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Blocked chimneys..what to do?

onenameshelley said:
I am going to have a go this weekend, as more than anything my natural curiosity wants to know whats up there, and i get to use a drill and wear goggles which is added bonus. :)
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Bear in mind that the firebrick lining may be a bit fragile - so pick at it gently and there's likely to be a tonne of soot and dead pigeons on top of the concrete - so it's dust sheets, hard hat, goggles, mask and having a bath / shower ready ;)
 
Is it just where the fireplace should be or is it up the chimney?

Hopefully they have just 'bricked' up the fireplace opening and it can be easily knocked through.
 
WouldBe said:
Is it just where the fireplace should be or is it up the chimney?

Hopefully they have just 'bricked' up the fireplace opening and it can be easily knocked through.
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Its up the chimney, the fireplaces are baby Adams (the tiled ones) and its up the chimney that is blocked so yeah hopefully its just a case of knocking it though.
 
my advice would be dont listen to anyone on here but consult with your drumming chimney sweep. he will know the right answer :)
 
Rollem said:
my advice would be dont listen to anyone on here but consult with your drumming chimney sweep. he will know the right answer :)
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awwww i really wanted a go on the drill though:(:eek:

:D I have had to find a new chimney sweep as brian is off on tour or summit, so now we have a new chappie, i am pretty sure we can get it sorted but i suspect its going to be hard work and messy.
 
Wood burning stoves are exceptionally safe and clean as they combust very well (as opposed to burning "house coal" which has lots of sulpher and muck which clings to the chimney side) - virtually smokeless - and you can really control the heat output which you cant on a bog standard open fire. Not much mess either - quick wipe down , and the flour like ash is great for the garden / compost bin.


I would get a professional in - the chimney might need lining , - but once done properly you will love the stove (and the benefit of much free fuel from skips , tree loppings etc) - very green IMHO .....
 
onenameshelley said:
Its up the chimney, the fireplaces are baby Adams (the tiled ones) and its up the chimney that is blocked so yeah hopefully its just a case of knocking it though.
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That doesn't sound as easy. How you manage to block a chimney that way whilst having to support the stuff without knocking a hole in the chimney breast I'm not sure. :eek:
 
onenameshelley said:
Yeah i am pretty sure the flue will work, its annoying that we cant get someone round earlier than 11th July really. It does mean i wouldnt have to buy a fire guard i suppose if we go with a stove?
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Do you actually *neeeeeeeeeeeeed* it so urgently?

I mean, I don't know what the temperature's like, but it's not like it's 26 December and you can't get someone in till 11th January.

Surely you can manage without a fire for a couple of weeks in July? :confused:
 
right well....we dont have a chimney!

I know that would seem to be something that we couldnt possibly miss, but we did. The lovely chimney bloke came round and had a look, went out side and said those things sticking out of your roof are not chimneys. Went up in the roof and yep low and behold the chimney has been capped underneath the roof.

We only discovered this after we tore out the fire surrounds and filled the house with huge piles of rubbish. Then we discovered that those fire surrounds are worth about £300 each. So all in all a shit weekend. :( Oh and then my bad eye swelled up due to the amount of crap in the air and i looked like one of them freaky goldfish.

So to cap it off BOOM BOOM, we have no chimneys so no real fires can be had unless we pay a fortune to have the chimney re done, we have two gapping holes in the walls, a shed load of rubble and a big eye. So its big hairy bollocks oh well, we are just going to put nice non working fireplaces in the holes and be done with it, i am sure i will get over it. :(
 
onenameshelley said:
...We only discovered this after we tore out the fire surrounds and filled the house with huge piles of rubbish. Then we discovered that those fire surrounds are worth about £300 each. So all in all a shit weekend. :( Oh and then my bad eye swelled up due to the amount of crap in the air and i looked like one of them freaky goldfish...
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:eek: Never rip out stuff without first checking! It's rule 101 of property developing, original features are always more appealing. And even if it's too retro and dated for your own tastes, someone else might like it.
 
:( :(

Did he confirm that the chimneys were taken out correctly with lintels put in ?

I wish someone could have gone around to check what you were doing - photos next time.
 
spanglechick said:
oh honey!

could a wood burning stove have a pipe that vented through the exterior wall behind the 'fireplace'?
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or run the liner up the remains of the chimney and just have a pipe bit stick through the roof which would be a lot easier and cheaper than rebuilding the stack.
 
AnnO'Neemus said:
:eek: Never rip out stuff without first checking! It's rule 101 of property developing, original features are always more appealing. And even if it's too retro and dated for your own tastes, someone else might like it.
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Er we are not developing for profit? This is going to be our home for the rest of my life i have no intention of moving out of it, unless i get put into a home:hmm:. Besides all of that there was no way in hell that you could have lifted those fronts out of the house to sell without a winch type thing they weighed a ton, between 3 of us we couldnt get it an inch off the floor.

Anyway we are putting original Edwardian fireplaces back in, so its in keeping with the house.

GG yeah structurally its all fine we had all that checked. Our house is a money pit and its a lifetime of work but well thats why we love it.

Oh well never mind i can pretend to have a real fire in my head;) *makes crackling noise* ooh feel the warmth. :D
 
WouldBe said:
or run the liner up the remains of the chimney and just have a pipe bit stick through the roof which would be a lot easier and cheaper than rebuilding the stack.
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Trouble is the bungaroosh stuff just seems to be keep coming , and in all honesty i suspect we could just keep digging it away and never get it all. I know that the silver tube thing (thats the technical term for it) that was used for the back boiler is still in the chimney in the front room fireplace and goes up and out the roof is that what you mean? Because there is a chimney pipe thing for the boiler that comes out of the roof i know that much.
 
onenameshelley said:
Trouble is the bungaroosh stuff just seems to be keep coming , and in all honesty i suspect we could just keep digging it away and never get it all. I know that the silver tube thing (thats the technical term for it) that was used for the back boiler is still in the chimney in the front room fireplace and goes up and out the roof is that what you mean? Because there is a chimney pipe thing for the boiler that comes out of the roof i know that much.
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Yeah, the silver tube thing is a liner. What type back boiler did you have? Gas or solid fuel? If it was a solid fuel one you should be able to have a wood burner. If it was a gas one it will probably need replacing.
 
WouldBe said:
Yeah, the silver tube thing is a liner. What type back boiler did you have? Gas or solid fuel? If it was a solid fuel one you should be able to have a wood burner. If it was a gas one it will probably need replacing.
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OOOh a question i know the answer too. Go Me.

Its Gas :)
 
find a waif-like stray, and force him (or in these equal days, her) up the chimney with some brushes, and hasten the ascent with a fire 'neath their unshod feet.
 
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