We have a very large open Gascony fireplace in our kitchen. We have just had it swept and the internal walls of the chimney are flaking / chipping and need some attention.
The chimney sweep suggested replacing the open fire with a wood burning stove with a flue and therefore reducing the size of the enormous open chimney, which would solve several problems - 1) not needing to repair the internal walls of the chimney, 2) reducing the size of the chimney flue would help the draw of the fireplace which is acceptable but not great and 3) reduce the ENORMOUS loss of heat from the open chimney which makes it difficult to heat the house.
BUT for aesthetic reasons we want to keep the open fire and do not want to install a wood burning stove… but still want to solve the 3 problems detailed above.
I have found a solution which I think would be viable in the UK - to add a chimney gather and flue above the open fire and therefore bypass the internally damaged walls, help the draw and reduce the size of the chimney in terms of heat loss problems.
My question - is what I have laid out possible / legal / doable in France??
Should really be installed by an artisan experienced with such a thing as insurance comes into play should there be a fire and his Deçenelle insurance would cover it. Have you enquired at your local chimney/stove shops like Jotul,Asgaard and independentant suppliers? You mention internally damaged walls and that sets alarm bells ringing to me as it could further weaken them and cause collapse. Whatever you do, get a qualified installer to give you a devis for solving the problem and take it from there. My old house had a wide fireplace in the kitchen in which we put a big log burner with a stainless steel flue attached to the metal cap over the top of the chimney and above the stove just after the first bend going upwards, we fixed a stainless steel plate right across in two sections which encompassed the flue and kept all the heat from going up the chimney around the flue.
You need to find un fumiste ou un atrier, rather than a firm that specialises in installing stoves like Jotul.
But I do think you are nuts! We went for a stove which was best thing ever for comfort and reduced bills. And reduces cleaning as the open fire covered everything in soot.
Thanks - there is a difference of opinion within the family about the aesthetics of open fire versus wood burning stove and sadly I lost that battle - hence trying to find an alternative solution.
Having had the installation of a wood burning stove vetoed by some members of the family this is my first attempt at finding an ‘alternative solution’ - thanks for the advice - I’ll see what artisans I can find locally.
Those who want to keep an open fire clearly have no fear of the toxins & particles that will permeate your lungs by keeping one.
For your health, fuel efficiency & (probably) the likelihood of getting a proper professional installation you need to go for a room sealed wood burner.
If you pay for your wood then a pellet burner is even better.
Then that person can deal with all the dust/ash/dead birds/ chimney sweeping admin/ log buying kindling etc that goes with it. I love open fires and have 3 enormous ones but I’m thinking of doing away with 2 of them (because of the things I mentioned) and just keeping one to keep the inner pyromaniac happy (2 others have already been done away with).
I can’t comment on French practice and legalities, but back in the Olden Days when I used to sell fireplaces in the UK, we had a lively side-trade in toughened glass panels (fixed to the inside of the fireplace opening with steel brackets) that would reduce the effective size of the fireplace opening (and hence improve the “draw”) with minimal aesthetic effect on the look of the fireplace.
We even made some for the giant mediaeval fireplaces at Leeds Castle in Kent, where sufficient peasants to tend and keep a huge roaring fire going are no longer available!
But I do agree with the others who have responded that a fully closed solution (with a chimney liner) is a much better idea both from the efficiency and health standpoints.
