Chimney Balloon® 16" Valve/Handle Extension (For Use with Any Size Chimney Balloon®)

First let me affirm that using a chimney balloon makes a significant difference in terms of heat loss and drafts from a conventional fireplace with a modern safety damper that does not close all the way. This tool is very useful for inflation because it allows you to place the balloon higher in the chimney, well past the damper, while still being able to reach whatever device you are using to inflate it. The original balloon design has a very short valve, which if you are to reach it to inflate it, might not allow the balloon to be out or range of interfering with the operation of the damper itself. This extension allows you to position the balloon much higher to avoid this problem.However, you still need to make sure the balloon is within reach, since once you remove the extension, you will still need to close the valve at the bottom of the balloon before you can seal it in place above the damper. So there is still the need for fireplace gymnastics once you have the balloon inflated in place to remove this extension, close the balloon valve, and then close the damper off. Not a perfect solution, but perhaps better than nothing at all. In principle, if you could leave this in place, you would not need to do that, but the stiffness of the rod will probably prevent many dampers from closing, and it also could detach at the balloon end, leaving an exposed valve there so the balloon would lose pressure.The ideal design would be a telescopic one, so you could leave the extension rod attached and shorten it if you want to close the damper, but then reach up and extend it when you need to inflate or deflate the balloon. Undoubtedly, such a design which was also reasonably airtight is beyond the price point that would be required for an accessory such as this.

I purchased a 9x9 inch product with the intent of sealing an 8 inch diameter circular flue pipe. The 9x9 was the closest size to match what I needed. I also purchased the tube extension. After ~ 45 minutes of cursing and wishing dread on the "engineers" of this product, I finally managed to get it in place and hold position. But several days later during an extreme cold spell I heard the product slip out of position and land on the chimney damper. The extreme cold air on the outward facing side of the balloon caused enough contraction so that the balloon lost grip in the pipe and fell out of position. I wriggled myself back in the fireplace and removed that god-awful balloon. I then took and old, limp, unused bed pillow and placed it into a heavy-duty contractor plastic bag and jammed that into the 8 inch pipe and closed the damper. The pillow technique cost me nothing and took about 90 seconds for a very snug fit.As of this write-up I am two months into the worst winter we have had here in 20 years and the pillow in a plastic bag is working great. I just wish I thought of this first and saved some money and frustration. Hopefully whoever reads this will use a similar trick be it a pillow, foam block or pad. Just what ever you choose, DO NOT USE THE CHIMNEY BALLOON!

I can’t believe how well this works. I installed it myself and after discovering I needed the extension it wasn’t too difficult. Just messy as our chimney is very old. It really blocks the wind and our downstairs has really stayed warm now that the balloon is in place. Downstairs stays much warmer too! Great invention.

A++ product arrived on time and as described

These products are way over priced for what they are. They are cheap quality, not durable, easily deflate and slup out. Didnt work well in our chimneys. Waste of money

this is easy to use, smart to buy it with the order or you will be full of black soot.

Punctured as soon as I put it up chimney. Put a piece of duct tape over hole. Lasted about 3 months. Threw it away. Very disappointed and dissatisfied.

Easy to install and is working great.