I was looking at a house the other day and it had an interior gas
fireplace (built around 2007 or so) that had been used. The back
wall was blackish with ashes all around the fireplace. I was just
wondering aside from vacuuming the ashes out, is there a safe
effective way to get the black out of the back wall to make it look
like the fireplace was not used?

On Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:24:51 -0500, "Doug"
wrote:

I was looking at a house the other day and it had an interior gas
fireplace (built around 2007 or so) that had been used. The back
wall was blackish with ashes all around the fireplace. I was just
wondering aside from vacuuming the ashes out, is there a safe
effective way to get the black out of the back wall to make it look
like the fireplace was not used?

What is the back wall made from? If brick, you'll never get it truly
clean like it was never used. If it is metal, a lot of scrubbing with
cleaning chemicals and you may have a chance, but it will never be
perfect.

Since it is a gas fireplace, I'm wondering why the ash and black are
there in the first place.

Hey, its a fireplace, it is supposed to look black and used.

On 4/1/2012 1:24 AM, Doug wrote:
I was looking at a house the other day and it had an interior gas
fireplace (built around 2007 or so) that had been used. The back
wall was blackish with ashes all around the fireplace. I was just
wondering aside from vacuuming the ashes out, is there a safe
effective way to get the black out of the back wall to make it look
like the fireplace was not used?

I'd say the answer is no. I tried to clean one up when I sealed it off
and put in an electric heater insert. The brick around the fireplace
was infused with black and no soap, detergent or bleach would remove it.
Maybe you can paint yours over.

On Mar 31, 10:24*pm, "Doug" wrote:
I was looking at a house the other day and it had an interior gas
fireplace (built around 2007 or so) that had been used. * The back
wall was blackish with ashes all around the fireplace. * I was just
wondering aside from vacuuming the ashes out, is there a safe
effective way to get the black out of the back wall to make it look
like the fireplace was not used?

Our woodburning fireplace needed repair along its back wall. Had
bricks being dislocated and starting to fall into the fireset below,
plus looked awful, with black predominantly all over, thick powdery
black ash, etc etc Of course contrasted with the sections closest to
the fire, which were pristine in appearance, thus...

I bought a range of high temperature propane tanks for high
temperature torch and selected the one that was best to burn off all
the black. Actually worked! When finished the fireplace looked like
it had NEVER been used - except for a few light black streaks up the
exterior front, that came off with elbow grease and cleaners, when
done looked great!

Being totally clean I reset all the bricks in the back wall that now
could be worked on.

Of course my first fire and it was back to the blackened look, but at
least repaired.

The key is that this was a wood burning fireplace and the brick could
take the heat

On 4/1/2012 12:24 AM, Doug wrote:
I was looking at a house the other day and it had an interior gas
fireplace (built around 2007 or so) that had been used. The back
wall was blackish with ashes all around the fireplace. I was just
wondering aside from vacuuming the ashes out, is there a safe
effective way to get the black out of the back wall to make it look
like the fireplace was not used?


I doubt that it can be cleaned to your standards. What about painting
the whole thing a uniform flat black?

--


___________________________________

Keep the whole world singing . . .
Dan G
remove the seven

Doug wrote:
I was looking at a house the other day and it had an interior gas
fireplace (built around 2007 or so) that had been used. The back
wall was blackish with ashes all around the fireplace. I was just
wondering aside from vacuuming the ashes out, is there a safe
effective way to get the black out of the back wall to make it look
like the fireplace was not used?

Carbon is slightly soluble in liquid iron - that's how they make steel -
and, according to my CRC Handbook, virtually nothing else.

Inasmuch as there is no viable chemical solution to your problem, you'll
have to rely on a mechanical solution, i.e., scrubbing or removing the top
layer of the fireplace bricks.

You might consider wallpapering over the ugly-looking black stuff.

On Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:24:51 -0500, "Doug"
wrote:

I was looking at a house the other day and it had an interior gas
fireplace (built around 2007 or so) that had been used. The back
wall was blackish with ashes all around the fireplace. I was just
wondering aside from vacuuming the ashes out, is there a safe
effective way to get the black out of the back wall to make it look
like the fireplace was not used?

Are you sure these are ashes in the fireplace? I have a gas insert
fireplace that has fibers similar to fiberglass batting material. The
fibers glow when hot to give the look and glow. These types of
fireplaces are usually a metal insert (I'm familiar with).

.... Do the "ashes" crumble when you pick them up by hand?

.... Tap the back of the insert trying to determine if is metal

If metal, I would use a TSP solution (red box) from the HD paint
section.

The box says it will clean "sooty dirt".

Either carbon tetrachloride, or carbon disulphide. Can't remember which, but
it dissolves carbon. It's been about 35 years since I needed this
information.

The fire fighting technique for a fire in a vat of carbon disulphide is
really unique. I'll leave everyone to guess. You can also ask me......

Christopher A. Young
Learn more about Jesus
www.lds.org
..

"HeyBub" wrote in message
...

Carbon is slightly soluble in liquid iron - that's how they make steel -
and, according to my CRC Handbook, virtually nothing else.

Inasmuch as there is no viable chemical solution to your problem, you'll
have to rely on a mechanical solution, i.e., scrubbing or removing the top
layer of the fireplace bricks.

You might consider wallpapering over the ugly-looking black stuff.

"Doug" wrote:
I was looking at a house the other day and it had an interior gas
fireplace (built around 2007 or so) that had been used. The back
wall was blackish with ashes all around the fireplace. I was just
wondering aside from vacuuming the ashes out, is there a safe
effective way to get the black out of the back wall to make it look
like the fireplace was not used?

I painted one flat high heat black.

I had some success scrubbing front bricks with high alkaline, greased
lightning.

Greg

On Sun, 01 Apr 2012 07:53:35 -0400, Ed Pawlowski wrote:

On Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:24:51 -0500, "Doug"
wrote:

I was looking at a house the other day and it had an interior gas
fireplace (built around 2007 or so) that had been used. The back
wall was blackish with ashes all around the fireplace. I was just
wondering aside from vacuuming the ashes out, is there a safe
effective way to get the black out of the back wall to make it look
like the fireplace was not used?

What is the back wall made from? If brick, you'll never get it truly
clean like it was never used. If it is metal, a lot of scrubbing with
cleaning chemicals and you may have a chance, but it will never be
perfect.

Since it is a gas fireplace, I'm wondering why the ash and black are
there in the first place.

Hey, its a fireplace, it is supposed to look black and used.


Not really sure what it is made of. For whatever reason, this
fireplace had a piece of chared wood instead of a gas log.... hence
the reason for the ashes.

On Sun, 01 Apr 2012 12:33:03 -0700, Oren wrote:

On Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:24:51 -0500, "Doug"
wrote:

I was looking at a house the other day and it had an interior gas
fireplace (built around 2007 or so) that had been used. The back
wall was blackish with ashes all around the fireplace. I was just
wondering aside from vacuuming the ashes out, is there a safe
effective way to get the black out of the back wall to make it look
like the fireplace was not used?

Are you sure these are ashes in the fireplace? I have a gas insert
fireplace that has fibers similar to fiberglass batting material. The
fibers glow when hot to give the look and glow. These types of
fireplaces are usually a metal insert (I'm familiar with).

... Do the "ashes" crumble when you pick them up by hand?

... Tap the back of the insert trying to determine if is metal

If metal, I would use a TSP solution (red box) from the HD paint
section.

The box says it will clean "sooty dirt".


For whatever reason, someone used a piece of wood to burn in this
fireplace and it was chared when I looked at it. I have no idea why
they didn't use a gas log unless they were didn't want to spend for
the gas and gas log.

On Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:24:51 -0500, "Doug"
wrote:

I was looking at a house the other day and it had an interior gas
fireplace (built around 2007 or so) that had been used. The back
wall was blackish with ashes all around the fireplace. I was just
wondering aside from vacuuming the ashes out, is there a safe
effective way to get the black out of the back wall to make it look
like the fireplace was not used?



Thanks all for the replies !!!!!

On 4/1/2012 10:50 AM, HeyBub wrote:
Doug wrote:
I was looking at a house the other day and it had an interior gas
fireplace (built around 2007 or so) that had been used. The back
wall was blackish with ashes all around the fireplace. I was just
wondering aside from vacuuming the ashes out, is there a safe
effective way to get the black out of the back wall to make it look
like the fireplace was not used?

Carbon is slightly soluble in liquid iron - that's how they make steel -
and, according to my CRC Handbook, virtually nothing else.

Inasmuch as there is no viable chemical solution to your problem, you'll
have to rely on a mechanical solution, i.e., scrubbing or removing the top
layer of the fireplace bricks.

You might consider wallpapering over the ugly-looking black stuff.



carbon burns.