Hi, I'm Anita and I live in northern Florida where it's been below freezing every night for the last few weeks. (Which wouldn't be that big of a deal if our heating systems here were designed to handle it, but they're not!)
I am looking for a little advice on repairing masonry fireboxes.
I have an old house with a fireplace which I do not use because the chimney is unlined and the firebox not in good shape. I have been mulling over what to do about it.
Originally I was thinking mostly of ambiance, but the recent cold spell has convinced me I should try to get something in there that can produce a bit of auxiliary heat when needed.
I think I would like to block off the chimney with a metal plate as described here: https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/making_a_block_off_plate/
Then I would like to have a small set of vent-free gas logs installed. (Small enough to fit in the fireplace and to not fry the wood mantel) The room is plenty big enough so it would not be a "confined space" according to regulations for ventless appliances.
The mortar in the firebox is crumbling . Can fixing this be a reasonable DIY job? How would this be done? I assume I would scrape out the loose mortar and replace it with refractory mortar? Any tips on how to do this so the new mortar will "stick" well and not spall off with the first temperature changes? I retiled an entire bathroom last summer so I have some experience with this sort of thing.
Thank you very much.
A.
I am looking for a little advice on repairing masonry fireboxes.
I have an old house with a fireplace which I do not use because the chimney is unlined and the firebox not in good shape. I have been mulling over what to do about it.
Originally I was thinking mostly of ambiance, but the recent cold spell has convinced me I should try to get something in there that can produce a bit of auxiliary heat when needed.
I think I would like to block off the chimney with a metal plate as described here: https://www.hearth.com/econtent/index.php/articles/making_a_block_off_plate/
Then I would like to have a small set of vent-free gas logs installed. (Small enough to fit in the fireplace and to not fry the wood mantel) The room is plenty big enough so it would not be a "confined space" according to regulations for ventless appliances.
The mortar in the firebox is crumbling . Can fixing this be a reasonable DIY job? How would this be done? I assume I would scrape out the loose mortar and replace it with refractory mortar? Any tips on how to do this so the new mortar will "stick" well and not spall off with the first temperature changes? I retiled an entire bathroom last summer so I have some experience with this sort of thing.
Thank you very much.
A.