chimney has NO draw

we noticed recently that the bedroom fire has no draw on the chimney at all.... not even enough to draw the smoke from a match up..

had a look at the pots from the garden and they appear to have a round thing with holes in all the way round sat on top? would this be enough to totally stop the draw????

rottie007 said:

no draw on the chimney at all - appear to have a round thing with holes in all the way round sat on top? would this be enough to totally stop the draw????

Click to expand...

Sure would!

Known as an elephants foot or pepper pot. These are commonly used for capping redundant chimney pots.

Bare in mind also that a warm flue will draw better than a cold one, so don't expect too much from a lighted match. A well insulated, smooth, uninterrupted flue will be the most efficient.

View media item 9740you will need to get the terminal cap removed, and should have the vent smoke tested if it has been redundant for any length of time.

thats the thing allistaire..

yeah the flu has been out of use for at least 15 years judging by the newspapers we found when we put the fireplaces back in..

nightmare job, wish I had never done it, fitted fireplaces for years and NEVER had the grief I did with these, luckily it was in my own house..

presumably the original fireplaces were preformed and included the lintel, so of course when the council whipped them out they had simply blocked up the holes result being I had solid brickwork up to the original lintel height then above this was all loose where it had been left whilst they built the wall below, so ended up building in arches over metal strap in both the upstairs fires, luckily at least the hearths were undamaged, was a good moment when the last of the vermiculite backfill and the fireshelfs were finally skimmed over knowing I didn't need to mix any more slop up....

guess I need to find a way onto the roof now then...

they may never be used but would be nice to know in these expensive times I had a means of getting heat from scrap wood if nothing else..(tons of this at work)

and hopefully if anyone ever wants to buy the house the efforts we have made to refit original fittings will be appreciated.. (if not ill pul them out and take them with me lol)

good luck! careful on the roof rottie