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Blocking up chimney. Vent or no vent?

  • 12-01-2014 8:26pm
    #1
    SachaJ
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,746 ✭✭✭


    I'm renovating a new (to us, built in 1950) house and have knocked a wall between two rooms. This large room will be a kitchen-diner. Both rooms have a chimney: diner had an open fire and the kitchen had what looked like a very old freestanding stove which was piped into the hot tank next to it. The stove has been removed and today I took out the flue pipe (maybe 6" steel) which went from the stove into the chimney. Around this pipe was blocked up. In the other fireplace we'll be putting an inset stock, possibly a 7kw.

    So I took out the pipe and discovered that inside the chimney was packed with wool like cavity insulation, the same stuff that was pumped into the walls. So either there's a breach from the cavity into the chimney or they pumped it when the walls were being done. So in effect the chimney had been blocked for years I suspect.

    Where this stove is we need to put a radiator. So I have a couple of options:

    1) Get the chimney swept and cleared. Block up the fireplace (hole where pipe was) but leave a vent and put a cap on the chimney pot.

    2) As it's blocked anyway, just block up the hole where the pipe was (do not clean it out) and put a cap on the chimney pot (or perhaps even fill it in).

    For the other two fireplaces I blocked up in the house, I did 1) above and put vents in. The issue I have here is if there is a vent behind a radiator, surely the heat rising will constantly suck in cold air.

    I suppose an option 3) might be to have the chimney swept but still block up the fireplace (no vent) and cap the chimney pot.

    Advice appreciated......


Comments

  • #2
    BryanF
    Moderators, Home & Garden Moderators Posts: 10,146 Mod ✭✭✭✭BryanF


    can rain fall down the chinmey?

    what background ventilation is provide for the rooms? ie is there a whole in the wall or trickle vents in the windows etc?


  • #3
    SachaJ
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,746 ✭✭✭SachaJ


    BryanF wrote: »
    can rain fall down the chinmey?

    what background ventilation is provide for the rooms? ie is there a whole in the wall or trickle vents in the windows etc?

    Yes rain can fall down that chimney currently which might suggest that anything in there could be damp and maybe rotten.

    Ventilation in rooms upstairs consists of:
    Rooms with fireplaces now have a vent where the fireplace used to be
    Rooms without fireplaces have vents on the walls.

    Downstairs there are two rooms (kitchen/diner & sitting room) and a hall with no ventilation (in either room or hall). I understand if we get two 7kw stoves (one in each of the sitting room and kitchen/diner) we will need vents in those rooms.

    I think I might get the chimney swept and block up the main fireplace where we will be putting a radiator. I'll then drill out a hole to one side of the fireplace and locate a vent there so there is no cold air being sucked in from behind the radiator.


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