I've bought a insert and a back, and I have an existing opening that I'll need to back-fill etc. The whole chimney breast is currently down to brick, I was going to dot'n'dab but want to make sure this is OK...
I have what I believe is a class 1 chimney!!!??? in a 1940's semi. Fairly sure the chimney's not blocked - there was a pigeon waiting behind the old gas fire when I got back from hols! Fairly sure it was glad to see me/the light of day.
Do I need a CORGI fitter or not?
Are there any things I especially need to be aware of? I've heard mention of fibreglass rope! Not sure where I need to put this or if I really need it.
I'd like to get this sussed so I can have a real fire, otherwise I'll have to make do with something that looks like a real fire but just burn gel in it.
You might want to check your chimney doesn't leak first: you can buy smoke pellets from a fire shop to test out is integrity. Pop upstairs and see/smell there are no leaks.
You can do gas work if you are a competent person: that is your call. From what I read, you will need to put an end cap on the gas pipe that is left, unless you remove it down to the larger galvanised pipe beneath your floorboards, then there's probably stuff to do with sealing compound or the thick gas yellow ptfe tape or whatever, plus a final leak check with 'snoop' aerosol, or, at a pinch, squeezy and water, but make sure you wipe it off. Strictly speaking, I think you have to do a leak check with a pressure gauge ( easy to make, a clear u-tube full of water and a ruler etc ) at two different pressures, see Ed Sirretts excellent FAQ on gas-fitting.
If you want to put a real fire into a hearth there are new regs that may mean your old hearth is inadequate, at least not up to current standards. If heat is applied directly to the back-hearth ( the bit that the fire is directly above ) AFAIK you need a 5" thick constructional hearth ( the bit in front of your fireplace, onto which the decorative superimposed hearth sits ( the marble/whatever bit ). The constructional hearth has minimum dimensions which I cannot recall exactly, but it should be something like 6" wider than your fireplace opening on either side, and something like 22" deep(?). The 5 " thick (or thicker )constructional hearth should not sit on anything flammable ( e.g. wood ).
The fibreglass rope should be used to seal your fire around the fireplace opening to stop air going up the chimney unless it goes via the fire. This depends on what type of fire you have I suppose: I had an insert fire which was a large metal box which sat in the fireplace opening. I placed fibreglass rope around the rim when I pushed the insert firebox into position, and that held snugly in place between the fire surround and the firebox, sealing off any route air might have had to bypass the fire.
I held my marble fire surround in place partly by the mantlepiece ( which was screwed to the wall using mirrorplates ), and partly by packing the resulting gap betwen the marble surround and the chimney breast ( about 3/4" or less IIRC ) with a dryish lime/cement mortar mix ( fiddly ). I can't say whether this is the accepted method or not.
A real fire is well worth it, it is inconvenient and fiddly but it is the real thing, you won't feel heat off a gel fire and it'll be expensive to run unless it is for ceremonial use. I can't say that all the rules I have quoted are accurate nor will they necessarily apply, depends on exactly what kind of fire you are fitting,
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here.
All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.