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History
If
you wondered how on earth the chimney
balloon came into
being, then read the short account
below.
From a simple problem to a full time
occupation !
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A
central band keeps
the balloon in shape |
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November
1990 was windy, very windy. It whistled down David
Woodman’s chimney and round his
feet. But the chimney
already had a large wad of newspapers supposedly
blocking the flow of cold
air.
Something more effective was called for. The first idea
was an ordinary party balloon inflated in the
chimney to
seal the gap. It worked – for a day – as the air
gradually seeped out. But, Eureka! As
David was an
Engineering Designer, he was able to locate a very
special plastic bag that was
non-porous but thin enough
to inflate into the chimney nooks and crannies.
That was the first Chimney Balloon and it worked. In
fact it worked so well that David started
manufacturing
and selling them through fireplace shops and by mail
order.
His current version, which comes in several sizes, has
been much improved over the years. Selling
many
thousands a year, he now finds that keeping up with
demand is a full-time job.
The Chimney Balloon was originally conceived just to
stop cold draughts but, having fitted one,
David quickly
realised that it would soon pay for itself with a
substantial reduction in heat losses.
Another benefit
revealed was that it held back not just birds’ mess
and soot from chimneys, but
birds themselves. Then
customers quickly reported back that it considerably
reduced outside
noise as well.
From a simple need, this completely new product,
providing several benefits, has evolved. It
appears to
be in increasing demand as customers tell their friends
how effective it is.
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