Bricking up chimney breast

[jayc89]

I have a solid brick wall house with an open chimney in one of the downstairs rooms. Its not used but is uncapped. I want to do something with it to help reduce drafts but am worried about damp if I just brick it up.

 

What’s the best approach to take?

 

thanks

[tonyshouse]

Is it on an outside wall ? 

[jayc89]

Just now, tonyshouse said:

Is it on an outside wall ? 

It is, the north facing wall so arguably the worst from a damp perspective.

[Roger440]

2 hours ago, jayc89 said:

I have a solid brick wall house with an open chimney in one of the downstairs rooms. Its not used but is uncapped. I want to do something with it to help reduce drafts but am worried about damp if I just brick it up.

 

What’s the best approach to take?

 

thanks

 

Surely its capped with a vent? Rather than open to the elements?

 

If its still open, cap it with a vent.

 

Then buy one off these: https://www.chimneysheep.co.uk/

 

In the summer if you fancy a bit of cooling, pull it out.

 

[tonyshouse]

If it was mine I would take a birch out of the flue 500mm upon the loft, brick up bottom , pour eps beads in f Tom the loft up to the level of the appeture , cap and vent the top and hope it will be ok. I like lime pointing,makes all the difference 

 

 

or I get an old pillow and put inside two black sacks and shove it up a bit 

[jayc89]

9 hours ago, Roger440 said:

 

Surely its capped with a vent? Rather than open to the elements?

 

If its still open, cap it with a vent.

 

Then buy one off these: https://www.chimneysheep.co.uk/

 

In the summer if you fancy a bit of cooling, pull it out.

 

Its fitted with a cowl. We decided that made sense as soon as we found hailstone on the carpet last year

 

57 minutes ago, tonyshouse said:

If it was mine I would take a birch out of the flue 500mm upon the loft, brick up bottom , pour eps beads in f Tom the loft up to the level of the appeture , cap and vent the top and hope it will be ok. I like lime pointing,makes all the difference 

 

 

or I get an old pillow and put inside two black sacks and shove it up a bit 

 

So there’s no problems from filling the opening and bricking up as long as the top is still open?

[tonyshouse]

Technically and this is a throwback to the 1960’s it should be vented with an air brick, I am finding that it is ok to fill with insulation to above loft insulation level and vent from there up 

 

works near 100%  with internal wall chimneys, external wall ones are more risky but I haven’t seen any problems and less likely to have them than with chimney balloons of which there are lots with no reported problems 

[Dave Jones]

vent the top and there will/should be an air brick in it as well near the bottom.

 

You can physically cap it to weather tight it ass long as you add a couple air bricks to the stack at the top.

Edited February 9, 2022 by Dave Jones