What kind of support is this?

[600rob]

I'm after a bit of advice on my fireplace masonry

Anyone know what the part that has the two diagonals with the exposed steel reinforcing is called. Is it a type of lintel?

Looks like may be supporting the masonry above but I'm not sure and wanting to know if I can remove it in order to create a higher fireplace opening without being able to see the diagonals either side once I brick over the front facing brickwork....it was already damaged when I removed the outer facing brick work. So wondering if it would be safe to remove temporarily and replace with a suitable straight lintel or whatever would be required
any advice welcome

 

[^woody^]

It's a precast throat gather. Normally it just stops the infill around the flue from dropping but that looks like it is supporting part of the beast too.

 

[600rob]

Cheers. Yeah the left hand side looks like its already had bits hacked off and is pretty bashed up but nothing looks to be collapsing to be fair.

Unsure how long it's been like that as I always thought it was a loose brick when looking up the chimney when inspecting what id be working with when I finally got round to this job.

Don't think it'll be good to try and remove more material. Will either try to do something decorative with the outer brick to hide it or get it replaced with something the correct shape or maybe try patch repairing it.
Any recommendations on where I can get something like this as a replacement?

 

[^woody^]

It all depends what you plan to do with that opening and flue.

Looking at that mass of grey, it does not look like blocks, but a cast base of the flue with bricks then starting on top of it.

 

[600rob]

It all depends what you plan to do with that opening and flue.

Want to add a course of brick across the top in green and subsequent courses above that to create a rectangular opening. This would leave hatched areas in red visible so Im trying to work out if these hatched can be removed with out causing a problem. The damaged one on the left is loose and more or less just hanging on by the steel reinforcement at the moment

The flue has had a liner installed already

 

[aveatry]

Would you be able to remove the mess and use one of these. https://www.wickes.co.uk/IG-Ltd-Internal-Steel-Lintel---1200mm/p/220067

 

[aveatry]

My first thoughts were that the support is part of one of these https://www.firesandsurrounds.co.uk/products/clay-milner-fire-back

 

[600rob]

My first thoughts were that the support is part of one of these https://www.firesandsurrounds.co.uk/products/clay-milner-fire-back

It could be...I bit the bullet and gently chipped out the damage side and left with this

As you can see that sloping section goes all the way back.

 

[George_engineer]

Front bit looks like it was a reinforced precast concrete unit.

I'd stop doing any more before you've figured out what you want to do / propped the masonry above to put in a new lintel, because the precast concrete has now been knackered!

 

[aveatry]

My thoughts of it being a fire back are not right then are they because that wouldnt be re-enforced would it ?

 

[cdbe]

It's a precast concrete throat unit, I once made one myself following an American design.

As long as it's not part of your new flue system (presumably your new liner just passes through it) just bash off what's in the way and lintel over.

 

[600rob]

As long as it's not part of your new flue system (presumably your new liner just passes through it) just bash off what's in the way and lintel over.

Yep that's correct the new liner just passes straight through.
Was already kind of thinking that removing the necessary material and re lintelling should be ok