What is this behind my Fireplace?

Gallen · 18 Apr 2008

Hi guys!

We are renovating a 60's house and want to have a modern fire place. Ours was covered up and on removal of the cover, found this lurking behind it.

1 - We need to know what it is (Back boiler?)!
2 - We need advice on removal!

...It's worth mentioning that whatever it is/was is now redundant as the property has a Combi Boiler system (....another problem in its self).

Cheers guys,

Gallen

kevplumb · 18 Apr 2008

old solid fuel back boiler its gonna be messy

Gallen · 18 Apr 2008

thanks mate - looks to me like someones hacket it around before (Cracks etc).

Is anything there structural i.e if we remove the old burner do we need a lintle or supports or anything??

We are hoping to put in a modern / minimalist gas fire - hole in the wall type.

kevplumb · 18 Apr 2008

lintel would deffo be an idea

get the flue swept as well (have all the mess at once )

Gallen · 18 Apr 2008

any tips/advice?!

Do you think we should get a builder in to take a look?

Agile · 18 Apr 2008

Gallen said:
any tips/advice?!

Do you think we should get a builder in to take a look?

Stay away from builders if there is any chance of DIYing it yourself.

A builder would get it out in a hour and charge you £300 whereas you could do it in an afternoon!

Tony

JohnD · 18 Apr 2008

I wonder if you could flog it to someone doing up an old cottage?

I have an old granny with one, she swears by it

Gallen · 18 Apr 2008

an afternoon sounds good vs £300 notes.

JohnD said:
I wonder if you could flog it to someone doing up an old cottage?

I have an old granny with one, she swears by it icon_smile.gif

was thinking of scrap - must weigh a fair bit???

...any chance someone can anyone give me some tips?
i.e lintel / removal etc etc

Agile · 18 Apr 2008

It seems to have a brick arch at the moment. Perhaps with a steel band.

If you took out the old blanket then we could see more.

You can get a precast concrete lintel for about £10. But before you fit it make sure the builders opening is the right size for the new fire.

Much better to get a CORGI to fit the new fire and advise you on the size of hole needed and then you just brick up to that size yourself.

Tony

Gallen · 18 Apr 2008

Cheers Tony - I will ask my girlfriend to remove the blanket (she's reluctant in case of Spiders!) and will post more pics...

thanks....

Agile · 18 Apr 2008

Gallen said:
Cheers Tony - I will ask my girlfriend to remove the blanket (she's reluctant in case of Spiders!) and will post more pics...

thanks....

Why are you unable to move it yourself???

Or are you totally terrified by spiders?

But do watch out for the tarantula chimnea which are often found lurking in dark places like that. They have a nasty bite but the good news is that they are not actually poisonous.

Tony

Gallen · 18 Apr 2008

haha! no - It's beacause I'm at work and she's currently at home!

She won't move the blanket so it looks like I will add photos of whats behind it tomorrow!

numpty1 · 18 Apr 2008

Agile said:
Gallen said:

any tips/advice?!

Do you think we should get a builder in to take a look?

Click to expand...

Stay away from builders if there is any chance of DIYing it yourself.

A builder would get it out in a hour and charge you £300 whereas you could do it in an afternoon!

Tony

not done too many wraparound boilers then tony?these can be an absolute nightmare or fall out.as has been said have the flue swept first and some form of lintel inserted above the arch before you start hacking away at the sides. two people needed to shift it can be dam heavy,or if you have ate three weetabixs on your own but not recommended.scrap value is nil,when removing it chisel the pipe connections right through maybe three/four pipes depending on configuration,to remove it you will need to remove the vermiculite/cat litter,or whatever they packed around it and wiggle from side to side to remove it,you cannot be delicate with it just brute force and a good kango enjoy

Agile · 18 Apr 2008

I would expect to have it out in an hour ( without a lintel ) when the sides are nicely cracked like that.

Probably cannot be swept properly until its out anyway.

There is sufficient scrap value in cast iron ( £70 ton ? ) to ensure it will be collected free within an hour.

I left an old KF40 on a front door step in a quiet residential street in Hampstead and it was gone within two hours on a Saturday!

Tony

numpty1 · 18 Apr 2008

and their was me thinking the streets of london were paved with gold

diynot

If you need to find a tradesperson to get your job done, please try our local search below, or if you are doing it yourself you can find suppliers local to you.

Select the supplier or trade you require, enter your location to begin your search.

Are you a trade or supplier? You can create your listing free at DIYnot Local

What is this behind my Fireplace?

Similar threads