i got no flow in my chimneys :(

[rottie007]

recently purchased a beautiful pair of cast iron fireplaces off of good ol fleabay.. and after a restoration and a nightmare they are finally in..
thing is I was hoping they would help improve the ventilation in the rooms and even be used once in a blue moon if me an the missus were feeling romatic

but there is NO draw at all on the flues, the flue lining is render and as far as the eye can see up the flues is in an almost perfect condition making me think they have seen very little use (front room one was blacker suggesting it had seen some flame), on the top of the house is a 6 pot stack 3 for me and 3 for next door, the pot for the downstairs front room fire is easy to spot as its black as a cat but the other two appear to look like they have pepper-pot tops on (friend called them elephants feet)

would these totally stop draw on a flue or is there other problems afoot here? both rooms although doubleglazed have a good air flow into them as the doors are seldom closed..

 

[cmother1]

If your flue goes to one of the capped off pots you will need to remove the cap before lighting a fire. It's potentially lethal otherwise, though I think the smoke would drive you outdoors before the carbon monoxide got you.
You will also need a huge amount of ventilation if you intend to have an open fire. Leaving the living room door open won't be enough if the rest of the house is sealed up as tight as a drum. could be, however, that you've a flue that just doesn't draw well - test it with a smoke candle (or light a few sheets of newspaper)
Try not to break the caps if you remove them. They cost a bomb new - nearly £40 round my way.

 

[gday2uk]

Did you not smoke test the chimneys before starting all this?
'pepper-pot tops' as you call them sound like flue ventilators and will need to be replaced if using the chimney and will explain the lack of draw. Who's to say the other pot has not been capped inside?
Your best bet would be to get a sweep in to advise you.

 

[rottie007]

the fires were fitted originally for their aesthetic appeal.

im aware that if they are to be used I would need to remove the caps and will also need to provide an air source from the outside to the rooms with the fires in, we had problems with the downstairs fire smoking back until we fitted vents in the floor either side to allow air from the underfloor void to enter the room and be pulled into the flue, stopping it smoking back perfectly..

upstairs the rooms do have the original vents in the walls at ceiling level (1920's terrace by the way)

guess I need to get some ladders and get the caps off then, I was just surprised they would stop the draw so much that even the whiff of smoke from a match being extinguished wont go up them

 

[r896neo]

i would get a decent chimney sweep to clean it for you and advise, at worst you'll have to pay for getting it swept which is an almost necessity on a flue that hasn't been used in many years anyway.