Gas Fires: way around knackered chimney -flueless?
Gas Fires: way around knackered chimney -flueless?
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was8v

Original Poster:

2,013 posts

225 months

Tuesday 18th November 2008
quotequote all
Just had a gas bloke round to fit my new £180 B&Q gas fire in my existing fireplace.

Did a smoke bomb and the chimney draws alright but smoke comes out of adjacent chimney stacks too.

Ouch.

So he quoted me for lining the chimney (12metres) and installing a box so put the fire in which will require removing the fireplace.

Off the top of his head he quoted £650 excluding a new fireplace which seems good for the work and materials involved.

Now googling just now I notice you can get a flueless fire (that is also much more efficent) for £400 - http://www.screwfix.com/prods/69643/Heating-Coolin...

I presume the chimney would just need blocking up and that slotting into the hole in my existing fireplace?

Any drawbacks to a flueless fire?

ferg

15,242 posts

287 months

Tuesday 18th November 2008
quotequote all
They are very suceptible to marginal gas pipe sizing leading to continual activation of the flame failure device (oxy-pilot) and do requite a fair old vent into the room.
They are very efficient because no heat goes anywhere other than in the room.

I know quite a bit about complete and incomplete combustion of gases and there is no way I'd put one in a house I wanted to live in.
But that's just my opinion. smile

jedi_mind_trix

16 posts

215 months

Tuesday 18th November 2008
quotequote all
i'm an engineer for British Gas.

My advice is Do not install a Flueless fire. they have been known to kill people and are now banned in the USA.

mybrainhurts

90,809 posts

285 months

Tuesday 18th November 2008
quotequote all
Back to the lined chimmmley...

My daughter was faced with this...

The installer was a lying git, there was nothing wrong with the chimmilley.

Get a second opinion...

Mars

10,119 posts

244 months

Tuesday 18th November 2008
quotequote all
Our mid-1980s house was built with a flu which is no longer wide enough for the current legislation, so we were refused installation of a new gas fire by a Corgi registered chap.

I've no complaint against him as he's only doing his job but I'm a bit pissed off that until our old gas fire died, it was working fine and passed all the annual tests. Is the legislation a bit overkill?

Our only option, according to Corgi chap, was to have a new flu fitted, which would involve the gutting of the walls that contain the current one. I'm not keen to do that (obviously) but I'm not sure what options are available to me, short of building an external chimney (which is possible, possibly more expensive but means less hassle inside the house than a replacement flu).

moles

1,858 posts

274 months

Tuesday 18th November 2008
quotequote all
If the fire is on an outside wall you can either get a Room Sealed one or a Fan Flued fire which will only require a small hole through the wall and can do away with the chimney.


Mars said:
Our mid-1980s house was built with a flu which is no longer wide enough for the current legislation, so we were refused installation of a new gas fire by a Corgi registered chap.

I've no complaint against him as he's only doing his job but I'm a bit pissed off that until our old gas fire died, it was working fine and passed all the annual tests. Is the legislation a bit overkill?

Our only option, according to Corgi chap, was to have a new flu fitted, which would involve the gutting of the walls that contain the current one. I'm not keen to do that (obviously) but I'm not sure what options are available to me, short of building an external chimney (which is possible, possibly more expensive but means less hassle inside the house than a replacement flu).

rigga

8,806 posts

231 months

Tuesday 18th November 2008
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Good advice,by the way ours has been absolutly no problem since it was fitted 3 years or so ago.....

northwest monkey

6,370 posts

219 months

Tuesday 18th November 2008
quotequote all
anonymous said:
[redacted]
Any gas appliance should have a carbon monoxide detector. For less than £20 a unit it makes sense.

Mars

10,119 posts

244 months

Tuesday 18th November 2008
quotequote all
moles said:
If the fire is on an outside wall you can either get a Room Sealed one or a Fan Flued fire which will only require a small hole through the wall and can do away with the chimney.
I'll look into that. Thanks. thumbup