Open up space where backboiler was in chimney breast...

[Ian H]

No dead birds? We did ours recently and the bricks just met at the top in a triangle, no lintel.

 

[Timmy_otool]

Never mind the arch... look at that pipe! I've only just got the heating up and running and that pipe gets hot when the radiators are on - so basically it's in use.

How much do you think it would cost to remove the long bit of pipe in the fire, and just rejoin it with the other pipes outside the chimney breast with the others?

Actually, going back to the arch... I'm wanting to keep the fire open like in a picture I posted earlier. Do you think I can wire brush the bricks nice again or should I just source some others?

 

[Doggit]

Sorry, can't comment on moving the pipe - you'll need to get a couple of quotes from local plumbers for that. There are numerous discussions on this site as to cleaning chimney bricks, and nothing seems to work that well. Don't wet them, as the soot will spread into the bricks. A wire brush is the normal method, but sandpaper (?) seems to work well, but if you want a pristine fireplace, you'll need to source new bricks. As to the arch, it looks as though it needs a serious overhaul, and I can guarantee that you'll get fed up with the metal bar in the end, so maybe think about getting a brickie in to do it.