Fireplace bellows - buy or build?

[Charles Wiggins]

I am in the market for a bellows for our fireplace insert. I'm tired of huffing and puffing to revive embers.

When I started looking online it seems that finding quality may be a serious problem. Looking on Amazon, any of the choices that have more than a couple of reviews there seems to always be someone who talks about that model fell apart with use. A few reviewers mention that they go through one or more per season. I was always under the impression that a bellows was something that would last decades.

Can anyone provide some insight here or make a recommendation for a quality piece of equipment?

Or should I build my own? Anyone got plans for the valves?

[Larry Browning]

Charles,
We have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Purpose-INFLAT...d_sim_sbs_lg_1
It may not be as cool looking as a bellows, but it works WAY better than any bellows we ever had. We found one that was made of cast iron, but I could not find it on Amazon. But I think this one will work just as well. We have had ours for about 3 years now, and it works just as well as the day we got it.

This is the one we have: http://www.amazon.com/AIR-GRILL-EXEC...rill+executive
But it looks like it may no longer be available.

[Charles Wiggins]

Charles,
We have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Purpose-INFLAT...d_sim_sbs_lg_1
It may not be as cool looking as a bellows, but it works WAY better than any bellows we ever had. We found one that was made of cast iron, but I could not find it on Amazon. But I think this one will work just as well. We have had ours for about 3 years now, and it works just as well as the day we got it.

This is the one we have: http://www.amazon.com/AIR-GRILL-EXEC...rill+executive
But it looks like it may no longer be available.

Thanks Larry. Those tips appear to be plastic though. I wonder how close you can get it to the coals before you have problems. But hey, it has a BOTTLE OPENER!

[Larry Browning]

You don't need to use the tips at all. I think those are intended to be used to inflate your beach ball and air mattress when you are at the lake. The one I have doesn't even have tips.

[Kevin Bourque]

I had the same problem looking for a bellow for my fireplace. They all seem to be more decorative than actually usable.

[Ted Calver]

We bought an oak and Naugahyde bellows at a craft sale 40 years ago that is still going strong. We also use something called a blow poke or fire dragon that we discovered in Italy several years ago. It was something like this:
http://www.shop.gascoals.com/product...190&position=1
I always thought I could easily make one if the one we have gets broken....but it keeps on trucking. You might try making one to see if it suites you instead of a bellows.

[curtis rosche]

We bought an oak and Naugahyde bellows at a craft sale 40 years ago that is still going strong. We also use something called a blow poke or fire dragon that we discovered in Italy several years ago. It was something like this:
http://www.shop.gascoals.com/product...190&position=1
I always thought I could easily make one if the one we have gets broken....but it keeps on trucking. You might try making one to see if it suites you instead of a bellows.

could get creative and take something like this and add a computer fan and have an automatic blower

[Rich Engelhardt]

Definitely make a set - but - only after buying and ruining a cheap store bought set of bellows.

The construction of them is simple enough that once you see how they operate, you can build your own and cannibalize the store bought one for the valve and nozzle.

Even the cheap store bought set will last a long time - as long as you don't suck hot embers into it and burn holes in the leather.

[Harry Hagan]

Charles,
We have one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Purpose-INFLAT...d_sim_sbs_lg_1
It may not be as cool looking as a bellows, but it works WAY better than any bellows we ever had. We found one that was made of cast iron, but I could not find it on Amazon. But I think this one will work just as well. We have had ours for about 3 years now, and it works just as well as the day we got it.

This is the one we have: http://www.amazon.com/AIR-GRILL-EXEC...rill+executive
But it looks like it may no longer be available.

Looks like it may still be available from the marketer:

http://www.air-grill.com/html/goods.html

[Charles Wiggins]

Don't they have a back-flow prevention valve in the spout?

[Ed Aumiller]

use a cheap hair dryer with the heat turned off (or on) on low speed...

[Larry Browning]

Looks like it may still be available from the marketer:

http://www.air-grill.com/html/goods.html

Nope, they show "Sold Out" and no buttons to order.

[Rich Engelhardt]

Don't they have a back-flow prevention valve in the spout?

Better ones might....
The set my parents had when I was a kid didn't. <--hence the burned out leather sides...

It took me a couple of years to do that though.

[Tom Fischer]

I heat the house almost entirely with my Harmon coal/wood 120K BTU furnace. Use about three cords of split hardwood & 2 1/2 tons of anthracite each year.
Never use any bellows.
For me the the trick of starting is variety of dry kindling.
Have two large boxes of smallest twigs.
Have one large box of "splinters", the tooth pick size stuff and larger that the wood splitter leaves behind on the firewood.
As I reach for cord wood to put in the furnace, I just pull the splinters off first, throw them in a box.
Almost never need more than one match (the free kind) to start a roaring fire.
If the fire is dying, I just throw in a few handfuls of my kindling, and away we go.
Also, when I am starting a fire, I always put small sticks between layers of cordwood, similar to "stickering" for air drying wood.
Helps the fire get max draft fast.