Chimney Wind Noise? How to Stop Wind Blowing Down Chimney

A chimney might be a really problematic area when it comes to soundproofing.

Well, not that much for soundproofing as much as like source of the noise.

There are several types of noises that you can hear through your chimney.

Firstly, you can hear the wind, scratching and banging noise coming down through the chimney.

Secondly, the chimney is like a resonating box of the guitar. It’s hallowed and a great sound transporter.

If the walls happen to be thin then you might hear the noise coming from other rooms through the chimney- just like the noise from ventilation.

However, there are several simple solutions to your problem.

I recommend you to go with the 1st and 2nd one, and save the third one if previous two fail to soundproof.

I have stopped the wind blowing down the chimney in my house and I got only to the first 2 methods- they did the job just fine.

The last one is the most reliable, but luckily, I didn’t need it for my problem.

Now, let’s check out these 3 methods to soundproof your chimney.

How to Stop Wind Blowing Down Chimney

how to stop chimney wind noise

I suggest that you try with the balloon and flueblocker.

If it doesn’t help, then you can try a bit advanced method- chimney cowl.

1. Use a Chimney Balloon

A chimney balloon is one handy solution in fighting noise and thermal leaking.

It’s quite easy how it works. It’s a balloon that you stick into your chimney’s inside and afterward inflate to fill the flue.

In that way, not only will you insulate your room from the wind noise coming down through your chimney, but you will also prevent the thermal leaking as well as cold wind running through it.

white-chimney-balloon

Once you put it inside the chimney and inflate, the balloon will stick to the inward walls of the chimney and stick to them, not leaving a single inch uncovered.

In this chimney balloon there is a small vent that lets a small airflow, which is normal, but other than that, your chimney will be completely soundproof and thermally isolated.

I myself have bought one on Amazon, and it showed a great performance so far.

It can save more than 20% on your heating bill, while also preventing cold air, odor, and debris.

Since the chimney balloon belongs to an affordable price point category, it will basically pay itself in several months by saving your heating bill.

Do you have an extremely large chimney?

Or is it too small?

chimney balloon

Well, no matter how big it is, there are more than 100 of chimney balloon sizes.

You will be able to choose the best fitting one for your chimney.

The balloons are not flammable and you should not worry about damaging them with fire if you forget to pull them out. 

It is quite easy to install it by yourself, as we mentioned earlier.

There is a video that can navigate you through the whole procedure.

2. Put chimney Flueblocker

When not in use, you can put chimney flueblocker in order to prevent the air coming down through your chimney and some unnecessary noise.

They are quite simple to use, as they come with an extension rod, which will ease the overall process of installation.

It’s even easier to use a flueblocker than chimney balloons.

All you need to do is push it into the chimney and stuck it there as a blocking layer.

The flueblockers are quite thick materials with absorbing sound power which acts like a layer of the wall for unwanted cold wind, as well as for hot one to go out.

There are different sizes and shapes, depending on your chimney shape.

Therefore, you can opt between round ones and squared shapes.

chimney flueblocker

They are mostly made of Herdwick wool, which will effectively prevent several things:

  • Noise- This thick flueblocker will easily prevent all the noise coming through your chimney. No matter if it is wind noise, or the noise coming through your chimney from the other room - the flueblocker will simply do the job.
  • Thermal leaking- Flueblocker can be used in both thermal leaking and cold winter invading purposes. One thing is sure- it will save you some great money either way.
  • The great fighter against bugs- Flueblocker does not only block thermal leak and noise but unwanted bugs from infesting your home as well

Flueblockers are in most of the cases at an affordable price but depending on the quality it varies.

For the ones that I suggested to you earlier, you will need no more than $50, and they are the top-notch quality of flueblockers.

Here is a Youtube video that can help you install flueblocker:

3. Place a Chimney Cowl

Now, this solution requires a bit more effort and investment overall. On the other hand, when installed, you will benefit from several things.

First of all, you will stop the chimney wind noise.

Secondly, there will be no bugs invading your house, neither will animals get stuck.

Finally, it will prevent direct wind from cooling your house through the chimney. Chimney Cowls are, simply speaking, few solutions in one.

They are mostly made of metal and they act as ventilators.

Cowls will prevent the smoke coming back to you blown by the wind, and the rain falling down your chimney.

how to stop chimney wind noise

Also, it will stop animals (mostly birds) from making their nests on your chimney and potentially block it with it.

They come in various dimensions, shapes, and designs and you will be able to fit it into your house exterior easily.

It’s quite simple to understand how they work.

Since the warm air is going up along with the smoke, a lack of chimney cowl might backfire as the smoke will return all the way down by the wind.

Since you surely don’t want these toxic gasses inside your house, I recommend you installing a chimney cowl.

Simply speaking, you will achieve a healthier environment surely along with the noise problem reduction.

chimney cowl

There are several types of chimney cowls:

  • H-style-Firstly used in marine applications, they became really popular worldwide. They are constructed with specially shaped pipes, and they separate smoke from the windy blows that can bring it back to your home. Simply put, H-style is a great prevention for the noise that the wind makes in your chimney, as well as the thermal insulator.
  • Solid fuel insert- This is a popular one to place in your chimney. With a round or a square spigot, they will function as flue vents. With these ones is sure, they will reduce the wind bouncing, hence, the noise will be reduced to 0.
  • Rotating chimney cowl- This one acts like a natural turbine, it rotates and helps smoke swimmingly go outside the chimney without wind returning it back. It will prevent the noise coming from outside, as well as direct impact noise that wind produces. These are probably the most expensive ones, but they are definitely well worth the price.

So, which one should you install in order to prevent the noise and some other things effectively?

chimney cowl

Well, it depends on your chimney.

I would always recommend something resistant to rain, corrosion like stainless steel.

It will drastically increase the durability of your cowl and prevent the unwanted noise for a long time.

Although it looks like a difficult thing to install on your chimney- it isn’t!

The hardest part is the approach to our chimney. Everything else you can do by yourself.

In most of the cases, when purchasing chimney cowl, you will get a small book of the installation process.

sealant

You can use a sealant such as silicone cone to tighten it to your chimney.

There are several benefits from having a chimney cowl installed:

  • Noise protection- First of all, using cowls is one of the most effective ways to soundproof your chimney. True, it’s sometimes expensive and requires a bit of effort, but once you succeed, you will solve several problems with it.
  • Water protection – Furthermore, not only that you will solve your noise problem but prevent the rain from falling down your chimney. This way, you will protect your chimney and yourself from possible unpleasant water running down through your chimney.
  • It protects your chimney from the animals- Finally, chimney cowls are great against animals (birds) as it discourages them from making their nests on your chimney. That could prevent some chimney obstruction as well as the noise coming from these annoying birds.

On How to Stop Wind Blowing Down Chimney

How to Stop Wind Blowing Down Chimney

As you can see, the first 2 methods are extremely easy and cheap.

They can be an easy solution to your chimney noise and thermal leaking problem.

However, keep the third one as a solution to some advanced level noise.

Also, from the third one, you can benefit on several levels.

Those chimney cowls are the easiest to install once you are building chimneys, but you can do it afterward also.

All in all, I hope that you have finally found your chimney noise solution after reading this article.

Chimney Wind Noise? How to Stop Wind Blowing Down Chimney

Chimney Wind Noise? How to Stop Wind Blowing Down Chimney

Do you hear noises in your chimney at night? Or scratching noises in your chimney? Here's how to stop wind blowing down chimney and remove wind noise.

Active Time 40 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Instructions

  1. Use a Chimney Balloon
  2. Put Chimney Flueblocker
  3. Place a Chimney Cowl
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