Late 1930s home, bricked up "fireplace" -- is it possible to get something burning in here?

[Lazser]

Hello,

We purchased a 1930s foursquare about a year ago. The house has two identical "fireplaces" that are covered in tile. My wife and I both dream of having a working fireplace insert in the living room fireplace - and failing that, a woodburning stove.

I'd like to know if it would even be possible to get anything installed here...or if it's not worth my time to try to get a quote. I've attached photos below, and here are some additional details:

• In the top of the inside of the fireplace, where the flue would normally go, there is a thin layer of cement covering a very thin metal grid. Both the grid and the cement are very thin - and very hollow (I can hear this by knocking on the cement). I smashed through some of the cement with a hammer to see this.
• The tiles do not appear to ever have had a fire inside of them. However, some of the bricks seem like they might have some soot on them. I can't tell.
• In the basement, beneath the fireplace, there is a cemented over flue connect and a tightly shut chimney cleanout.
• The chimney has a cowl on top of it.

Images are here: http://imgur.com/a/vgUmY#XemgS2o

 

[bholler]

It might be possible but you either need to tear out that cement and wire mesh to investigate or have a sweep come and inspect it from above. Additionally i would bet that that tile will need to come down unless you can absolutely verify there is no combustible material behind it

 

[Jags]

Or if the tile is large enough an insulated liner could be dropped (assuming a sweep certifies the chimney).

 

[bholler]

well my concern is the ceramic tile in the fire box and what is behind them. who knows what was done there could be wood framing behind those tiles and in that case you could not put an insert in there

 

[Jags]

Good call. I was in ref to the stack.

 

[Lazser]

Oh guys...for sure that tile is gonna go. I'm not gonna do this myself either, I'm gonna get a pro.

I wanted to know if it looked like I would eventually be able to get an insert or something in there and if it looked like if the chimney was legit.

 

[bholler]

cant tell anything yet

 

[begreen]

The best thing to do is have a certified sweep or NFI pro come out and inspect on site. We can't tell the condition of the flue or firebox from a computer screen. It may have been bricked up due to a dangerous condition or it may just be cosmetic. A pro will be able to give you a much more certain assessment by putting a trained eyeball on the setup.

 

[Shari]

We can't tell the condition of the flue or firebox from a computer screen. It may have been bricked up due to a dangerous condition or it may just be cosmetic.

Having sold real estate for 30+ yrs. I could also add that the entire 'fireplace look' could be fake. In my area, a vast majority of the bungalow style homes have this set up - with artificial fireplace logs because and there is no actual chimney.

 

[begreen]

That certainly would make for a very quick chimney clean.

 

[Shari]

That certainly would make for a very quick chimney clean.

BG - A mind blowing experience I encountered was a fp like this (being fake) yet the furnace chimney was exterior right behind the fake fireplace - caused a lot of head scratching for awhile on that one trying to figure out if the fp chimney was 'bricked' or if/where it exited (or did it join the furnace chimney).

 

[Titanmatt]

OH man this brings back memories of my Install days. There could be a couple of things going on here mostly what everyone else has said already. The cheapest way out of this would be to do a Ventless Gas Log Set here. Getting a Gas Line in this type of Fireplace in there can be tricky to. You never really know what you are getting into from a Re-Lining standpoint either should you decide to do a Gas Insert, Wood Insert or Pellet Insert. It does not look like you are dealing with a lot of space in that box either. I have Re-Lined Fireplaces like this before & it can be a complete expensive hassle that you may not be ready for in some cases it is just blind. Hence the reason for the Ventless Log Set which is what a lot of these old Fireplaces had in them many years ago. You can have a Certified Chimney company come in with a camera down the chimney to see what is going on but again this can be costly.
Good Luck!

 

[bholler]

It definatly looks like it was a real fireplace at one point but you need to have a camera dropped down the flue to see what is there and if it can be lined. I have seen some like this where the chimney is gone now or used as a chase for hvac wiring or plumbing so without dropping a camera there is no way to know.

 

[ddahlgren]

If I had to guess there was a gas fireplace and removed for whatever reason and flue sealed to save heat from going up it. If you have natural gas in the house even more likely. Chimney sweep is the last word in the end.