Carbon Monoxide risk?

[buckmoy]

Hi all - wonder if you can shed some light.

100yr old terraced house.

I just knocked down a stud wall to expand a 1st floor bathroom into where a water tank used to sit (I've gone combi).

I have exposed an area of pipework that runs from the kitchen at the front of the house, along the inside wall to the back of house.

It is now apparent that part of its route is actually through the chimney from downstairs.

The fireplace downstairs is not in use but presumably this is a bit dangerous anyway? In case someone in the future decides to recommission - whoever is living in my place will get smoked / gassed won't they..

So - what should I do? Try and chase whoever did this? Sort it out myself (re-route waste, seal chimney - how?)? Ignore it? Is it possible that the chimney downstairs has been put into a state where it can never be re-commissioned?

Is it illegal? Is it actually dangerous or am I flappin about nothing.

Many thanks (plan below)

BM

MODS: Is this in the wrong forum? Not getting many views and no responses..

 

[buckmoy]

Anyone out there? Have you all been gassed by faulty chimneys...

 

[Nige F]

No, I`ve been pondering why you don`t know whats with the downstairs chimney...are you in a FLAT but too embarrased We had another poster who called his flat a house Go down and meet your neighbours

 

[TexMex]

Ah.. If it's a flat, my bet is that it's not a chimney at all. More likely a duct that houses the soil pipe. Waste from kitchen will run into it, and so will the waste from the bathroom, thus giving the appearance that there is a single run that runs right through it.

Actually, now I come to think of it, even if it is a house, my theory would hold.

 

[Nige F]

If it was a house you would Know what`s downstairs ..Well at least it`s not a garden flat...ie basement Might be a studio flat though.. Nah ,it`s probably a penthouse.

 

[buckmoy]

Didn't explain myself did I..

Actually - its a maisonette..

I own 1st and 2nd floors.

Its not a duct housing the soil pipe - that flows through to the back of the house - but nice theory. Its a chimney.

Owner of downstairs currently awol.

SO..

1) Is it dangerous
2) Is it possible that a fireplace can be permanently decommissioned.
3) Can I get whatever cowboy did this (if answer to 1 is "yes") to sort it out?

Thanks for the comments so far..

 

[Nige F]

1- a latent danger, if say a gas fire was installed. open coal fire would probably melt the plastic pipe. 2 if you sealed the flue by say making access hole, under level of pipe, wedge a platform across flue,and add say 50 mm concrete, reseal hole 3 more chance of winning the lottery I suppose ,if there is no fire opening down below. you could do a sneaky 2 and if it was ever tumbled it could appear to be done by the pipefitting builder

 

[buckmoy]

Thanks Nige -

So if i re-route waste round, is it a tricky job to seal the holes left by the soil pipes?

 

[big-all]

as just a mere pleb on these sort of things

if its not a shared chimney shurley your pipes are"trespassing" on there property just a thought!!!!

 

[Nige F]

Not tricky.....bit of brick,sand+cement, leave to set and a dab of one coat plaster

 

[buckmoy]

Thanks Nige - think I'm going to re-route the pipes and seal the chimney.