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What goes up a chimney down but not down a chimney up? That's an umbrella. But what goes up a chimney, stays there and brings down your home heating costs? It's not trapped Santa Claus. It's a chimney balloon, a wonderful energy-saving device.
Some manufacturers claim that 30% of your heat is lost out of the chimney. The EERE claims that 14% of the air leaking from your home goes out the chimney. You can reduce some of this by replacing your cast-iron flue damper with a rubber, seal-creating damper. A glass door on your fireplace can also help. The repeated extreme heating and cooling can take its toll on the structure of the fireplace. You can keep the fireplace exterior well-sealed with caulk, but you will always have trouble keeping your fireplace leak-free.
That is where a chimney balloon comes in. A chimney balloon or chimney pillow is a reusable, durable plastic balloon that fits in the chimney under the flue and blocks out the cold air. Inflate the balloon and wedge it up near the flue. A chimney balloon can save you about $200-$500 dollars a year in heating costs.
Don't forget to remove the balloon before you start a fire. You should put a note on the fireplace door to remind you that the balloon is up there. If exposed to heat, the chimney balloon will deflate. I assume it just falls into the fire at that point. It's like a chimney balloon Icarus.
You can also use a chimney balloon to plug up leaky skylights. They retail for about fifty dollars.
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