Shared Class One chimney/flue (?) & hole in the wall gas fire installation

[spantik]

Great help. Thanks a lot.

Not that I'm in any way qualified to comment - BUT I think you might be right as this is where the aperture will have been altered. Thanks for help with the quals. too. The guy that's surveying on Thursday has both those quals.

I'll let you know!

 

[bennygas]

Hope it all goes well.

 

[Nostrum]

You say you smelt a smokey smell, rather than clouds of smoke? I wonder if it could have been downdraught, especially if you weren't using the fire at the time. Doesn't take much to get a sniff of it?

Could you take a photo of the arrangement? seems unusual that a late 70's house would even have a brick built chimney.. at least down here they were mostly pre-cast at that age if they had one at all!

 

[AWheating]

could have been reverse flueing when you smelt smoke( something like an extractor fan pulling air down your flue for example) could have been due to faulty builders opening. I have removed fires in the past to see the back of next doors gas fire. I even found an entire street like it, so these things did get done years ago. All i can suggest is get a qualified engineers in to check it out. Once you get your back boiler and liner removed you should be able to perform proper tests on the flue system.

A proper certified chimney sweep is your best bet for proper testing of a brick chimney, but may not be gas qualified and able to remove your boiler.

 

[spantik]

I think I'll have to get up on the roof again to remind myself what pops up up there! I know I've had the brickwork repointed up there so there's definitely some kind of chimney. Remember its a completely flat roof and you can't see the flue from the ground unless you walk 200m up the road and then it's a very poor incomplete view. I don't mind getting on the roof (if I can manage to get help to put the ladder up (I AM a 62 yr old female) but don't like getting off again but certainly not impossible!!!

Your comments are interesting AWheating but this is a recent problem for me - I think, as a result of bodged DIY work next door. My neighbours have no fire now - just a small aperture where the fire used to be and a hole upwards which must be their flue?! There's also no chimney breast next door (did I say that before?) but maybe there used to be? We think there's evidence of something having been there by marks on their ceiling.

Re the smoke I smelt. It was a smell ONLY, no smoke, when they were burning this alcohol-type heater (whatever that is).

 

[bennygas]

When the engineer who attends needs to see the termination of the flue, he'll access it - he'll most likely have what he needs, together with the confidence and experience to gain access in a safe fashion. To be honest, unless you've got smoke pellets in the flue at the time and knowledge of flue terminations, the information you'll be able to glean from climbing up there is likely to be limited/inconclusive, so please don't put yourself at risk unnecessarily.

 

[Nostrum]

Bi-ethanol fires are flueless as far as I am aware (never dealt with them at all) Which tally's up with the no chimney breast as well, and also the possibility that the builders have knocked it about causing problems.

Would be interested to hear what the result was when you find out, keep us posted!

 

[spantik]

ALL very helpful. Thanks a lot. I'll let you know! Let's hope I'm making a song and dance over nothing!