Blocking Up Chimney

[scrivomcdivo]

If I were to get a fire basket in an open fireplace that ran of mains gas, would I be able to block up the chimney breast, say a foot up from the top of the mantlepiece? The reason being so that the warmth does not just escape up the chimney but stays in the room.

Thanks

 

[JohnD]

This would be an effective way of killing yourself and your family by suffocation and poisoning.

 

[scrivomcdivo]

This would be an effective way of killing yourself and your family by suffocation and poisoning.

Thanks for the stark advice - appreciated.

Does anybody know of any ways of reducing the amount of least heat through an open chimney then?

 

[Softus]

Replace chimney pot with a vented cap, install a vent in the breast to prevent condensation, block off the bottom of chimney.

Additionally, install central heating, have your wall cavities filled, install double glazing, add insulation in the loft, fix all gaps in doors and door frames, have all damp problems dealt with, plant trees to shelter from northerly winds. If this is all too much, move home to the Caribbean where the climate is less chilly.

 

[oilman]

Alternatively, get to understand the superb ventilation provided by a chimney. A lot of today's problems with health are caused by lack of air changes. People get all the usual diseases at the end of the summer when they shut doors and windows and stay indoors. We don't suffermuch as we have chimneys, and we have open windows. Doesn't cost a lot to stay warm either, we wear jumpers.