Big Square Outside in Chimney Breast

anotheruser

We have a real fireplace which we use regularly in the winter.
Outside there is a large square and what looks like a drawer.


What is it and do I need to do anything with it?

keith969

Too little information. Outside as in outside the house? Or internal, but outside of the fireplace? If you pull the drawer out, what do you see? Pics might help.

It could be a lot of things, who knows from the description...

Wizard_of_Id

anotheruser wrote: »

We have a real fireplace which we use regularly in the winter.
Outside there is a large square and what looks like a drawer.


What is it and do I need to do anything with it?

It is just an access panel, no need to do anything with it. We had one in our gable end many years ago and dad took it off to get access to remove a birds nest when we first moved in so that we could use the fireplace.

anotheruser

It's outside the house.

Goes into the back of the chimney.

DaftyDuck

Older, large properties commonly have external soot hatches. Although generally not quite large enough to shove a small boy through, they allow the chimney to be swept with minimal disturbance to the hiceholder....

One problem they can cause is they are commonly made of or surrounded by iron, which rusts, then expands, and destabilizes the brickwork.

If yours has iron in it, you could keep it well painted, or have it removed. Can't tell from picture.

It is, of course, commonly used in a few weeks' time by the emergency services, to remove fat blokes wot get stuck in chimneys! Well, that's what you tell the kids.

Davesnave

DaftyDuck wrote: »

they allow the chimney to be swept with minimal disturbance to the hiceholder....

Hiceholder? :huh:

I only know one bloke who speaks like that... and he's married to the Queen.

You might need a new username guv!


(or alternatively, I'd settle for a knighthood.:) :D)