Browse Forums General Discussion 1 Jun 20, 2009 5:28 pm We have an old house with an existing chimney that has had a working gas heater in it. We are renovating and have taken out the old heater and plan to have an open wood fire now. We had planned to stick a grate in it and just light a fire, but our builder said that he couldn't 'seal' the chimney properly and we should buy a firebox and flue, etc. What has anyone else done in this situation? Re: What to do to make my old chimney safe for an open fire? 2Jun 20, 2009 6:33 pm I'd be tipping the gas flue was never built to handle temps of an open fire. Without knowing anything about the chimney, age, state of repair etc I would be advising caution. Open fires are good to look at, though have many drawbacks... Sparks, inefficent, unburnt gasses, burn heaps of wood. We do have a fire, and it is in a box Where you are coming from is where you are going to... Re: What to do to make my old chimney safe for an open fire? 3Jun 20, 2009 6:54 pm I agree with onc_artisan. I have a back to back fireplace and have not used them in years. They allow lots of heat up the chimney, old 'charcoal' drops down and makes a mess, and even had a possum fall down! ..that is the truth!! You have to basically sit in the fire for any heat and in winter when it is belting down, rain pours in! I HATE THEM!! I'm dreaming up ways to cover the opening. At the moment there is an old masonite thingy my Dad made over 40yrs ago to cover and stop draughts. (i was left the house when the parents died) I have a modern split system now for heating, but thats seemingly nigh on useless because of the damn fireplace opening!! Best I can think of is getting it blocked off up the near the bottom and placing the bits of wood in to cover the opening. Remember that not getting what you want is sometimes a wonderful stroke of luck! - Dalai Lama Re: What to do to make my old chimney safe for an open fire? 4Jun 20, 2009 8:14 pm I should add that we have hydronic heating, so this fireplace is not for heating but for the pure enjoyment of an open fire - the spectacle, the toasted marshmallows, the ambience... Block of two storey townhouses requires painting on the roof. A brick parapet wall separates each unit and extends above the tiled roof. The parapet walls require sealing… 0 3497 We are tossing up between a Jarrahdale radiant wood fire (the Pioneer) and a convection wood fire (Innovator or Countryman) but cannot decide on which type of wood fire is… 0 5247 Need some advice. Living in a townhouse with one common wall, recently we have discovered that the fire separation wall is incomplete and on further investigation, support… 0 3851 |