Road Pins to extend fire grate??

[cpvh]

Hi All,

A couple of years back we had a fireplace fitted.

It was mostly a good job.

But....

They fitted an 18? Fireback but put a 16? surround in front of it.

So the only ready made grate that will fit in front to back is a 16? ? but it has gaps at the sides and back.

My options (it?s too late to get them to fix it) are:

Cut an 18? grate with an angry grinder till it fits and put an 18 ? fire front in front of it.

Or

Cement some small pieces of fire brick or some such under the grate round t he edges.

Or

Have a blacksmith make something to fill in the gaps.

Or

(And this is the one I?d like the advice on)

Bend some road pins I have to a shape so they fill the gaps. Are they like ly to survive many coal fires? Or would they burn away after half a dozen?

TIA

Chris

[Tim+]

Having had a Baxi Burnall open fire for many years we changed to a multi fuel stove last year. I wish I had done it bloody ages ago.

The stove is much more efficient, burns dry wood smokelessly and you?re not wasting heat up the chimney all the time. Yes, it wasn?t cheap but it outperforms an open fire in so many ways I?d never have an open fire again.

Tim

[newshound]

I had to google Road Pin. I guess they are mild steel bar. They won't burn away quickly but I would not like to guess whether they would be better or worse than the cast iron grate. The life will depend on the thickness, also on how hot the region gets. The safe bet would be to fabricate something suitable out of scrap stainless steel. I have an old dish drainer in my scrap pile from which I will be able to extract four six-inch lengths of quarter inch round bar (and a lot more thin stuff).

[Brian Gaff (Sofa)]

I seem to recall, many moons ago when we had an open fire, there were fire brick spacers in that, so one assumes this is not exactly a new problem. How long before open fires are banned? Brian

[cpvh]

We have a wood burner in the main sitting room. My late mother in law insis ted she wanted open rather than stove in what was her sitting room (and she was supplying the dosh).

Long term we might put a stove in, short term, maybe we just don?t use it.

[Nick Cat]

ront of it.

?? but it has gaps at the sides and back.

18? fire front in front of it.

nd the edges.

ikely to survive many coal fires? Or would they burn away after half a doze n?

SS or mlid will burn away. SS would just add the hazard of carcinogenic chr ome ions.

NT

[newshound]

Ah, a new troll