Vent to flue behind blanked off fireplace

[diditmissen]

As part of my living room refit I am considering blanking off the existing fireplace and fitting a surface-mounted flueless gas fire on the now solid chimney breast.

I understand that a vent needs to be provided to prevent condensation in the flue but, unfortunately, the installation guide to the new fire states that this vent must not be within 500mm of the fire to prevent draughts affecting the low oxygen cut out device. In any case I don't particularly want an ugly ventilator in the middle of my clean new wall. I suppose a skirting mounted vent would be less obtrusive but that would mean mounting the fire a bit higher up the wall than I would like.

Would it make sense to break into the fireplace from the underfloor void and could I just leave this as an open hole to provide ventilation. Would this provide adequate condensation protection or would it make it worse?

How difficult would it be to break through into the fireplace from the side of the chimney breast where the vent would be practically invisible? I don't know what the structure of the chimney breast/fireplace is. House is a 1960 all brick semi, and chimney is on party wall so no chance of venting from outside.

Any advice appreciated.

 

[Blagard]

Venting from the floor void should be fine. All you are trying to do is get some flow of air through the old disused flue.

Venting from the side is possible too - It just depends on how the old builder put the chimney breast together. Probably you will have two "skins" of brickwork to go through, the brickwork forming the side of the chimney breast and the the brickwork to the side of the old fire back.

 

[diditmissen]

Cheers.

So, if the construction is as you said (I'll check this out) could I simply knock a couple of bricks out of the side of the fire place and then put a suitably sized vent through the outer skin in the side of the breast, or would I need to put a duct through the intervening space?

 

[Nige F]

Go for the floor It`s easier to hold a breaker upright cutting a floor than horizontal cutting a wall Same for a lump hammer and cold chisel...that`s how I know these "tricks"