but also financial considerations like grants, s…, Condensation on windows is a pain in winter and runs down the wall can mean hidden issues in our homes - What causes fogged up windows, how big a problem is it…, Rigid foam insulation boards are different. Finally, use the paint can tool, select black, and the rest of the background will change to black. Usually unused chimneys are capped off with a bent sheet metal covering and perhaps a wire strap or weight on the top. After capping the chimney top, the next step is to look for a way of insulating its bottom. This becomes particularly expensive when you have a strong wind blowing across the chimney providing an express route for your hot air to the sky. Plug the bottom opening with insulation as well, then seal it to prevent air leakage. Perlite would be a better choice as it absorbs less moisture. Shieldmaster Twin Wall Insulated Flue Pipe + Chimney Accessories Stainless. Do this from the top and then cover the opening with galvanized sheet metal to prevent water from infiltrating. Sealing and insulating the clay flue at the top and bottom of the stack will ensure the job will yield these desired results. Battic Door is the US distributor of the fireplace plug. Free postage. Cover the entire stack of bricks with a layer of rigid insulation (rockwool or expanded polystyrene) and half inch-thick plywood, which can then be covered to match the rest of the house. Because we won’t use the fireplaces, we have two, I decided to seal both up with rigid foam insulation. Chimney C Caps are a plastic terracotta cap with an bird/insect guard that sits in side the cap. fiberglass insulation (no vapor retardants) plywood; I would cut the fiberglass to the size of the plywood, then take a slightly larger piece of foil and wrap it around, then tack and tape it in place. Rigid Foam Insulation https://discover.hubpages.com/living/Replace-Propa... reduce noise coming through your chimney opening from outside. As early versions o…. Drafty Fireplace. SolidWallJim. The best solution is to seal the top of the chimney (to stop the rain) and to remove the chimney breast, the next best is to insulate the chimney, covering it with an inch or two of polystyrene. The chimney breast is both the most visible and vital portions of a chimney. My question concerns the now unused chimney, which has been dripping condensation into my basement all winter. If your chimney top is higher than the top of your house (as it should be) the "neutral zone" is higher than the "neutral zone" in your house. Frank . There's no need to fit this particular type. I reckon this serves a similar purposes as the exterior insulation suggested in the previous post, but I see 2 advantages: -there is a bedroom located on the other side of the inner wall of the brick chimney. I turned the gas valve off and stuffed styrofoam up the chimney. Fiberglass insulation is naturally fire-resistant. If you have one or more masonry fireplaces in your home, you can save big money on your heating bills by sealing them off when not in use (or permanently, if you never plan to use them). Clean the fireplace grate and damper with a stiff brush to remove any ash, dust and soot deposits. Block up the chimney opening with brick or block but include a space for an airvent (plastic one is fine, easil obtainable from B+Q) 150mm from floor level to allow air to flow through the stack to avoid damp, then plaster. Finally I I installed a Dimplex electric fireplace in the fireplace opening. In the drop-down box, you should see "invert color." The reason for this is the "chimney" or "stack" effect. Ultimately, nobody can deny the importance of proper chimney insulation. So a lot depends on how your chimney is set-up. It is relatively simple to insulate a chimney to reduce heat loss now, but not eliminate the possibility of using it again in the future. reduce the amount of other debris that might fall into your chimney. It is relatively simple to insulate a chimney to reduce heat loss now, but not eliminate the possibility of using it again in the future. All the above advice is for redundant and disused chimneys. Save energy by sealing off an unused fireplace with insulation. By installing batt insulation in the chimney and not using spray foam, it is easily disassembled if needed so you may be able to use the existing chimney for a wood stove or a gas or wood fireplace insert in the future if you so desire. Another study estimated that the effective leakage area of closed dampers averaged about 30 square inches—equivalent to a square opening 5.5" x 5.5" in size allow continual flow of heated air to the outside. £9.99 to £23.99. The bottom is even easier. Question What's the best way to insulate an unused fireplace and chimney? Newspaper insulation. Place the chimney plate over the top of the liner, and press into the caulk. You can add a bunched up ball of unfaced fiberglass insulation if you desire; it won't hurt but neither will it have any positive results. Get the Chimney Bottom Insulated. If your chimney is completely unused, it will need to be ventilated at high and low levels to prevent any further damp occurring. Measure each side of the opening just below the damper seal and transfer the measurements to a pattern drawn on cardboard. Vermiculite or Micafill: I … Have a nice day. Rolls of foam insulation are cheap, says Brennand, and three rolls of … This was a few years ago so it might not be the correct way now strappy, Jul 4, 2008 #2. nextlonestar New Member. I don't consider simply capping the basement end of the chimney, as the furnace installers have done, to be a proper way of dealing with the unused chimney. I would place this over the fire retardant fireplace cover that I already have. There are so many different options nowadays to cap off an unused chimney. However there still is some drafts. Sorry for the inconvenience. Look up into the fireplace opening and note the shape of the opening just below the damper. Now use the rectangular select tool and select the text you just created. At the bottom, cut a hole into the insulation where the fireplace snout will connect to the rest of the fireplace, and secure this snout using a metal band. This, along with the inside pressure differences, leads to your valuable cooled air escaping around the edges of your flue damper. The ventilator is needed for the unused chimney, not to ventilate the room. For more info: https://discover.hubpages.com/living/Replace-Propa... John Dove (author) on September 18, 2019: Thanks, Beverly for offering a decorative way to cover an old fireplace. Vitoligno 300-C: compact, fully automatic wood pellet boiler for new constructi…, Fitting extra insulation to an older home when renovating can be a great idea, but when insulating exterior walls from the outside take care to do it right. Metal chimney Cowl / metal chimney cap / flue liner cap / Duct plug Stove Pipe Cowl / flue cap... As well, then moisture can migrate through the brick chimney, sucking warm air. 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I made a simple unused chimney insulation sheet metal to prevent air leakage paper or foil your! 'S board `` fireplace draft stopper, draft stopper, fireplace cover that I already have fuel replaced... Effective in tackling all most areas in a home 's structural design a simple unused chimney black metal portion.! Be sealed only at the top or bottom no need to fit every of., but most of the opening just below the damper ( not fireproof ) Pavenex fabric cover the! These methods bills / energy Conservation Begins at home about 4 m ( ft... An electric boiler of energy loss upward draft in the drop-down box, insulate unused chimney... Roof joists heating bills, carbon footprint and wind noise down your chimney winter long -- the heat by... Of course would need to be done by certified professionals, and crawlspaces are harder... Simply deflate and remove the pillow drawing cold air inside through cracks around windows remaining from electric... Allow a future owner to resurrect the fireplace as we do n't expect to be done certified! We 're still open as usual with FREE delivery on all UK orders £25. Cavity with loose fill insulation burn, but it also will probably save your life to the. Are no embers left allows the heated air continues to be done by certified professionals, and crawlspaces are harder! Flue damper the reason for this winter I made a simple unused chimney, which in case! Cover the opening just below the damper on Pinterest tips about reducing fireplace draftiness ultimately, can..., the next step is to use when insulating your whole house professionally can expensive. Inadvertently leave their flue damper unchecked, fires present great risks to your personal safety and your belongings to... With the inside pressure differences, leads to a propane gas log fireplace set connected to a colder wall! Water from infiltrating it effective in tackling all most areas in a position begin! Back into the fireplace hole and doors to make the system work better and save life! Chimney can drastically reduce the amount of other debris that might fall into your chimney,. Stack '' effect we have a cowel fit one on top of the opening with galvanized metal. Up chimneys is not more high profile mortar and cracked liner 100 sizes, so there 's no need be. Just adds cost ) so it is up to you along with the fireplace noting that fits! Main reason we propose exterior insulation would be a better choice as it absorbs less moisture chimney '' ``. Insulation to seal the edges of your fireplace see if it fits tightly in place deflate. You describe would actually lead to a pattern drawn on cardboard the one shown is... We propose exterior insulation insulate unused chimney be a major source of energy loss then a register plate will be installed block... Available in 100 sizes, so there 's one to fit this particular type a Dimplex electric fireplace which want. Is lost up the chimney to label and affix to black metal portion fireplace consider! Of methods for sealing your fireplace the smoke shelf two, I decided to seal up.