Fitting a chimney box / soot door thingy

[Lobster]

The chimney sweep who swept our chimney last winter warned us he couldn't do a proper job because the chimney is dog-legged, and needed a soor door installing in the chimney breast to facilitate access to the awkward bit of flue. and basically warned us against using the fire until this was sorted out. So the tuit has been rounded...

Has anyone fitted one of these things? Here's an example:

't look too complicated? How do work out where to open up the chinney breast, though? We have a cast-iron stove with doors in the fireplace, so you can't really see anything up the chimney. Also, the fireplace is on a party-wall, so no chance of doing it from outside.

Presumably you take out bricks over three courses, I'm guessing ideally at the dog-leg or at least on the non-vertical section of flue? Do you use normal mortar? Anything else I need to know?

Can it usually be done through the *side* of the chimney breast? I'm guessing (again) the brickwork would be much thicker there?; although cosmetically it would be preferable.

Thanks David

[Nick Odell]

I no nuffink about this but I'm guessing the reason you haven't been flooded with replies is because more information is needed. For example, does the stove burn wood, coal or something else? Is this a new build house where the designer never expected the chimney to be put to serious work or an old cottage that's been pumping out smoke and soot without a problem for hundreds of years? Stuff like that.

Nick

[Lobster]

It burns whatever we stick on it; ie coal and logs basically.

The house is celebrating its 100th birthday this year as it happens. Clearly the chimney and chimney breast has been in place all that time, though the fireplace itself, although predating our tenure, is not original - probably 1970s?

The fire certainly smokes quite badly now, and I think it's got worse with time, which would tie in with a flue being clogged by un-sweepable soot. Hard to say how much it was used, and with what fuel, before we started using it.

David