Opening a fireplace

[demogorgan]

Hi,
I have just had the old gas fire removed in my house to install a hole in the wall style one. The original hole was filled up with breeze block to make the fire fit, I knocked these out so i could get the right size hole for the new one.
After doing this i looked up the chimney as the new fire has a large gather hood and flue adapter (there is a flue liner installed already).

The problem is that not far up the chimney (level with the top of the hole) there is a concrete block blocking the whole chimney accept for a hole where the flue liner is fixed in place. Is this normal to hold the flue liner in place?, is it safe to knock a bigger hole in this or remove it completely ?.

Untitled

• demogorgan
• 22 Jun 2011
• 1

Untitled

• demogorgan
• 22 Jun 2011
• 1

Untitled

• demogorgan
• 22 Jun 2011
• 1

Untitled

• demogorgan
• 22 Jun 2011
• 1

Untitled

• demogorgan
• 22 Jun 2011
• 1

Regards
Demo

 

[ollieman]

What do you mean (hole in the wall style one)? if you are installing a new gas fire or a wood burning stove you should use a flue liner. so why don't you just use what you already have? The concrete block that blocks the chimney keeps the flue liner in place and I think also improves efficencey of the fire by being a barrier to heat escaping up the chimney!

Cheers,


Ollieman

 

[demogorgan]

What do you mean (hole in the wall style one)? if you are installing a new gas fire or a wood burning stove you should use a flue liner. so why don't you just use what you already have? The concrete block that blocks the chimney keeps the flue liner in place and I think also improves efficencey of the fire by being a barrier to heat escaping up the chimney!

Cheers,


Ollieman

As in a Inset fire place. I am using the flue liner that is there but with the new fire the gather hood and flue adapter to attach it to the flue liner is around 1.5ft high so needs to go up where the concrete is, hence the reason for needing to remove it.

Cheers

 

[r896neo]

is the stuff softish? I assume it is lightweight vermiculite based concrete. It looks as if the block was inserted probably just to save the amount of stuff needed to go in. Normally there would be a register plate of some sort but maybe they have just propped a board at the base to shutter and filled it up.

If they have done this your problem will be trying to remove it as if you take it out the whole flue may be filled with loose fill insulation which could come tumbling out. You probably need to investigate how thick and strong this layer is and if it has anything above it, be that loose fill a void or if it is indeed solid.

 

[stratovarius692]

You can't reuse the flue liner unless it is removed and inspected. I hope you're getting a Gas Safe engineer to install the fire as it is not a DIY job.

I haven't seen a third seal made of concrete like what you have before it is usually superlux board a metal fixing/register plate or sometimes asbestos.

The liner should be secured at the top of the chimney and if you were to remove the concrete the liner should then be accessible. Sometimes they work lose and come out of the plate at the top due to corrosion/not fixed properly etc and disturbing the concrete will cause the liner to fall freely.