Back boiler fireplace damper

ARainyDay

Hi all
Recently moved into a house with a working fireplace (never had one before!). I know the fireplace used to have a back boiler (which is no longer working since gas was installed in the property), as the agent told us. I'm wondering about the damper,,, I can't find a latch style open/close damper, all there seems to be is a flat iron 'shelf' with a lip with a hole in it, which sits at the top of the fireplace. It can only move forwards and backwards by a few centimetres. When it's pushed back I can look up and see the circular opening of the chimney. When I pull this forward it partially obscures the view, but in no way does it close it off/ seal it (there's still the same amount of draught).  Am I right in assuming not all old open fireplaces have dampers, and what I've described is a damper of sorts for the back boiler, and it would have been used to focus the heat towards the boiler or just up the chimney? 

Apodemus

Your assumption sounds about right to me.  When we had a back boiler the movement on the damper was really quite small, just to increase the air-flow through the back.

If you've just moved in, it will probably be worth getting the chimney swept, at which point you can quiz the sweep on its functioning. 

stuart45

It's recommended to remove a back boiler if an open fire is ever used again, as a few have exploded.

FreeBear

stuart45 said:

It's recommended to remove a back boiler if an open fire is ever used again, as a few have exploded.

And if it isn't possible to remove the back boiler, drill a couple of holes in to it to allow any pressure to be released.

bris

When you install gas appliances the damper needs to be removed or kept in the open position. Its been removed to comply with the regs.

The fireplace allows fresh air in so the gas appliances can operate properly, a closed damper can starve the room and kill you.

This depends of course what type of appliance are now running in your home.

ARainyDay

Thanks all for your comments. We got the chimney swept last week, but this was before I even knew such thing as a damper existed, so I missed my opportunity to ask him (complete fireplace novice here!) I should have mentioned, the agent confirmed that the back boiler was removed when the gas was installed in the property, but thank you all for your warnings! The fireplace is now just an open fireplace (it wasn't replaced with a gas one). Is it usual to have this sort of damper, which now effectively lets air into the room 24/7 regardless of which position it is in? I've taped thick carboard across the entrance to the fireplace to try to stop heat from radiators escaping- is this effective or just a waste of my time?

FreeBear

Have a look for a "chimney sheep". If you don't like the cost of them, wrap an old pillow in a plastic bin bag and shove it up the chimney. Attach a bit of rope to the bag and let it dangle down in to the fireplace as a warning so that you don't go lighting a fire without removing the pillow first.