I have just had a new Combi boiler fitted and have had the old back boiler and fire disconected. The fire place in which the backboiler and fire fitted in is 18 inches deep and 4 1/2 ft wide and is plasterboard on a wooden frame. There is a thermalite chanell that the flue pipe runs up. What we would like to do is rip the plasterboard section out to open up the room more, I am not sure about whether it is safe to remover the thermalite bricks or not???
rip out the old boards, and replace with heat proof sheetrock.
Before you start make sure you have plenty dust sheets,to cover up furniture and carpets.Once that`s don`t you can tackle the job in hand.Lift up the hearth first,this should come up easily.Next channel around the fireplace,once that`s done there should be screws on either side of the surround.Removing that the surround should come away from the wall.Next is to chop away the fire brick and rubble that`s behind it,once that`s don`t you should be left with a hollow opening.You can either brick it up or board it which is easy for you,but make sure you put a air vent in there,which would help the chimney to breath and stop dampness in the chimney flue.I hope this is on use to you.
Sir Start at the chimney pot and work your way down to find out what the thermalite blocks are actually doing, probably supporting the chimney stack. If so and you remove the thermalite blocks you have a problem, if you start at the top and remove the stack on down, you have a hole in the roof, a different problem. Perhaps you have other problems, but if you identify them before you get out the club hammer, they can be resolved. Remember problems are only solutions in disguise.
