nexus6
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Posts: 2,526
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Post by nexus6 on Oct 4, 2022 13:24:56 GMT
Lets all chat about our wood in here.
Get the place nice and cosy.
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Post by damagedinc on Oct 4, 2022 13:44:47 GMT
I've got an old coal fireplace with a coal insert. Tempted to try and open it all up and have myself a nice open fire. Just a bit worried what's behind.
I took the surround off and there looks to be some bricks with a lintel just above the coal insert. Then a section of plaster board going a bit further up to what I imagine is the original lintel.
Might just have to get mu sledgehammer out
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nexus6
Junior Member
Posts: 2,526
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Post by nexus6 on Oct 4, 2022 13:49:27 GMT
I've got an old coal fireplace with a coal insert. Tempted to try and open it all up and have myself a nice open fire. Just a bit worried what's behind. I took the surround off and there looks to be some bricks with a lintel just above the coal insert. Then a section of plaster board going a bit further up to what I imagine is the original lintel. Might just have to get mu sledgehammer out That's exactly what the set-up at mine was like - a shit lintel part way up some rubbish brickwork, then the original one above that. The stove man came in and sorted it all out with a new lintel and the lining of the chimney all done. |
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mcmonkeyplc
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Post by mcmonkeyplc on Oct 4, 2022 13:49:40 GMT
Don't you guys get cold air coming through the fireplace when it's not on? I've blocked ours up.
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Post by damagedinc on Oct 4, 2022 13:55:49 GMT
I've got an old coal fireplace with a coal insert. Tempted to try and open it all up and have myself a nice open fire. Just a bit worried what's behind. I took the surround off and there looks to be some bricks with a lintel just above the coal insert. Then a section of plaster board going a bit further up to what I imagine is the original lintel. Might just have to get mu sledgehammer out That's exactly what the set-up at mine was like - a shit lintel part way up some rubbish brickwork, then the original one above that. The stove man came in and sorted it all out with a new lintel and the lining of the chimney all done. Have you had a wood burner installed? If you don't mind me asking how much did it set you back? |
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richardiox
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Semi proficient
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Post by richardiox on Oct 4, 2022 13:59:25 GMT
Don't you guys get cold air coming through the fireplace when it's not on? I've blocked ours up. Don't get this with a woodburning stove |
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Post by henroben on Oct 4, 2022 13:59:34 GMT
I've got an old coal fireplace with a coal insert. Tempted to try and open it all up and have myself a nice open fire. Just a bit worried what's behind. I took the surround off and there looks to be some bricks with a lintel just above the coal insert. Then a section of plaster board going a bit further up to what I imagine is the original lintel. Might just have to get mu sledgehammer out The lintel you're seeing will have been fitted to allow the builders opening to be bricked up around the insert, as you want the air to be drawn through the grate in the insert. There will probably be either a cast iron lintel higher up, or a brick arch, which will be the top of the builders opening. Alternatively, someone removed the original fireplace and smashed the lintel, and put in that replacement further down... Either way opening up the builders opening to make an 'open fire' is not necessarily a good idea, as the chimney may not have been built with that in mind and it could well change the draw of it. You might end up with a room full of smoke... or worse, a large hole in your chimney breast with a car jack in it to stop it all from collapsing ;-) I'd suggest you get a sweep in to clean your chimney and ask them about it before you have a go with a sledge hammer, they'll have seen a lot of chimneys in similar houses and probably have a good idea of what you can do with it. |
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Post by henroben on Oct 4, 2022 14:01:55 GMT
Don't you guys get cold air coming through the fireplace when it's not on? I've blocked ours up. Yes, that's what chimneys do - the draw air out of the house, up through the chimney and outside. Often old fireplaces will have a damper plate that you close in the summer to stop the draft. Or you can put a chimney balloon up there, which does the same job. You just need to remember to take them out / open the damper before you have another fire ;-) |
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Post by brokenkey on Oct 4, 2022 14:02:01 GMT
Don't you guys get cold air coming through the fireplace when it's not on? I've blocked ours up. we had a squirrel get stuck down ours once. |
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Post by damagedinc on Oct 4, 2022 14:03:52 GMT
I've got an old coal fireplace with a coal insert. Tempted to try and open it all up and have myself a nice open fire. Just a bit worried what's behind. I took the surround off and there looks to be some bricks with a lintel just above the coal insert. Then a section of plaster board going a bit further up to what I imagine is the original lintel. Might just have to get mu sledgehammer out The lintel you're seeing will have been fitted to allow the builders opening to be bricked up around the insert, as you want the air to be drawn through the grate in the insert. There will probably be either a cast iron lintel higher up, or a brick arch, which will be the top of the builders opening. Alternatively, someone removed the original fireplace and smashed the lintel, and put in that replacement further down... Either way opening up the builders opening to make an 'open fire' is not necessarily a good idea, as the chimney may not have been built with that in mind and it could well change the draw of it. You might end up with a room full of smoke... or worse, a large hole in your chimney breast with a car jack in it to stop it all from collapsing ;-) I'd suggest you get a sweep in to clean your chimney and ask them about it before you have a go with a sledge hammer, they'll have seen a lot of chimneys in similar houses and probably have a good idea of what you can do with it. Sounds like good advice. I was thinking of getting a woodburner/fireplace company out for a quote/survey first. As assume they will say what's possible. |
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nexus6
Junior Member
Posts: 2,526
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Post by nexus6 on Oct 4, 2022 14:21:01 GMT
That's exactly what the set-up at mine was like - a shit lintel part way up some rubbish brickwork, then the original one above that. The stove man came in and sorted it all out with a new lintel and the lining of the chimney all done. Have you had a wood burner installed? If you don't mind me asking how much did it set you back? Yes, we got ours put in about 8 years ago now. Thoroughly recommended! I knocked the old gas fire and the big surrounds out myself. The Gas Man shut the supply off of course. The stove itself was about 2.5K. The stove installers did quite a lot of work - they took away the old lintel as I mentioned and put in a new one to replace the old main one as it had been damaged. They surveyed the chimney etc and then lined it, put the register plate in place, replaced the chimney pots and repaired some little bits up on the roof etc. They were about 1.2K all in if I remember correctly. This seems high but they were back quite a few times as I complicated things by having a custom designed and fabricated hearth installed. It's 10mm mild steel, black, with a custom water jet-cut pattern in it. This was separate but you'll need something of course. I also installed an acoustic wall on the party wall that the flue had to go through so they were back out several times with all that going on just because of the sequence of works. |
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Post by henroben on Oct 4, 2022 14:24:31 GMT
The lintel you're seeing will have been fitted to allow the builders opening to be bricked up around the insert, as you want the air to be drawn through the grate in the insert. There will probably be either a cast iron lintel higher up, or a brick arch, which will be the top of the builders opening. Alternatively, someone removed the original fireplace and smashed the lintel, and put in that replacement further down... Either way opening up the builders opening to make an 'open fire' is not necessarily a good idea, as the chimney may not have been built with that in mind and it could well change the draw of it. You might end up with a room full of smoke... or worse, a large hole in your chimney breast with a car jack in it to stop it all from collapsing ;-) I'd suggest you get a sweep in to clean your chimney and ask them about it before you have a go with a sledge hammer, they'll have seen a lot of chimneys in similar houses and probably have a good idea of what you can do with it. Sounds like good advice. I was thinking of getting a woodburner/fireplace company out for a quote/survey first. As assume they will say what's possible. Good plan, or possibly just a local builder. Personal experience from helping friends / family with fireplaces is that they are one of those things in a house that are either absolutely fine, or a complete mess. I just paid the money and got a stove fitter to sort it all out for me in my house. Quick, no mess and every problem they encountered they'd seen many, many times before and already knew exactly how to fix it and, more importantly, already had all the bits they needed to do it! |
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Post by smoothpete on Oct 4, 2022 14:26:37 GMT
We fired up our Morso Squirrel on sunday for the first time this year. Unnecessary but it was fucking lush. Got a nice delivery of seasoned hardwoord, and also gonna start using smokeless coal as I understand it lasts a fair but longer than wood. Happy days
I think ours cost all in about £2.5K which includes the stove, the necessary work and materials (tiles for hearth, plastering, chimney lining)
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Post by henroben on Oct 4, 2022 14:32:57 GMT
That's exactly what the set-up at mine was like - a shit lintel part way up some rubbish brickwork, then the original one above that. The stove man came in and sorted it all out with a new lintel and the lining of the chimney all done. Have you had a wood burner installed? If you don't mind me asking how much did it set you back? I had mine installed a couple of months back - cost the princely sum of £2k. I'd bought the stove and managed to find a Victorian surround / mantle as well. I removed the old disconnected gas fire and they unblocked the builders opening, put in a new lintel etc. cut the slate hearth to fit, fitted the register plate, put in a steel liner to the chimney and insulated the entire chimney around it, repointed the chimney stack etc and then fitted the stove and surround. Expensive, but it looks great and they were really neat & tidy. I had actually booked them back in March and thankfully they honoured the quote they gave me then - think it'd be more now, the price of the liners etc. has jumped since then apparently, as well as the stove itself. |
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Post by damagedinc on Oct 4, 2022 14:39:59 GMT
Thanks!
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Dug Briderider
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Dug Briderider back in the day 13 years forum service, now exiled
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Post by Dug Briderider on Oct 4, 2022 15:37:21 GMT
The wife Fired up the ol' ESSE plus 1 on Friday to stave off putting heating on, brought out Aldi's middle isle stock of fire wood (30 bags, dry but burns fast) managed to get the oven section hot enough for pizzas. Nice! They have replaced it with the ESSE bakeheart now which looks good.
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Oct 4, 2022 15:50:44 GMT
Ours is an Arrow dual fuel burner.
We had the chimney swept last Thursday so we fired it up on Friday evening, but we probably won't again until the temperature drops properly. The wood store is bulging at the seams though and I have a huge stack of seasoned logs in the garage, too.
My old man had a load of trees cut down a couple of years back and cut and stored indoors, so we'll be working our way through that. There's maybe another three years worth. I also have a load of bags of smokeless coal in the garage for the long burning base.
Also, Major has made friends with a local chap we see on our walks who has an industrial unit stacked to the rafters and says that we can have a load whenever we want. I fixed his laptop last week, so we're in credit 😁
I do need to get a new chimney thermometer, though.
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Post by quadfather on Oct 4, 2022 16:07:53 GMT
I got lucky with mine. It's a large inglenook fireplace, and it had a really small burner in when I arrived. I got one from a mate who was about to send it to a pub, but I managed to intercept it and buy it off him instead. 250 quid, and he fitted it for me and it works a treat. Are we doing pictures?   That silver trunk is super handy for storing wood, kindling, paper, left over coal etc. Just gotta sort something larger out, probably outside |
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Oct 4, 2022 16:37:48 GMT
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Post by quadfather on Oct 4, 2022 17:04:42 GMT
My main bass is just out of shot too. I practice a fair bit in there
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Post by Mr Wonderstuff on Oct 4, 2022 17:08:59 GMT
Wood then. Kiln-dried logs are the business. So dry they go up quickly and last a while. Home Bargains sell them in bags which is much better than having half a tone of logs dumped on your doorstep.
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Post by quadfather on Oct 4, 2022 17:11:19 GMT
I just want to get stocked up. Well, what I actually need to do is get off my lazy arse, get a storage solution done and get on with it really  |
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dogbot
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Post by dogbot on Oct 4, 2022 17:17:01 GMT
You can also pick your logs carefully. If you get great big ones, they might well not burn properly if they're really thick (unless your fire is REALLY hot) and will quite possibly smother your fire or even choke it completely.
My mate got a load delivered and we've
had to hack them into smaller pieces (with axes, yay) as a lot of them were too big for his burner. Or mine.
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nexus6
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Post by nexus6 on Oct 4, 2022 18:24:28 GMT
I just want to get stocked up. Well, what I actually need to do is get off my lazy arse, get a storage solution done and get on with it really I always feel quite rich when I’ve got a delivery all stacked away. Like Scrooge McDuck on his money pile. |
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Post by quadfather on Oct 4, 2022 18:26:09 GMT
You can also pick your logs carefully. If you get great big ones, they might well not burn properly if they're really thick (unless your fire is REALLY hot) and will quite possibly smother your fire or even choke it completely. My mate got a load delivered and we've had to hack them into smaller pieces (with axes, yay) as a lot of them were too big for his burner. Or mine. Yeah I find this is pretty important. The amount of fires I've killed by putting the wrong sized stuff on. You get a feel for it eventually |
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Post by 😎 on Oct 4, 2022 18:27:06 GMT
You should post photos of the rest of your house, I really want to see how eclectic it goes.
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Post by quadfather on Oct 4, 2022 18:53:41 GMT
Haha, this is what happens when you haven't got anyone nagging you about the house decor. You just do what you fucking want Admittedly it took a while to get used to the various types of artex everywhere, but I'm very comfy there. Music room is probably the worst. Pes used to call it my Al queda dungeon. Bit harsh |
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H-alphaFox
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Post by H-alphaFox on Oct 4, 2022 19:45:31 GMT
You can also pick your logs carefully. If you get great big ones, they might well not burn properly if they're really thick (unless your fire is REALLY hot) and will quite possibly smother your fire or even choke it completely. My mate got a load delivered and we've had to hack them into smaller pieces (with axes, yay) as a lot of them were too big for his burner. Or mine. We always have a few logs that wont fit in the burner each delivery so I use them in a fire bin while sitting outside in the evenings, I'm no Paul Bunyan and at that size they are too big to axe up. I just get the burner started and load the fucker up, no messing about until bed time then load it up and close the vents a bit and revisit it in the morning. Admittedly we go through shitloads of wood. |
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technoish
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Post by technoish on Oct 4, 2022 20:19:07 GMT
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Post by quadfather on Oct 4, 2022 20:24:15 GMT
Very neat finish. Very stylish.
/glances at his crazy setup
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