Nov 24, 2014 - Explore Kelly Daley's board "unused fireplace cover", followed by 220 people on Pinterest. Lay a row of bricks across the bottom of the opening without mortar leaving a gap of about 1cm between each brick and check to see if you will need to cut bricks to completely fill the opening. Cut a piece of foam board the exact size of the opening,say 2 inches thick.Tape the edges to the fireplace opening.Then place a nice dried flower arrangement in front.It is easily removable if and when you want to sell the house and in the meantime will reduce your heating costs. 2. For this you can use bricks, lightweight building blocks or more lightweight materials such as hardboard, chipboard or asbestos. If the fireplace is masonry and you're experiencing cold drafts, your flue liner is cracked and there is leakage through the brick in the chimney. The method of opening and closing the flue depends on the type of fireplace and how it was constructed and installed in the room. Install drywall over the fireplace opening. Remove this vent and use a torch to look inside the opening. Hi, I have a fireplace I am not using, the damper is closed unless I'm letting out a bird:eek2:. This will give you some idea of the size of the fireplace opening. Opening and Closing a Fireplace – How to Open a Blocked up Fireplace so That it can be Used for a Fire and How to Block up an Unused Fireplace. By properly using a damper, covering the fireplace, or installing a chimney balloon, you can keep the heat in and the cold out! Remember to purchase also a few air bricks, those that allow air to flow through it. for each 1-in. Wrap the opening with a moisture barrier and seal the seams against weather with flashing. For instance, you must determine whether you want to take the fireplace out, wall it up to close it permanently or whether you simply want to close it up temporarily so that you can use it again in the future. - The damper is 7" wide x 30" long and functions properly, although it is offset much closer to the kitchen side of the fireplace, creating a 'shelf' on the den side (the side that smokes). Information on how to open up and close off a fireplace. In our project, we installed drywall over the entire wall to cover old paneling. from the fireplace opening if projecting more than 1-1/2 in. This looks pretty good in my opinion, of course. If it’s B Vent, anything will do: simplest is to just cram a rag in the bottom so it’s still visible. Combustible materials within 12 in. Inside, fill the wall with insulation, then cover the hole with a piece of material that matches the interior. You turn the handle to a vertical position to open the flue damper and back to a horizontal position to close it. As with the interior damper, the chimney-top model stays open when the fireplace is in use, as this acts as an exhaust to draw fumes out of the house. Install new wood flooring planks to within 1/4” of walls or as manufacturer requires. 3. Cut plasterboard to fit the fireplace opening exactly. There's no problem blocking-up / plastering a redundant fire place, but you should ensure the chimney top is closed-off to water ingress plus it is best practice to vent the flue space so as to avoid condensation forming. Fireplaces just do not heat well and gas logs are worthless. - The fireplace sits between a very large kitchen and a much smaller den. If your electric fire is going to sit flush with the chimney breast, then block up the opening, I would use 100mm thermalites or concrete blocks, and fit a vent, you must have an air flow into the stack, or you will have damp problems. Remove the skirting board in front of the fireplace, either by taking the whole thing off the wall or making a cut on either side of the fireplace and removing a section. Sealing off the fireplace They also come into contact, and help stop, any moisture or rainwater than makes its way down into the chimney or flue. Once the chimney has been swept, clear out any debris left on the ‘floor’ of the fireplace. To start a fire, you must have the damper in the full-open position. Choose a colour that is similar or complementary to the existing fireplace. Follow KMS's advice and close it off. Closing the fireplace . Birds yes, fire no. I ran the HVAC-calc program and 20% of my heating bill is used to send hot air up the flue. Draft Decor products compliment each other and are versatile, too! Skin the outer opening with a piece of material cut to the exact size of the hole. Trim the excess material at the edges and corners using a utility knife or pair of sharp scissors. And in fact, in some gas log situations where it’s conversion from a wood burner to a gas-burning log, they put a bracket on a damper to prevent you from ever being able to close … Choose a half-height one to cover the opening but reveal the mantel, or select a full-size one to cover the entire hearth area. The lever can move in different directions depending on the type. If patching in hardwood, it’s best to have professional floor refinisher sand and finish the floor so … Fireplace Damper Won’t Open Or Close. When the fireplace is off, however, you may experience the cold air coming through the chimney and stealing the warmth out of your home. After the fire has started, close the damper as far as possible without causing smoke to back up into the room. There are two kinds of drafts - vent drafts and flue drafts. Bird fit thru the top--so much for a spark arrester. But when you aren’t using your fireplace, leaving the damper open can allow warmth out and cold air in. How to Convert an Open-Faced Fireplace Into a Closed One. You can also infill the opening with timber studs and plaster board, but I … The best way to stop fireplace drafts is to seal up your fireplace opening by installing Draft Decor's Flue-zee Flue Covers, Magnetic Vent Covers or Termination Cap Covers. It needs to be precisely the right size, so as not to have any gaps between the plasterboard and the bricks. Measure all sides of the chimney opening at the top of the fireplace, directly below the damper. Move the lever to open or close the damper. You’ve got to make sure that vents (ph) up the house; it’s not slightly open, it’s all the way open. distance from such opening.” In your case, the surround would be considered combustible trim and cannot be less than 12 in. 2. A fireplace is great for atmosphere, but we have found it worthless in a crunch. Put a rain cap on top to keep out the elements, critters and debris, then block off the hole from below. - We know the flue is too small (13" square for two openings each apx 34"x30"). But before closing up the fireplace you need to remove the fire surround and hearth. of a fireplace opening shall not project more than 1/8 in. Peel the adhesive backing off of a sheet of faux tiles and stick them directly onto your fireplace’s surround before taking a moment to smooth them down by hand. Blocking up the opening Once the fireplace has been knocked down and the area cleaned, the opening should be blocked off to prevent draughts and to stop dust falling down the chimney into the room. Give your fireplace a quick makeover with peel-and-stick tiles. Then cut a board to fit the floor of the fireplace, paint it black and then cut some decorative logs and stack them inside. This type lets you adjust how far open the damper is. Opening a fireplace damper depends on the model of the fireplace, but generally there is a lever that slides back and forth to open and close it. Start by carefully chopping off the plaster from the assumed centre of the fireplace, working outwards, and the outline of the opening will become apparent. Before you can determine what the best way is to close up your chimney, you need to know for how long you want the chimney closed up. To close an old fireplace the opening can either be covered with board or bricked up. In 35 years I have never had a fire in it. I would recommend having a professional mason inspect for missing mortar and cracked liner. Modern fireplaces often have a handle installed above or inside the opening. When you have an active flame going, you want to leave the damper open so the smoke can escape through the flue. 4. You might have to push it in and out, up and down or side to side. Everyone likes to cozy up in front of a fireplace during the cold months. Removing the skirting board. At the Chimney Safety Institute of America, we receive a lot of questions from homeowners who want to prevent heat from escaping through a chimney. It should be spanned by a lintel, which must be left in place. An open-faced fireplace leaves the pit wide open at all times. Place a folding screen in front of the fireplace. Answered 20th Nov 2011 ... opening old fireplace space - how to stop the draft. Fire surrounds can be made of cast-iron, timber, brick, stone or tiled. Starting one course down from the underside of the lintel, remove a full course of masonry the width of the opening. The fireplace opening needs to be measured so you have an idea of how much brick needs to be purchased to seal it. In the case that you want to permanently close off the fireplace, bricking up the opening with bricks and mortar is the most complete closure method. Doing so allows the chimney to exhaust all the smoke that is created by the fire, without losing all the heat. The old fireplace opening was 24 x 35.5, so there is a slight overlap, and gravity and the stove pipe holds it in place. Close the fireplace damper completely. It also reflects the heat back into the room, as heat is about photons and shiny is better to reflect those. Fireplace dampers can be subject to intense heat from fires, and also have to deal with any smoke, soot and ash that pass through them. Because you won’t be using your fireplace for a few months, make sure you close your damper. A cast-iron surround. With masonry, close it up with bricks and mortar, or put debris in … Turn an old rock or brick fireplace into a modern weathered wood masterpiece. See more ideas about fireplace cover, fireplace, unused fireplace. If your fireplace has a knob, you'll twist the knob to open the damper. You need to leave an air ventilation opening to keep from getting air pockets backing up from the top of the chimney. Build a frame just inside the fireplace opening using 5 x 5 cm (2 x 2 inch) wooden boards. Once the bricks are purchased, a row of them need to be set about twelve inches inside the opening of the fireplace. Damper in the full-open position lintel, which must be left in place everyone likes to cozy up in of. Answered 20th nov 2011... opening old fireplace the opening of the opening. An idea of how much brick needs to be precisely the right size, so as not to any. - Explore Kelly Daley 's board `` unused fireplace cover, fireplace, leaving damper!, fill the wall with insulation, then cover the hole with a piece of material that matches the.! Opening needs to be precisely the right size, so as not to have gaps... 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