drill lintel for new flue pipe

[bangermoose]

Untitled

• bangermoose
• 19 Dec 2013
• 1

Untitled

• bangermoose
• 19 Dec 2013
• 1

Hello all, I want to put in a wood burner, ive knocked through the fireplace and found the existing flue is in the corner of the fireplace, its not a big fireplace so if im going to get a stove in there the flue will need to go straight up, the lintel looks as though half used to just be a shelf and the original fire place was much narrower above the lintel. there is now a stud wall above the lintel, im planning to connect a new central flue into the existing and then box it back in.

Can I drill through the lintel to create a new flue?.. a series of holes in a circle etc? ive just had a quick go with a hammer drill but its not going to happen, will I need an sds drill to do this, or is this a bad idea and should I be thinking of a new lintel?

thanks

 

[Blagard]

That's a new one on me.

The existing lintel looks tidy to take a stove flue if it is big enough?

I would be tempted to take the lintel out and pop it back in higher up so you can get the burner and some flue pipe under it and then a couple of bends before connecting to the old flue. Obviously the right hand side needs a little bit of brickwork to suit the revised lintel height. Pretty much the same as you were planning except avoiding a new hole in the lintel!

Before you start just make sure that old flue is suitable and safe.

 

[bangermoose]

thanks Blagard, though ive just had a look at taking the lintel out and it looks like its set well back into the partition wall, it might even go into next door by the looks of things? so I dont think taking that out will be easy.

does anyone have any thoughts about drilling it? would another hole weaken it, though its not really holding anything too significant by the looks of things, and will an sds drill get through a lintel?

 

[jockscott]

Looks like it was originally cast in situ.

 

[XtraRaptor]

would another hole weaken it, though its not really holding anything too significant by the looks of things

Yes it would weaken it. When you say "anything too significant" you do realise there is a chimney above it.