was this ever legal

[hoppo4.2]

so today i started removing some bits from my new house. one of the first things to go a nasty old gas fire fitted into an old chimney.

the flue consisted of a thin steel plate taped over the orignal fire place with a slit cut in to it for the exhaust from the gas fire. no kind of gasket etc just push fit.
looks abit dangerous to me.

see pics

[Spitfire2]

I would have thought that was legal.

The BAXI back boiler type units with a gas fire in front of the hearth and a boiler below the chimney is quite common.

Design of the chimney is such that it draws hot gases/smoke up it..

[B17NNS]

I've renovated a few properties in my time and seen this before on more than one occasion.

No gas expert at all but I presume it was the norm.

[davepoth]

Would have worked fine. Assuming the exhaust was hot the rising gas in the chimney would have caused powerful suction.

[mxspyder]

I am sorry to say that a fireplace as ugly as that one should never have been legal. Infact, I am on the phone to fashion crime stoppers now

[hoppo4.2]

mxspyder said:

I am sorry to say that a fireplace as ugly as that one should never have been legal. Infact, I am on the phone to fashion crime stoppers now

im my defence ive only had the keys 2 days and ive ripped it out already. shame theres 4 more just as bad to go.

[Laurel Green]

I think that is for air supply to the heater and not as a flue for gasses.

[mxspyder]

hoppo4.2 said:

mxspyder said:

I am sorry to say that a fireplace as ugly as that one should never have been legal. Infact, I am on the phone to fashion crime stoppers now

im my defence ive only had the keys 2 days and ive ripped it out already. shame theres 4 more just as bad to go.

Its Ok we have a fire place equally horrific (although only one) and we've had our keys for 6 months! Its going, just as soon as I have been nagged long enough.

[Busamav]

hoppo4.2 said:

mxspyder said:

I am sorry to say that a fireplace as ugly as that one should never have been legal. Infact, I am on the phone to fashion crime stoppers now

im my defence ive only had the keys 2 days and ive ripped it out already. shame theres 4 more just as bad to go.

Just done one after 3 years ::.

OP , now the bricks that are on an angle , they will most likely pull out quite easily along with the fire backing and throat and leave you with a much larger, clean and square opening

At the worst you will have to drop a concrete lintel in there for piece of mind ..

Edited by Busamav on Tuesday 7th December 05:48

[ferg]

That is a perfectly normal fire fitting. Chimneys have a negative pressure and this can be confirmed by a spillage test to the manufacturers instructions.

[NoNeed]

I think if you drop one of those smoke tablets that the fitters use through the slot then go outside you will see it coming out of the chimney.
If you don't see it, it was illegal

[rlw]

mxspyder said:

I am sorry to say that a fireplace as ugly as that one should never have been legal. Infact, I am on the phone to fashion crime stoppers now

Very typical of the period and a tip of the hat to art-deco. My aunt and uncle had one very similar in their thirties semi in Cheam and to a council flat kid it seemed like the height of style and luxury. A well preserved one with a coal fire is still a thing great comfort to me.

[hoppo4.2]

i take it that if i wanted to refit a new gas fire in its place i would be required to meet the new standards and fit some form of flue liner?

[Deva Link]

hoppo4.2 said:

i take it that if i wanted to refit a new gas fire in its place i would be required to meet the new standards and fit some form of flue liner?

You don't need a flue liner if the chimney is adequate.