Blocked Chimney Flue

[joejoejoe1]

Hi all,

Hoping someone can give me a bit of guidance here. I have opened up a ground floor fireplace in a 2 bedroom end terrace and want to install a wood burning stove. I am going to line the chimney but when i had the chimney sweep come round in preperation for the liner he found a blockage which he believed was probably some debris that had fallen from the chimney which was probably built around 1920.

I have opened a small section of the wall in the area where the chimney sweep couldn't get any further which is at ceiling height of the ground floor. I have opened the wall about a foot below where the blockage is but instead of being some debris it appears to be filled with rubble and cement, which appears to have been filled from above. Initially i assumed it was because the upstairs bedroom fireplace is blocked up but think this is unlikely as surely they have individual flues. Also after doing some measurments the blockage seems to fall outside of the opening of the upstairs fireplace.

At present i don't have a roof ladder to get access to the roof to inspect from there and i don't want to start knocking more hole in the walls in the upstairs bedroom. It just seems strange to me that the flue is blocked up. Would the flue have been filled with cement from the top??? or could the upstairs blocked fireplace have something to do with it.

From the opening I have already made into the chimney in the living room I could just about get a steel rod in to break it up (chisels, wrecking bars etc are not long enough). But i'll have to buy one before i can do that. Another strange thing is that i have 3 pots coming out of the chimney but as far as i can tell i only have 2 fireplaces.

If it makes an difference the flue from the downstairs fireplace opening slopes upwards before connecting in the centre with the flue in upstairs bedroom and going straight up. At this connecting point is roughly were the blockage is.

Sorry this is a bit long winded but tried to explain as best i could. Would be grateful if anyone had any kind of advise on why this would be blocked like this or the best way to go about unblocking it.

Many Thanks!!!!

 

[Alastairreid]

Sounds like a collapsed bridge, thats the course of brick which separates flues.

 

[dann09]

Good call Alastair, round here we call the dividing brick flue partition a "Feather"

If you have already opened an access hole then why not enlarge it to gain a bit of elbow room - whatever, the debris must be cleared. Be cautious of bringing down a load of soot.

You might want to smoke test your two(?) flues and get on the roof and examine the stack and terminals. Perhaps even get a camera down.
Believe me, it's common practice for deadbeats to hurl debris down flues.

How many rooms do you have a chimney breast or hearth in? That should tell you how many fireplace or flues you have.

 

[joejoejoe1]

thanks guys.

Not sure if it is the "feather" as it looks more like poured concrete/stones than collapsed bricks and mortar. Possibly the work of deadbeats! I have opened the hole a bit more but i don't have anything long enough to try and breakup the blockage, need to find myself an aligning bar or something.

I don't have a roof ladder yet unfortunately to have a look from above. I hope it isn't something that will put a stop to lining the chimney for a stove!