Sealing a Chimney - How To Create an Air Tight Removable Seal
Video Summary
Sealing a Chimney - How To Create an Air Tight Removable Seal
So when I shine the light on the punk stick, you can clearly see this trail. Right here. See this trail, that's bad. This is your chimney sucking heat out of your house right now, pulling air in through your windows and door.
And you may think, why not just close the doors then the air will stop going. But in never does, it just keeps getting sucked right through the fireplace right up through your chimney and out into the atmosphere. So even if you close the damper it still doesn't do anything because most dampers are warped from the heat of the fireplace and it cost billions of dollars each year. So what I've decided to do is seal mine off permanently and not ever use it again.
To do that what I needed to do is get on my roof and take off my chimney cap. Now first off all, make sure you're safe and feel safe on a roof. If you're not safe, don't do it. But for me, I'm pretty used to it, it's not a big deal.
I make a template with a piece of sheet metal. Mark right around the top of the chimney. Then I'll take it out to the work table and I'll cut exactly to fit the top of the chimney. So the chimney cap doesn't get in the way. I don't want to have it too big or too small.
Then I'll take some silicone caulk, it doesn't matter what color or what kind. Just make sure you put a generous bead of silicone caulk all the way around the rim. And you'll be able to get a nice bond between the chimney and the metal and that will hold it down and make it air tight. That will prevent air from flowing up through it.
So line it up, make sure you're in the right spot and then press down. Now you're going to have a nice permanently air sealed chimney so you won't have air constantly blowing up through it.
When you're finished, put the chimney cap back on. Obviously, I can't use my fireplace any more. But you can, there's other options. You can use a fireplace plug balloon or you can use a chimney damper cap which moves up and down. But anyway, make sure you crank those screws down real good and tight, so you don't ever have to get back up there again. And that's it, a pretty simple project.
If you're sick and tired of spending too much money on your energy bills, stop by my website at HowToHomeInsulation.com. You'll find the videos and information you need to start saving money on your energy bills right now. My name is Corey Binford. Thanks for watching.