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Capping off an old flue?

Anonymous user 13 April 2012 - 10.05 PM

Hi, Big apologies for the lack of technical language and know-how here, but can anyone advise on what could be best in the coming scenario....? The old pre-cast class two flue was sealed off at the gas fire end about five years ago, after the gas fire was removed and the gas supply disabled by a heating engineer. I'm sure there should have been some sort of vent or air-brick at the bottom end but there isn't. It's been bricked up and plastered over. The top end is some sort of ridge-tile, where a tile sits over the (looks shallow) flue opening and it vents to the sides. That's the only way I can describe it. I'm not sure what's best to do. Option one seems to be to get the top of the flue sealed up properly (however that's done properly - needs to have ventilation??), or remove the part of the flue which runs through the loft and into the roof, and get a new ridge tile put in. Whichever is best. Option two is to reconnect the gas fire. But I don't really need one - just considering it as I don't think the flue can be left as is, so might be better to put it back into use? I'm guessing the flue needs to be cleaned whichever option I go with. Pretty sure it wasn't when it was first sealed off at the bottom end. I guess there's no way of cleaning it without opening up the brickwork in the house where it was sealed off? After all that, I guess my questions are whether there's a usual route to getting the flue capped off properly, given it's been out of use for a while, and how much this sort of job is likely to cost in the Cambridgeshire area? Many thanks if you can help.

2 answers from MyBuilder tradespeople