amavadia Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 Hi all I have a fireplace where I have taken out an old coal stove with back boiler, put a new slate hearth in, rebuilt one side and put a lintel in. Originally was going to put a Firefox gas stove in (which I had bought) but after getting quotes for someone to line the chimney and connect up the gas appliance i've decided to just put an electric one in ☹️. I was hoping to line it myself before finding out you have to get it done by the installer. So now I will just get an electric one but still want to make use of area i have prepared. Problem is there is still some rain and muck coming down. It is currently completely open at the top of the chimney (no pot either) so I can fit a cowl to the top to stop rain getting in, but not too sure what to do at the bottom. I will board the inside top face but read there should be an air vent to allow air to keep going through. If I put a vent, if any muck does come down it will just fall onto the electric fire / hearth. What do people normally do in this situation? I can only find advice for people who brick up the whole fireplace cavity and put a vent brick on the vertical wall whereas I need a solution for the horizontal top face. Thanks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thedreamer Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 @amavadia I don't know about the chimney issue, but have you considered a bio-ethanol stove? You get electric stove bit for heating, but also a real flame with out the need for a chimney or flue? https://www.stovesareus.co.uk/fires-fireplaces/bio-ethanol-fires/bio-ethanl-fireplaces.html Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willbish Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 If you have access to the chimney stack or are planning roof work soon (scaffolding) then I would seal the bottom with a steel register plate and fill the void with Leeca. Which is a lightweight blown aggregate insulation. Cap off the top and no need to ventilate as it is fully filled. Alternatively, if you can't get to the roof, then a chimney balloon can temporarily seal the bottom and stop your warm air escaping up the chimney. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amavadia Posted December 5, 2019 Author Share Posted December 5, 2019 3 hours ago, Thedreamer said: @amavadia I don't know about the chimney issue, but have you considered a bio-ethanol stove? You get electric stove bit for heating, but also a real flame with out the need for a chimney or flue? https://www.stovesareus.co.uk/fires-fireplaces/bio-ethanol-fires/bio-ethanl-fireplaces.html To be honest i'm not too bothered about the flame, the Firefox 5 just looks so nice even when off whereas the electric ones like cheap and plasticy. It makes sense really because I may rent the place out later so one less safety concern. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amavadia Posted December 5, 2019 Author Share Posted December 5, 2019 2 hours ago, willbish said: If you have access to the chimney stack or are planning roof work soon (scaffolding) then I would seal the bottom with a steel register plate and fill the void with Leeca. Which is a lightweight blown aggregate insulation. Cap off the top and no need to ventilate as it is fully filled. Alternatively, if you can't get to the roof, then a chimney balloon can temporarily seal the bottom and stop your warm air escaping up the chimney. Hi @willbish, I will be doing some roofing mainly for this reason once i've decided to what to do. When you say cap it at the top, do you mean completely seal it or put a cowl which lets air in? If It is sealed from the top and bottom and filled does that mean you dont need to vent it on either end? Can you just cap the top and put a registry plate on the bottom without any vents and leave it empty inside? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willbish Posted December 5, 2019 Share Posted December 5, 2019 Completely seal at the top if you are going to fill it. No need to vent unless there is a void, where moisture could be present. This is a picture of mine that I filled earlier in the year. Bear in mind its very difficult to estimate volume when ordering Leeca! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amavadia Posted December 6, 2019 Author Share Posted December 6, 2019 13 hours ago, willbish said: Completely seal at the top if you are going to fill it. No need to vent unless there is a void, where moisture could be present. This is a picture of mine that I filled earlier in the year. Bear in mind its very difficult to estimate volume when ordering Leeca! Thanks for that. Had a look at this stuff but its not particularly cheap to buy bags of this stuff either. Ill have to keep searching for an air vent solution I think Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willbish Posted December 6, 2019 Share Posted December 6, 2019 @amavadia I paid just over £5.00 for 40 litre bag from Woodhort Shapren. Delivery included and returned unused bags back to them. I ordered 50 bags and only used about 35. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hobbiniho Posted December 10, 2019 Share Posted December 10, 2019 I usually use vermiculite to fill in chimneys, just block up the bottom fill with vermiculite and cap with 2inch of plaster in the top of the chimney pot. The bonus of doing this is that it is easy to put the chimney back into use if you so wish Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amavadia Posted December 11, 2019 Author Share Posted December 11, 2019 On 06/12/2019 at 13:42, willbish said: @amavadia I paid just over £5.00 for 40 litre bag from Woodhort Shapren. Delivery included and returned unused bags back to them. I ordered 50 bags and only used about 35. @willbish What is Woodhort Shapren? Dont seem to be able to see it online. The prices I have seen are about 10-15 per bag. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
willbish Posted December 12, 2019 Share Posted December 12, 2019 19 hours ago, amavadia said: @willbish What is Woodhort Shapren? Dont seem to be able to see it online. The prices I have seen are about 10-15 per bag. Sorry spelling error on my behalf. https://www.woodlandhp.co.uk/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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