Chimney breast lintel removal

[Geoff43]

I’m putting in a log burner, I’ve taken out hearth and concrete fire back , if I take lower lintel out fo I need to put another in , the chimney breast is cast concrete, it’s a 1950’s house

 

[Mr Chibs]

D. Mata Hari.


It looks like there could be another lintel above the one you propose to remove.
Remove some plaster at the end of this lintel to see.

Are you bothering installing a flue liner?

 

[Geoff43]

The bit above it is the throat of chimney the pots are on this , the lower lintel need to be removed gor the flue of the log burner , the lower lintel hadn’t any bearing now and the chimney breast is cast concrete would I have to put another lintel in if I remove lower one , it’s all seems to be cast together tight

 

[martygturner]

as you are going to redec the fireplace I would expose the brick work above and work out what is resting on what on what.

Taking a line of bricks out and shoving a precast lintel in is really easy, the side walls support most of the weight as its all toothed in, all you will need to do is support a 45 degree triangle of bricks above the line of bricks to be removed and you can do that by just drilling holes in a bit 4x2 at 100mm centers and fixing it to the line of bricks above your new lintel space. Ie 4x2 is screwed into the side wall bricks and then in to every other brick across the face , you are only holding up what 10/12 bricks not the entire chimney.

Then you can chop away to your heart's content.