Fireplaces Birmingham by Turner Baker

Reopening Fireplaces Birmingham

Having a fire or a fireplace in your home are enjoying a renaissance all around the UK, as homeowners look to enjoy the warmth and ambiance provided by a cosy fire on a cold winters evening. Turner Baker have many years experiences in maintaining fireplaces Birmingham so you can trust them with advising you on the action required to get yours back in a useable condition.

A fireplace previously was the centre of the home. Cooking, heating, and lighting all came from the fireplace. Modern fireplace requirements are now different. Heat is no longer the primary reason for having an open fire, wood burning stove or a gas fire in the home due to the convenience of central heating systems. Today’s fires and are more frequently installed for aesthetical or ambiance reasons.

Most of the fireplaces Birmingham were boarded up in properties with the advent of central heating. However they are now proving to be popular and making a comeback to be used once again in the homes of Birmingham.

Safety Checking

The dream would be that you could remove whatever was used to block up the fireplace originally and just light your fire and begin enjoying it again. However, there are several safety checks that need to be done before lighting due to the inherent risks:

1. A NACS or Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps registered practitioner should perform a full chimney flue sweep.  They are then able to clear any obstructions that may have collected in the flue and fireplaces Birmingham whilst it has not been in use.
2. Then some kind of internal test of the flue needs to be carried out to ascertain whether the flue is safe to use.  Undertaking a CCTV survey will immediately show whether the flue has been lined or not. If the flue has been lined, the test will determine the integrity of the liner. It has been common practice to line chimneys for a number of years now. This often means modern flue liners are available in one piece, whereas early liners were generally supplied as pipes that slotted together and it is not unusual for the joints in these early liners to fail.

Surveying and Testing Flues/Fireplaces Birmingham

A camera survey will also identify any bends in the flue where debris might collect, possible timber lintels in the brickwork and any obstructions such as old spit mechanisms.

A CCTV survey will give detailed information on the condition of the inside of your flue but not how well your flue works. To establish this, there are two different smoke tests available:

• Dynamic smoke test – To check the draw of an appliance or open fire. This means, when the fire is lit, the test is designed to establish if the smoke escapes up the flue properly or if it fills the room where the fire is with smoke.
• Static smoke test – To check the integrity of the flue. When an appliance is used or a fire is lit in fireplaces Birmingham, this test will show if any smoke leaks from the flue into other areas of the property.

It is highly unusual for an unlined flue in a period property to pass inspections, especially if it has been redundant for a long period. Commonly the bricks and mortar that holds it together, particularly in areas where the original materials used are soft, have degraded over time and for this reason, the flue is unlikely to be smoke tight.

For period properties, where coal has been burnt in the past, the inside of the flue may have also be affected by the salts that are deposited from the coal that stick to the side of the flue. These are difficult, if not impossible to remove with conventional sweeping methods.

Solutions for unsafe flues and fireplaces Birmingham

Having the flue of your open fire, gas fire or wood burning professionally lined will improve its usability and make it safe to light a fire under.

There are many different modern lining solutions available from Turner Baker. From more cost effective solutions such as stainless steel flue liners to the more expensive but longer lasting and more flexible thermosetting resin liners available today.

Each period property has its own unique characteristics and the perfect lining solution can differ from one property to another. One of our highly trained installers can advise you on which system is best for your property and its flue.

Good Practice When Using Your Fire and Fireplace

Lining a flue will improve the performance and the safety of the flue and allow you to enjoy your open fire, wood burning stove or gas fire on a cold winters evening once again. Installing a flue liner is not a miracle solution however. You will still need to follow good practice to ensure its longevity, including regular sweeping which is very important. Using well-seasoned wood is also paramount to reduce the build-up of sticky tar in flues and fireplaces Birmingham.

If you would like more information about opening up fireplaces Birmingham or establishing whether a flue is safe to use, please call Turner Baker on 01432 839123.

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