Cold draft from fireplace - options to fix?

[wizbongre]

Hi All,

Just moved into a new place and as usual, doing the rounds of each room trying to tick off basic stuff to sort out the easy things first...

In one of the living rooms, there is a relatively new gas fire that had it's flue cleaned out prior to fitting a few years ago.

Unfortunately, there is a really strong and cold breeze coming back down and into the room - in the cold and gales we've had the last couple of days its been really, really cold in there! You can feel the breeze if you put your hand above the burner part, where the opening up into the flue is.

So, I've done a quick bit of googling to find options to sort this but not 100% sure of the best course of action - I'm guessing some sort of capping or similar on the top of the chimney stack could help?

Anyone got any suggestions?

 

[foxhole]

The stack should already have a cap to prevent rain entering.

 

[wizbongre]

The stack should already have a cap to prevent rain entering.

Fair point - I don't think we have caps on any of stacks (there are three on the house) so need to look into that.

Would it help with the draft I have described too?

 

[Nige F]

Get that fire out certainly don`t use it - back draught on a gas fire . Check with the Registered Gas Installers on the plumbing forum if you like - you`ll need one to decomission it

 

[wizbongre]

Get that fire out certainly don`t use it - back draught on a gas fire . Check with the Registered Gas Installers on the plumbing forum if you like - you`ll need one to decomission it

Really?! The fire had a gas safety inspection carried out late last year just before we bought the house and nothing was flagged.

Now I'm worried!

 

[MrsTaraPlumbing]

You have had good advice on plumbing forum

Back draft is a complicated issue... I know as I'm just researching writing a book on Gas Fires!

I would also recommend CO alarms in those rooms and in the rooms above - if there is CO it often rises to high rooms.

You have open flued gas fires - so you need ventilation in the rooms.

Everyone should be aware that gas fires should be serviced annually. There are intended as secondary heat source.

A quarter of gas fires surveyed in some research in 2006 were turned off by engineers as dangerous.

Danger increased with age of the fire and if they were not maintained - so be warned.

 

[FiremanT]

You have open flued gas fires - so you need ventilation in the rooms.

Not neccesarily.

 

[HERTS P&D]

You need one of these:

http://www.chimsoc.co.uk/?gclid=CI3kltjLxbUCFfLLtAodnWYA6g

Andy

 

[wizbongre]

I had combined smoke & CO alarms in our old house and am looking to put them in the new place, however the new house has mains wired smoke alarms so I'd prefer to replace them with mains wired combined alarms. The ones in our old house were battery only and I can't seem to find any mains powered combo. ones - anyone know of any?