Open Fireplace Chimney

Opening up a fireplace is a great way to add character and value to a period property.

Open fireplace chimney.

Examine the chimney breast if the chimney has been blocked up correctly there will be a vent in the wall just above the skirting board. Chimney covers protect your fireplace flue from rain animals and debris. But if you re tempted to see what s behind a blocked up chimney what do you need to know about building regs costs and how to do it safely to make sure you don t end up with a whole lot of mess. If you start a fire when the damper is closed you ll realize the mistake quickly when the room fills up with smoke.

This article series provides information about masonry fireplaces. You need to open your fireplace flue to create an efficient fire and reduce the amount of smoke and carbon dioxide in the room. For thousands of years humans have gathered around the open fire for a sense of safety and community and the fireplace is still the focus of family living in many homes especially around the holidays. Anatomy of a fireplace labeled.

Finally they help block downdrafts. This is likely to be a messy job so fold back the carpet or lay down lots of dustsheets to protect your furnishings. For example my open fireplaces don t have dampers of ash pits. Fireplace flue size specifications relation of fireplace size to flue opening dimensions table of required chimney flue size and flue dimensions for masonry fireplaces.

They can also protect your roof and reduce fire risk by trapping sparks and embers. When most people think of chimneys they think of fireplaces. In order to uncover and unblock the fireplace you should first find the builder s opening. Fireplace opening and flue size in creasing the chimney height in creases the amount of draft.

How to open your chimney damper. This is the rectangular recess in the chimney breast into which the fireback is fitted which can be quite large in pre georgian houses but gradually reduced in size to no more than three square feet in modest victorian houses and smaller still. To provide adequate draft and safe venting of combustion products the chimney flue for a fireplace has to be adequate in size or cross sectional area. The flue is essentially a channel inside the chimney the smoke is funneled through and it s controlled by the damper a pair of small steel doors.

Opening up the fireplace. The most common case is 1 10 of the fireplace opening area but with a minimum size specified. The diagram shows the layout of a fireplace and chimney commonly found in a home but as all houses are built differently the layout and design of your fireplace may differ from the one shown above.