how do i tell if chimney breast upstairs is supported.downstairs was taken out before i moved in.now i have a crack across the upstairs wall.

i would take up few floor boards up next to chimney see if any steels in there or cut hole underneath to view we had this prob someone had taken chimney out and it was sat on a joist and ceiling was bowing we just proped it up and got in our structural engineer

You will have to remove the plaster board directly below the chimney breast. you should see support trimmers positioned from the outer wall and fixed to the floor joist. The chimney breast will also be self supported by been tied into the outer wall. They should not be a lot of weight on the trimmers if the chimney breast is not sat tightly on the trimmers ( ie) with packers between brickwork and wood you may experience a slight movment depending on which course is tied in above the trimmers. Hope this helps Regards Ken

You need to remove part of your ceiling below the remaining stack, and check that you have steel beams supporting the stack. As you say you have a crack in the wall, and theres no visible support you should get a s/e to calculate the beam. You might have to notify building control, as this is a structural issue, your s/e will advise.

as already mentioned it's a case of exposing the area where the chimney sit's in the ceiling/floor area above where it's been removed. This should clear up the issue of support. It would be worth getting some calculations done as to the level of support given verses required and take it from there.