chimney balloon substitute??

dizziblonde

Please please be careful if you do this. As a student we rented a student house, which, like most student houses had some "interesting" features about it (and I'm not talking about the pet mould in the bathroom). It had doors so warped they shut in the middle and were 4 inches open at the top and bottom - which pretty much saved our lives.

A previous tennant had decided to reduce the heating bills a touch and shoved loft insulation in front of the vent for the boiler (I believe, the explanation is a touch hazy since I wasn't well at the time) and we knew nothing of this - but I had a humdinger of a case of "flu" - until a guy came round to re-do the gas inspection. There was so much carbon monoxide blocked in the house that it was only the fact that no doors in the whole place actually closed properly that was keeping us from being dead pretty much.

Not an urban myth that one - and the reason to this day that I am fantically careful about seeing gas safety certificates in rented houses.

John_3:16

Thinking about it what use is a saftey cert this could still happen, if it is done after the check?

Basil1234

John_3:16 wrote: »

Thinking about it what use is a safety cert this could still happen, if it is done after the check?

does amaze me so many people are so tight and stupid not to buy the chimney balloons at £18 odd also means that none of them are going to spend a further £20 on Carbon Monoxide Alarm.

people don't realise its also one of the biggest kills in the country you'll goto sleep and not wake up and as to the person that said urban myth go lock yourself in air tight room and light a fire you idiot you'll be doing everyone a favour. I used to be a plumber years ago and you would be amazed how many people put themselves in danger to save a few quid and some of these houses i put right had babies in them bear in mind there lung cap is alot small than an adult but lucky for me i got there.
you got to be some sort of idiot to try do it yourself with loft insulation!!!!:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

maypole

Basil1234 wrote: »

does amaze me so many people are so tight and stupid not to buy the chimney balloons at £18 odd also means that none of them are going to spend a further £20 on Carbon Monoxide Alarm.

people don't realise its also one of the biggest kills in the country you'll goto sleep and not wake up and as to the person that said urban myth go lock yourself in air tight room and light a fire you idiot you'll be doing everyone a favour. I used to be a plumber years ago and you would be amazed how many people put themselves in danger to save a few quid and some of these houses i put right had babies in them bear in mind there lung cap is alot small than an adult but lucky for me i got there.
you got to be some sort of idiot to try do it yourself with loft insulation!!!!:mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad::mad:

You are absolutely right in what you say, you should never do "safety" on the cheap. I know I use a wine box foil inner which is also not so good, but at least doesn't catch fire and we hardly use the gas fire. But I am now going to look out for the proper thing.

Navross

andrew-b wrote: »

no but it does burn nicely...not a good idea sticking anything up a chimney which still has a usable fire below it. Better to just turn up the central heating ...or urm you could turn on the fire!
Andy

A quote like this on a Money Saving forum is plainly hypocritical. How can turning up the Heating save money.
The Chimney balloons are a great idea They even have a tube that hangs down so that you can plainly see that something is there.
If you are thinking of saving yourself a measly £20 in using a makeshift balloon, or some other article, then having something hanging down in plain sight would be the safest method.
I think the old Pillow wrapped in a bin bag, is an excellent idea. Because, as I found out today, just a bin bag doesn't stay inflated and gets sucked up the chimney. The pillow would add extra weight. In doing this I would still leave the tail of the bin bag hanging down or tie a piece of string to the bin bag knot push the knot up into the chimney then tie the other end to the grate. This way I can easily see if I left something in the chimney.

mountainmop

having researched the chimney balloon idea my wife came up up with the genius idea of one of the kids' old spacehoppers, slightly deflated, works like a charm (no stove or gas fire, just a big hole), its even got the handles/visual warning, result!

A_R_H

How about stuffing the bin bag with crumpled newspaper? A lemgth of string tied around and left dangling down into the fireplace might warn against lighting a fire and help with its ultimate removal?

Newspaper probably burns better than loft insulation or pillow stuffing in the event of the onset of Alzheimer's, and is cheaper too.

Not so sure I'd try this trick, or any other for that matter, with a gas fire. Solunds suicidal. Owning suchlike, whether "maintained" regularly or not, seems a bit risky. Have it ripped out by an "expert", gas supply and all, and have the flue bricked up unless there really is no other choice of heating.

£20+ for a plastic bag is just plain extortion. And then there's the recommended inflation pump to buy as well so that you get it inflated with cool air! Sellers should be horsewhipped.

mollsnan

Re the baloon up the chimney. We have one up our chimney since Christmas, wondering if we have done something wrong with it, as on a windy day the room is so noisy with the wind howling down the chimney. Also went into room after very heavy hail fell, and found my hearth rug covered in black spots and I mean covered, all down one side. I think the hailstones must have bounced of the balloon and onto the mat. Seriously thinking it was a bad idea, and maybe a pillow or other suggestion might be best idea.

Barbastella

Have you seen the new type of chimney draught excluder? Made from felted sheep wool on a handle, it is breathable and has a dangly thing that hangs in the fireplace so you can see it's there. The felt squashes into the chimney throat & stops heat from escaping up the chimney when the central heating is on (Not gas fire though!). Looks a bit easier to use than a balloon (and cheaper) - just wondered if anyone had tried it?

Yorkie1

Have you got a link? Sounds interesting.