How's it done then???

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.


Cheers in advance...

On Sat, 19 Mar 2005 22:20:42 -0000, "Brett Jackson"
wrote:

How's it done then???

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?

Not - if you're doing the work for yourself and are competent.

If you're replacing it with a solid fuel one, the only "Corgi-related"
issue might be in removing the old gas fire.

--
Frank Erskine

"Brett Jackson" wrote in message
...
How's it done then???

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,

Andy.