Airbrick in chimney/Fireplace - WHY??

vansboy

Hi all!

OK, got the old fireplace completly out now & trying to tidy up the rough brickwork that's left.

What I discovered is an airbrick, size of standard housebrick (not a ventilation panel or similar) at floor level, within the rear of the chimney breast. It had been covered up by the stone fireplace the previous owners had fitted.

So should I leave it & allow air to flow to it, or cover it? It will be below the level of the tiles/cement fireplace base I'll make.

The one thing we did notice, was a lot of smoke, when we tried out the fire, but that's been covered on previous Moneysavers posts.

& in case you're not familiar with our house, the living area is upstairs & there isn't a fireplace below either.

Some pics of the house - not the airbrick - & what we've removed

www.theupsidedownhouse.9f.com

Thanks in advance!

VB

ariba10

If the chimney is not capped an air vent is left at the base to allow a flow of air to dry out the flue and to stop damp.

Doozergirl

If the fireplace is open, you don't really need it. Air flows happily through the chimney.

Otherwise, what ariba10 said. Damp loves blocked off chimney breasts.

vansboy

Thats sort of what I was thinking - they built the houses WITHOUT an open fireplace, but WITH the chimneys, if you wanted to make one.

That's what the previous people had done.

& it's all in the garden now!!

VB

tartan_guru

Hi VB,

I put this on your blog, (great website BTW) but thought I'd post it here as well as it may be useful to others.

I read that you were looking for a contemporary stove, and that you've discovered that contemporary= expensive!

Have you looked at the Charnwood Cove range of stoves? These are quite simple in design as they don't have any of the twee bits that are on most other stoves.

We spent months searching for something suitable and we settled a Cove 1 and are very happy with it

stoveman

any stove or fire over 5kw requires an air brick by building regualtions, so i assume thats the reason you found an airbrick.

If you want to keep any type of stove there thats over 5kw then i reccomend you keep the fire brick there

vansboy

We're only having an open fire now, can't find a wood burner that looks right, for our £$£$ at moment!

Thanks again

VB