Removing a fireplace

pacman114

Hi,

Looking at the possibility of removing a fireplace in order to regain the wall occupied by the fireplace. It is an open fire with a hearth and a cowl on the top of the flue/chimney.

How difficult would it be?! Also, i'm reading mixed reports online about the need for a vent placed at the room side? Is this nessesary? I assume it's for ventilation, but assuming i leave the chimney open at the top there should be enough?

Any advice welcome,

Thanks

10-10-20

As long as it's not structural then it's a straight-forward job.

The vent at room level is to allow the chimney to breathe, otherwise the damp will collect in the lower part of the chimney and end up staining or coming through the wall. Your other option is to cap the chimney completely with a concrete plug and make it convex so that it sheds water, but the chimney breast and stone capping needs to be intact if that's done.

Hobby farmer

So long as rain can't get down the chimney that will be plenty of ventilation

monseiur

Removing the fireplace is a DIY job. Fit a cowl on top to allow for ventilation and to keep the rain out. Fit a Hit & Miss type vent at room side - you can open & close it as required to stop draught - cost less than a €5.00

pacman114

Thanks for all the replies.

Currently there is something like this on the chimney. I’d like to avoid putting in a vent in the room where the fireplace was as it will look odd having a vent down low! Will there not be enough ventilation generated by the opening at the top?

https://www.woodies.ie/screened-chimney-cowl-1087753

geotrig

Was thinking the same,on the room vent, I wonder if putting a vent in the attic would suffice for ventilation of the chimney shaft or does it need to be down lower ? Or if it needs to be lower maybe a skirting board vent or the likes ?

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123057629#Comment_123057629

If you're going to have water intrusion into the chimney then it needs to be low enough to dry out the chimney.

If you cap it off you can still get condensation within, so you still need some type of vent. Best cap it off properly and put a vent in the attic.

https://chimneychoice.ie/blog/how-to-block-a-chimney/

Calahonda52

we need to be clear on where the vent is.

If the chimney is fully sealed at room level, the a room level wall vent is nfg.

Like wise concrete plug and attic level vent will not allow any ventilation at the bottom

The other point is that an attic level vent into the flue will make sh$t of the flue liner and mean it could never be reused without serious work

10-10-20

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123057734#Comment_123057734

nfg? No freakin' good?

Other option would be to backfill it to the top with vermiculite and then cap it off with concrete. I think that it would not need a vent then as it's no longer a void.

monseiur

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123055919#Comment_123055919

If you seal off the ope at floor level without vent and leave the top open they'll be no ventilation, you need an ope at each end to create a constant movement of fresh air. Without some form of ventilation condensation may form on the inside of the chimney flues causing the build up of soot to gradually melt and run down to floor level - this will seep through the wall and appear as a dark brown stain that is almost impossible to get rid of. I assure you that this stain, which will gradually get bigger and bigger, will look a lot more unsightly than a plastic vent which can be painted to match the wall.