Gas fire with chimney: needs a hood above the coals? (pics)

[SiliconS]

Hi all. First post.

New build house. Simple open gas fire with a chimney in the lounge.

We've just ripped out the default wood-and-cast-iron fire surround and replaced it with a lovely handmade-to-measure solid oak one. A picture speaks a thousand words:

The new surround is loosely mounted to the wall at the moment and I've painted the wall cream simply to cover the exposed rendering and concrete behind the old surround while we decide what to do next. My plan is to use brick slips. So far so good.

The cast iron fire surround had a hood above the fire that presumably helped to direct combustion gases up the chimney:

Is such a hood important to the fire's safety and operation or would brick slips set flat against the wall be OK? As you can see in the first photo, the fire sticks out an inch or so into the room, although the flames themselves are all behind the level of the face of the wall. I could create a hood of sorts using vertically-mounted slips angled out into the room but is this necessary?

Would be grateful for any advice you experts can offer.

 

[giblets]

I think you need to get an RGI in who is qualified to work on gas fires and take his advice. The fire was probably made for the old fire surround and, as such, may not be suitable for your new arrangement.

BTW has the chrome restrictor elbow to the left of the fire been plugged when you disconnected the fire?

 

[scatmanjohn]

The hood and the fire are all part of the same unit.

Its how it is supplied, Modifying it is not allowed.

 

[Baxmax]

The surround,although a really nice piece of wood kind of over shadows the miniscule hearth.

 

[macfudd]

All fires should come with manufacturers instructions stating the minimum and maximum dimensions for the fireplace opening.Before your fire is installed your Corgi/gas safe engineer should have carried out a smoke test on the chimney and after installation a spillage test.

It looks to me as if your fireplace opening is too high.

I hope you get an RGI to advise you and install this,as fires are without doubt the most potentially dangerous gas appliance.

 

[GodKnows]

Most people get advise before they modify a gas appliance What you have done is illegal and dangerous fella. If you attempt to light the fire or even re-instate the gas supply it would be deemed to be illegal and very dangerous to you and your family. You can't disassemble gas fires for decorative reasons. If you want to kill yourself and your family keep doing what you are doing

 

[Slugbabydotcom]

We've just ripped out the default wood-and-cast-iron fire surround and replaced it with a lovely handmade-to-measure solid oak one. A picture speaks a thousand words:

It only needs six and a bit words to tell you what you have now.

Fornication
Under
Consent of
King

U
Pratt !

Take the gas fire out, put a solid fuel fire in and use the big sticks of wood to light it

 

[SiliconS]

Thank you giblets, scatmanjohn and macfudd for your helpful contributions.

I've tried to find the fire manufacturer's website online but I've a feeling they (Galaxy) aren't making fires any more. A company in Mostyn with the same address is making similar fires with surrounds that are optional so perhaps the fire can be used without one.

We've got an RGI coming next week to swap our gas hob for a new one and I'll pick his brains then. I don't mind replacing the fire if we have to - this one is old and scruffy.

 

[macfudd]

I don't mind replacing the fire if we have to - this one is old and scruffy.

It is also incredibly inefficient.

 

[SiliconS]

I don't mind replacing the fire if we have to - this one is old and scruffy.

It is also incredibly inefficient.

Would you say a modern open fire will be more efficient then? We definitely don't want a glass-fronted fire. I know nothing about our existing fire so I can't do any meaningful comparisons. Most of the websites I'm finding don't seem to list prices for fires.

Edit: Just found this, which is the sort of style we'd choose:
http://www.westcountryfires.co.uk/fires/products/639.asp


Thanks again for your help.

 

[fitz1]

if youve got central heating , stick an electric fire in for show.The amount of dangerous fires im capping off lately is unbelievable.

 

[stem]

Would you say a modern open fire will be more efficient then? We definitely don't want a glass-fronted fire.

It depends on the design. Most manufacturers will provide efficiency figures, or quote input and output rates for you to compare. I have a fire very similar to the one you have and its efficiency is quoted at 55%. So for every £1 I spend on gas I get 55p worth of heat and the remaining 45p is wasted (up the chimney I assume)

The old style fire with white ceramic radiants are about 70% efficient but didn't look nice, so the open "decorative" less efficient fire was born.

You can now get flueless fires, ok, they are glass fronted but are quoted as being 100% efficient. Great for the environment

 

[giblets]

The old style fire with white ceramic radiants are about 70% efficient but didn't look nice, so the open "decorative" less efficient fire was born.

The decorative fuel effect fire was actually born for use in the film industry so that re -takes of shots could made without the flames in the fire changing as happened with real solid fuel fires.

(That's my "useless bit of information" for today. )

 

[namsag]

When they first started getting fitted in pubs many years ago mrs namsag said i love a real fire.
Eh its not real, its a gas fire
So that means if i throw this crisp packet on it it wont burn.

We had one old girl throw a scuttle of coal on her day old one because she thought fire needed stoking up ,completly forgot it had been changed the day before and smashed the coal bed to bits.

 

[Aquaheat]

You can now get flueless fires, ok, they are glass fronted but are quoted as being 100% efficient. Great for the environment

But extremely bad for your health

FFS do not get a flueless gas fire!!