Show us your open fires

[lee gsi]

Looking at opening up our old fireplace that was covered over and a gas fire fitted (Council house).

Removed the board that was covering the hole and now know there is just a hole and the brickwork (And soot sitting bottom).

Just need some surround and insert ideas before we decided where and how to spend our money lol

[TonyP2020]

You must get the chimney swept and checked before doing anything.
Gas fires are easier, but cost money to run. Real flame ones can be expensive to run, and cannot be relied upon as the sole source of heat.
Real open fires can use free fuel, but are dirty and cause smoke and soot in the room.
Log burning stoves are a good alternate, but good ones are expensive.

[megsdad]

Not an open fire but I did this a couple of years ago, its fired up ant the mo and nice and warm..

[Handyandy-UK]

One of the other things not many people think about with an open fire is the draught it causes... it's sucking in air as the hot gasses rise up the chimney. Woodburners were very popular while I was up in Shropshire and seem to be quite favoured down here in Suffolk too.

Let's face it, anything that burns 'free fuel' (such as the junk that comes through the letterbox) has to be a good thing.

[lee gsi]

It will be swept and checked before anything is done.

We have central heating so its 'extra' heat and a feature too. Also the wood would probably end up being free as we have a few customers at the garage I work at that are or know tree surgeons

I would love a wood burner but the hole is nowhere near big enough (Only 45cm wide and 36cm deep).

I think we are probably going for a 'basket' style with the brick exposed in the fire.

This sort of thing:

[the_wave_rider]

We removed a gas fire to fit a Stovax log burner 8kw (It was a grand for this alone) and the work I had to do for the chimney and the hearth was extensive to say the least. But once fitted and burning the wood from the trees we chopped down early last year it is a very good source of heat but all in all cost me around £2400 to complete

Open fires are nice but when not lit they are cold and draughty. My brother has an open fire in the same size fire place as you and I made him a stainless steel "flap" over the chimney opening. When the fire is not lit you close the lid up and the draught has gone. Works very well and a good way of keeping an open fire and reducing the coldness out.

If you fit gas the chimney will need sweeping and a gas test to ensure the fumes will not penetrate through the brick work and most will say you need to line the chimney and thats expensive as well (I had mine lined with stainless tubing with 25 year gurantee not cheap but should last)

If it was me I would get a flap made like I did for my bro and use an open fire, collect your wood during the year and a free heat source for the winter.

[Ben50n]

YOu also need to think about the additiopnal mess, they create soot, which will need to be carried back out of the house.

Years ago my parents had Coke fired central heating, the house was always dusty.

[the_wave_rider]

Even with a log burner you do get a bit more dust but it tends to be localised to the area around it

Even with gas I think if its over 5kw you will need to make sure it complies with Building Regs with regards to airflow and fit a carbon monoxide detector

[lee gsi]

It did have a gas fire fitted (One that bolts to the wall).

Good idea about the flap

[TEKMongoose]

I haven't got one at the moment, but I always like the idea of one as a last resort backup heat source. Something to do with having lived through the great storm of 87 in Sufolk, where we had no power for 14 days. Neighbours came around to our house to bake potatos under our fire.