reinstating an old fireplace

[DrBungle]

Hi

We have recently opened an old fire place, i think it has been out of action for some time but we have had the flue checked and given the all clear. The fireplace itself is an old cast iron affair and very rusty, i have started extracting the various components with a view to replacing them.

I found that there is actually an old back boiler which is also rusting and needs to come out (it is no longer connected to the water tank). This leads to my first problem: When i knocked through the rusty boiler, sandy material began to pour out from behind the metal, when i removed the plate, a found a large void behind it filled with this sandy material. Does anyone have any ideas what this material is? could it be that it is an insulation mix which has broken down over time? or is it more of a structural concern? the brickwork behind it isnt too clever and will at the very last require rendering. Also, if it is insulation is there any chance that it contains asbestos? as it was built in the 1920s (I dont want to poke about in it if it does!).

My second issue lies in what to do with the space, now i have found quite a large cavity behind the fire opening, would it be possible to open this up into a small inglenook style fire or would it be best to replace the iron sections and keep to a standard (victoirian) style fire?

any help anyone can offer would be much appreciated!

many thanks

Jody

 

[stuart45]

Can you put a photo on?

 

[DrBungle]

Can you put a photo on?

thanks for the reply, certainly can: this is the whole fire

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• DrBungle
• 21 Dec 2010
• 1

 

[DrBungle]

this shows the old back plate (the boiler was behind this)

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• DrBungle
• 21 Dec 2010
• 1

 

[DrBungle]

when i took the back plate off the old cavity was visible where the boiler once was:

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• DrBungle
• 21 Dec 2010
• 1

 

[DrBungle]

i then took off the side plate where the boiler was and this was when i found the cavity and the sandy material began to pour in. The close up shows the cavity a bit closer with loose fill, but its not very clear, im in the process of removing the back plate now which will hopefully improve visibility.

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• DrBungle
• 21 Dec 2010
• 1

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• DrBungle
• 21 Dec 2010
• 1

 

[DrBungle]

i have now removed the back plate and the left side plate to reveal a smooth, continuous alcove in which the fire sits:

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• DrBungle
• 21 Dec 2010
• 1

this obviously means i need to repair the void present on the right side:

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• DrBungle
• 21 Dec 2010
• 1

so with this knowledge, the space in which the fire sits is not big enough to open as a small inglenook anyway so i will need to replace the original victorian style fire.

in terms of a repair on the void, can i patch this with some brickwork in the void and then render it with something fire-resistant?

 

[DrBungle]

Also, im still in the dark as to the nature of this loose material behind the back/side plates:

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• DrBungle
• 21 Dec 2010
• 1

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• DrBungle
• 21 Dec 2010
• 1

im still working on the presumption that it is the insulation material behind the fire plates (presumably once some kind of mortar mix which has disintegrated? but could it be harmful to me if i clean it out? im still dubious about getting too stuck into it until i know what it is.

 

[stuart45]

You could open it up to the Builders Opening which would be much larger and put a wood burner in.

 

[Nige F]

Also, im still in the dark as to the nature of this loose material behind the back/side plates:

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• DrBungle
• 21 Dec 2010
• 1

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• DrBungle
• 21 Dec 2010
• 1

im still working on the presumption that it is the insulation material behind the fire plates (presumably once some kind of mortar mix which has disintegrated? but could it be harmful to me if i clean it out? im still dubious about getting too stuck into it until i know what it is.

Vermiculite and cement tends to look like Asbestos BUT it aint.

 

[DrBungle]

You could open it up to the Builders Opening which would be much larger and put a wood burner in.

thanks for the response, that would be a good option as they are much more efficient than an open fire. How would i go about finding where abouts the builders opening is? at the top Im presuming it is the big lintel between the angled throat lintel and the base of the chimney flue, but what about the sides?

 

[DrBungle]

Also, im still in the dark as to the nature of this loose material behind the back/side plates:

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• DrBungle
• 21 Dec 2010
• 1

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• DrBungle
• 21 Dec 2010
• 1

im still working on the presumption that it is the insulation material behind the fire plates (presumably once some kind of mortar mix which has disintegrated? but could it be harmful to me if i clean it out? im still dubious about getting too stuck into it until i know what it is.

Vermiculite and cement tends to look like Asbestos BUT it aint.

thats a relief! thanks

 

[stuart45]

You could open it up to the Builders Opening which would be much larger and put a wood burner in.

thanks for the response, that would be a good option as they are much more efficient than an open fire. How would i go about finding where abouts the builders opening is? at the top Im presuming it is the big lintel between the angled throat lintel and the base of the chimney flue, but what about the sides?

The structural jambs at the side are usually 9-13 inch brickwork.