Chimney/Fireplace advice please

[Dougie212]

Hi there..

I have recently brought our old open fireplace back to life. I have swept the chimney, checked the draw up with a smoke pellet and it zapped up no issues. I contacted the local council who weren't overly interested. They asked if I had a chimney pot and if I had tested it with a smoke pellet and were happy....

My only little concern is the fireplace is very wide, its an old fashioned brick opening. The chimney opening itself in the centre is good, and the smoke goes straight up, however in years gone by it would appear either side of the chimney opening are 2 voids that have been filled up with brick and mortar. Although Im confident the smoke isn't going into these voids, it defiantly is going straight up the chimney, is there a way of maybe sealing these voids off properly with some sort of material which would also guide any stray smoke up into the chimney. My idea is something flat which slopes slightly towards the chimney opening.

Hope this makes sense. I can take pictures once the fire dies back.

Your help is very much appreciated.

Many Thanks

Dougie

 

[Burnerman]

Would vermiculite panels be any use to you, Dougie?
John

 

[Dougie212]

They would be perfect.... If I attach them at angles pointing into the chimney that would be perfect.. Any suggestions where to get them from and how best to fix them in place please?

 

[Burnerman]

I got some panels from a firm called Vitcas, Dougie but all I did was Google some suppliers and they had a canny website.
I fixed them in with fireclay cement / putty and ordinary wall plugs - the theory being that the plugs could well melt away but the screws would still hold - they did!
The only moan I had was the heat resistant silicone stank like hell and didn't last too long when I sealed stove to flue pipe - I reverted back to black fireclay cement for this.
To my amazement, this stuff can be used for the linings of a wood burning stove. If it can stand that sort of temperature, it'll do!
John