Bricking up fireplace prior to gas fire installation

[expertgasman]

For what reason would it be unsuitable?

Those teracotta vents don't provide sufficient effective free area of ventilation. Its no big deal, it's easily replaceable.

Incidentilly, if you are expecting the totl cost to be £300, how does this break down?

 

[lasors]

It was a bit of a guess to be honest. It's probably going to be more expensive. The fire was £200.

 

[ChrisR]

So they're a bit of an accident waiting to happen.

Stats. Gas fires have been around since forever, but not flueless ones. Catalysts have a life, and so do carbon monoxide detectors. I really think it's too early to make any long-term assessment of them. For now, I think they're too much of a risk.

I've been to several which would only just stay alight, they were so fussy about sensing the air in the room. So they kept going out...

Probably because the pilot injector was dirty. Why is it a bad thing for it to go out when needing a service? If that had been the case I would have said so. Why make such a silly suggestion? I'm not prejudging them, just speaking as I find.
No they didn't have anything much wrong, and needed revisits to get them to keep going. The designs were "marginally" working. New parts made little difference. In two cases the owners have given up on them.
They just weren't designed very well. Perhaps the manufacturers are so paranoid that they overdo the safety . Whatever, the designs of the things seem to be immature. Maybe after some more revisions they'll get better.

I wouldn't have, or recommend one, or fit one.

So why did you attend several fires, presumably to repair?Because they'd given constant trouble and the manufacturers' repairers weren't much good.
"I wouldn't have...etc,one" is present tense.

Almost NOBODY gets gas fires serviced regularly. After a first flush of enthusiasm it gets forgotten. Maybe about the time the catalyst and CO detector give up.
Remember there's nothing on the fire that tells you or the fire that the catalyst has packed up or that it's producing carbon monoxide. With a normal fire you might notice the flame's a funny colour, or lack of heat being produced, but leave it working for a bit. During that time the nasties still have a chance of going up the flue.
With a flueless fire you wouldn't get the chance, you'd die first.

Just to stop anyone saying "but they have an atmosphere sensing device" - yes they do, but it doesn't detect CO, it detects oxygen. With oxygen and CO you still die - which is what happened in Wales.

The fact that the guy wasn't registered for fires is a red herring. What he did wrong was not check the gas rate, something that any appliance would need.
He also didn't obey the instructions - which most registered installers fail to do now and again.
In assessing gas installers (ACS), I've found that the standard of attention to detail amongst installers can be negligible.

 

[kevplumb]

Just to stop anyone saying "but they have an atmosphere sensing device" - yes they do

all well and good chris if you happen to be laying on the floor

unfortunately most people are sat upright

by the time it trips your dead

to me the kicker as you rightly say is "if it's serviced regularly"

simple fact is again as you say they are not

 

[expertgasman]

Gas fires have been around since forever, but not flueless ones.

Flueless have been around for over 30 years

Catalysts have a life,

Can you explin how they "have a life". Do you understand the science?


I really think it's too early to make any long-term assessment of them. For now, I think they're too much of a risk.

how many more decades do you want. Standard fires have proved already that wrongly fitted or badly maintained, they are lethal.

Probably because the pilot injector was dirty. Why is it a bad thing for it to go out when needing a service? If that had been the case I would have said so. Why make such a silly suggestion? I'm not prejudging them, just speaking as I find.

Why is it a silly suggestion. Every breakdown to which I have attended is fluff or dust in the primary air orifice on the ODS. I work on Burley fires, and can't speak for Focal Point, but we don't deal with them (FP) because as a company they are dreadful.


No they didn't have anything much wrong, and needed revisits to get them to keep going. The designs were "marginally" working. New parts made little difference.
What on earth does that mean?

I wouldn't have, or recommend one, or fit one.

So why did you attend several fires, presumably to repair?Because they'd given constant trouble and the manufacturers' repairers weren't much good.
"I wouldn't have...etc,one" is present tense.

??

Almost NOBODY gets gas fires serviced regularly. After a first flush of enthusiasm it gets forgotten. Maybe about the time the catalyst and CO detector give up.

We do a LOT of servicing, and in any case, it is up to the installers to explain the neccessity of servicing. In fact it is a requiremnt as it is always in the MI's.

Remember there's nothing on the fire that tells you or the fire that the catalyst has packed up

Have you known a cat to "pack up"? The fire are tested and approved without the cat,and the Welsh incident was due to to the fire being installed wrongly. This could happen with a "normal" fire

The fact that the guy wasn't registered for fires is a red herring. What he did wrong was not check the gas rate, something that any appliance would need.He also didn't obey the instructions -

Which is largely my point