GB2096309A - Mounting gas fires in place - Google Patents

Abstract

A flue box 10 is built into a fireplace by building or rebuilding a chimney breast and plastering over the chimney breast to secure the flue box in position. A closure plate (not shown) covers the front of the flue box 10. A rider plate 36 is mounted on the top of the flue box 10, and carries mounting brackets 46 at opposite ends thereof. The flue box is used to mount a gas fire in a fire place, in a safe yet simple manner. The outlet flue of the gas fire passes through an appropriately positioned hole in the closure plate at the front of the flue box 10, and the gas fire itself is preferably secured to the mounting brackets 46. <IMAGE>

Description

SPECIFICATION Gas fires The invention relates to gas fires, and more particularly to a method of installing a gas fire in a fireplace.

In conventional methods of installing a gas fire in a fireplace the fire is secured around, or mounted adjacent to the opening of the fireplace and then a seal is formed between the top and upper side edges of the gas fire and corresponding edges of the fireplace. The seal is usually formed by taping a closure plate of the gas fire around the upper edges of the fireplace opening.

Combustion gases from the gas fire are arranged to pass through the closure plate and up the chimney but if the seal beween the gas fire and the fireplace is not tight enough or if the seal fails, the combustion gases, which could contain carbon monoxide and other toxide fumes, may leak through the seal into living quarters and so present a danger to the health of persons occupying the living quarters.

The combustion gases from the gas fire are more likely to be recirculated to the seal if there is a downdraught in the chimney, or if the chimney is inadequately ventilated as may occur if the chimney is blocked, for example, by excess soot.

When using conventional methods of intalling a gas fire in a fireplace difficulties have been experienced in aligning the gas fire relatively to the fireplace to enable a strong seal to be formed therebetween.

The present invention seeks to provide a method of installing a gas fire in a firepiace which mitigates or alleviates the difficulties associated with the conventional methods.

According to the invention a method of installing a gas fire in a fireplace comprises locating a flue box at the base of the chimney, the flue box having an exit passage in the top and/or rear of the box,. and an open front adapted to receive a closure plate, building or rebuilding a chimney breast of the fireplace or a part thereof and/or plastering over the chimney breast to secure the flue box in position, sealing the closure plate to at least an upper front edge of the flue box, and connecting an outlet from a gas fire to the closure plate so that combustion gases from the gas fire can be conducted through the outlet into the flue box, and thence out of the exit passage into the chimney.

Since the flue box is secured in position at the base of the chimney prior to the fixing of the gas fire in the fireplace, the flue box provides a rigid structure to which the closure plate of the gas fire can be sealed, and/or to which the gas fire can be secured.

Preferably, where the gas fire is to be installed in an existing fireplace the method comprises removing part of the brickwork of the chimney breast prior to locating the flue box at the base of the chimney breast.

Preferably, also, a base support is provided or built at the base of the chimney prior to locating the flue box at the base of the chimney, the flue box being then located on the base support.

The height of the base support determines the height of the flue box in the base of the chimney and by choosing the base support of a suitable height, the flue box, closure plate and the gas fire can all be secured in position in the fireplace at a convenient height relatively thereto and relatively to each other.

The closure plate may be sealed to the flue box by taping the closure plate to the flue box with closure plate tape, masking tape, or the like tape which is impervious to the combustion gases of the gas fire so that the combustion gases are restricted from passing between the closure plate and the flue box.

A gap may be provided between the lower edge of the closure plate and the lower front face of the flue box when the closure plate is sealed to the flue box to enable air from the living quarters in front of the fireplace to pass between the closure plate and the flue box at the lower edges thereof, through the opening in the front face of the flue box, and to the chimney to provide ventilation of the chimney and to ensure that air flows towards the gas fire when the fire is lit to provide sufficient oxygen for efficient combustion of each gas flame of the gas fire.

The method may also include securing one or more mounting brackets to the flue box prior to the building or rebuilding the chimney breast and/or plastering the chimney breast, the gas fire being secureable to the mounting brackets to connect the gas fire to the fireplace and to locate the gas fire relatively to the flue box. The method may also comprise securing the gas fire to the or each mounting bracket, for example by threaded securing means.

Alternatively, the method may include plugging the chimney breast brickwork prior to securing the gas fire thereto, in order to secure the gas fire to the fireplace. The gas fire may be secured to the chimney breast, for example by threaded securing means, rawlplugs or the like, once the chimney breast has been plugged.

A gasket or seal may be provided around the outlet from the gas fire where it is connected to the closure plate to provide a gas-tight seal therebetween.

The invention also includes a flue box for the method according to the invention, comprising a box having an open front, an exit passage in the top and/or rear of the box, and means to receive a closure plate for the open front.

Preferably, the flue box is provided with a rider plate which can be slid over the top of the flue box. The rider plate may have engagement means one at each side thereof, each engagement means being engageable with a respective side of the flue box to locate the rider centrally with respect to the longitudinal axis of the flue box.

One or more mounting brackets may be connectable to the rider, and may be adjustable thereon, the gas fire being securable to the or each mounting bracket. The gas fire may be secureable to the mounting brackets at any one of a series of positions along the length of the mounting brackets, for example, by threaded securing means.

Preferably two mounting brackets are connectable one to each side of the rider, and the mounting brackets may each be arranged to slide relatively to the rider. The longitudinal axis of the or each mounting bracket is preferably arranged at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the rider, and may also be arranged at right angles to the longitudinal axis of the flue box.

One embodiment of a flue box and a method of installing a gas fire in a fireplace according to the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings, of which: Figure 1 is a plan view of a flue box in accordance with the invention; Figure 2 is a perspective view of the flue box shown in Figure 1 provided with a rider and mounting brackets; Figure 3 is a side elevation of the rider shown in Figure 2; Figure 4 is a side elevation of a mounting bracket as shown in Figure 2; Figure 5 is a plan view of the mounting bracket shown in Figure 4; Figure 6 is a diagrammatic side view of a lower portion of a chimney, and a fireplace having a flue box, as shown in Figure 2 and a gas fire installed therein; and Figure 7 is a diagrammatic perspective view of a flue box substantially as shown in Figure 2, fitted with a closure plate.

A substantially rectangular mild steel flue box having an.open rearface and an open front face is indicated generally at 1 0. The box 10 comprises a flat base plate 12 having a side wall 14 upstanding one from each side thereof. A top plate 1 6 is welded at each of its side edges to a respective upper end 1 8 of a respective side wall 14, the upper end 18 of each side wail 14 being turned over at right angles to the respective side wall 14, so that the upper ends of each side wall 14 face each other and are substantially parallel with each other. The upper ends 1 8 extend as strips one along the top plate 1 6 of the box 1 0 along each side thereof.The forward end of the top plate 16 is bent upwardly perpendicular to the plane of the plate 1 6 to form an upper sealing flange 20. The upper sealing flange 20 is welded at each of its ends to a side flange 22, each side flange 22 being an extension of a respective side wall 14.

The base plate 12 projects forwardly of the side flanges 22, and a channel section member 28 is welded one to each side of the forward projection 30 of the base plate 12. The channel section members 28 are open at their upper ends. The arrangement of the forward end of the flue box 10 is such that a closure plate 32 (see Figure 7) can be located with its lower edge in the channel section members 28, to substantially close the forward face of the box 20 apart from a small gap 34 between the lower edge of the closure plate 32 and the base plate 12 where the closure plate is supported above the base plate 12 on the webs of the channel section members 28.

An elongate metal rider 36 (see Figures 2 and 3) is arranged to be located on the top of the box 10 on the upper ends 18 of the side walls 14, and is adapted to slide over the upper ends 1 8 forwardly or rearwardly of the box 10. A pair of angle irons 38 are welded in spaced-apart relationship to the underside of the rider 36. The distance between the downwardly depending arms 40 of each angle iron 38 is substantially the same as the width of the box 10 so that when the rider 36 is located on the box, the arms 40 each engage with a respective side wall 14 to ensure that the rider 36 is centrally located parallel with the transverse axis of the box 10 even when the rider slides forwardly or rearwardly of the box 10.

The outer ends 42 of the rider 36 each extend outwardly past a respective side wall 14 of the box 10 when the rider 36 is located on the box, and each outer end 42 has a series of holes 44 formed therethrough substantially on the centre line of the rider 36.

A mounting bracket 46 is arranged to be located one on each outer end 42 of the rider 36.

The mounting brackets 46 are each capable of iimited sliding movement relatively over the associated outer end 42. Each mounting bracket 46 comprises two "L" shaped members 48 as shown in Figure 4, the "L" shaped members 48 of each bracket 46 being welded together along one of their arms 50 to form a rest 52, and the other of their arms 54 extending away from each other in the same plane to provide a substantially continuous flat elongate mounting surface 56 having a series of holes 58 formed along the centre line thereof.The rest 52 of each mounting bracket has a slot 60 formed therethrough, and each rest 52 is arranged to be located on, and can slide over a respective outer end 42 of the rider 36 until the slot 60 is registered with one of the series of holes 44 in the respective outer end 42 whereupon the rest 52, and rider 36 can be secured together by passing a bolt (not shown) through the slot 60 and the hole 44 and securing the bolt with a nut (also not shown). The mounting brackets 46 can thus each be secured in a fixed position relatively to the associated outer end 42 of the rider 36.

A gas fire 64 can be fastened to a hole 58 of each mounting bracket 46 by means of a nut and bolt connection (not shown) to secure the gas fire relatively to the flue box 10.

As shown in Figure 6, the flue box is arranged to be located in the base of a chimney 66 to aid the installation of a gas fire 64 in the fireplace 68. In order to locate a flue box lOin the base of the chimney 66, part of the chimney breast 70 around the fireplace 68 is firstly removed, for example by a hammer and chisel, and then a floor support 72 is built into the base of the chimney 66. A flue box 10 is then located on the support 72 with the base plate 12 of the box 10 resting on the upper surface of the support 72.The rider 36 is then located on the top of the box 1 0 and is slid over the upper ends 18 of the side walls 14 of the box 10 until the rider is correctly positioned on the box 10 for mounting brackets 46 to be secured one to each outer end 42 of the rider 36 with the mounting surface 56 of each bracket 46 adjacent to and substantially aligned with a respective side flange 22 at an associated side of the box 10. The mounting brackets 46 are then secured to the said outer ends of the rider 36, as previously described.

With the rider 36 and mounting brackets 46 located on the flue box 10 as shown in Figure 2, the flue box is secured in position at the base of the chimney 66 by building the chimney breast 70 back up around the fireplace 68, and then plastering the chimney breast up to the front edge of the sealing flange 20. Once the chimney breast 70 has been rebuilt the gas fire 64 can be installed in the fire-place 68. Firstly, the closure plate 32 is cut to the right size so that when supported on the channel section members 28, the upper edge of the closure plate lies along the sealing flange 20.

The gas fire 64 is then offered up to the fireplace in substantially the position it will adopt when installed, and the position of an outlet flue spigot 74 from the rear of the gas fire 64 relatively to the closure plate 32 is marked on the closure plate.

The gas fire 64 is then removed and a hole 76 is then drilled through the closure plate to accommodate the flue spigot 74 and a rubber sealing grommet 78 is secured around the periphery of the hole 76 ready for insertion of the spigot 74 therein.

Closure plate sealing tape 88 is used to seal the closure plate 32 to the open front face of the flue box 1 0. Thus, at least the upper edge of the closure plate 32 is taped with closure plate sealing tape 88 to the respective upper sealing flange 20 so that a gas-tight seal is formed between the upper edge of the closure plate 32 and the sealing flange 20. The gas fire 64 is then once again offered up to the closure plate 32 in the fireplace 68, and when the spigot 74 is inserted through the hole 76, the grommet 78 forms a gas-tight seal between the spigot 74 and the periphery of the hole 76. The gas fire 64 is then secured to the mounting brackets 46, as previously described to locate the gas fire in position in the fireplace 68. It will be seen in Figure 6 that the gas fire 64 is partly supported on the forward projection 30 of the box 10.

To complete the installation of the gas fire 64 in the fireplace 68, pipes (not shown) carrying a natural gas supply are connected to the gas fire 64 and the gas supply to the gas fire 64 is turned on.

In use the gas fire is turned on and the natural gas is lit. The fumes formed by combustion of the natural gas are conducted away from the rear of the gas fire 64 through the spigot 74 to the flue box 10 from which the combustion fumes escape and rise by convection up the chimney 66 as indicated by arrow A in Figure 6 from the rear of the box 10.

The gas-tight seals formed at least between the upper edge of the closure plate 32 and the sealing flange 20 and between the spigot 74 and the periphery of the hole 76 ensure that the combustion fumes do not leak from the flue box 10 into the living quarters indicated generally at 80.

The smail gap 34 between the lower edge of the closure plate 32 and the forward projection 30 ensures that air can flow into the flue box 10 from below the gas fire 64 in order to provide ventilation of the chimney 66, and to aid the passage of the combustion fumes up the chimney 66.

it will be appreciated that the flue box 1 0 not only provides a rigid support structure to which the gas fire 64 can be secured, but also provides a sealing face against which the closure plate 32 can be sealed, and in addition also provides a trap for any soot or other debris falling down the chimney 66 which if not trapped by the box 10, could hinder the efficient combustion of the gas fire, and could even result in leakage of toxic fumes into the living quarters 80.

The provision of the flue box 10 in the fireplace 68 thus makes the installation of the gas fire 64 in the fireplace 68 substantially easier and quicker than the conventional methods of installation which use no such flue box.

Alternative embodiments according to the invention are also envisaged. Thus, for example, the top plate 16 of the box 10 could be removed provided that a sealing flange 20 was secured between the side walls 14 of the box 10, the box 10 then still being able to provide a sealing surface for the closure plate 32, and a trap for debris falling down the chimney. Moreover, the flue box having no top plate 1 6 would be correspondingly cheaper and easier to fabricate than the flue box 1 0. The flue boxes could be produced in a range of sizes to accommodate variations in the sizes of the chimney 66 the gas fire 64 and/or the fireplace 68.

Instead of securing the gas fire 64 to the mounting brackets 46, the mounting brackets could be dispensed with, and the gas fire 64 could be secured directly to the chimney breast 70 which could be plugged for just such a purpose if required.

The arrangement of the gas fire 64 in the fireplace 68 may be subject to provisions or standards laid down by the government or the gas industry and the flue box 10, the closure plate 32, and the gas fire 64 may be so constructed and arranged relatively to each other to comply with such provisions or standards.

Instead of re-building the chimney breast around the flue box, a decorative surround may be used, for example a timber asbestos backed surround incorporating book shelves.

The closure plate may be provided with a hole 76 already formed therein and the hole may be rectangular. It is not essential to use a rubber sealing grommet.

Claims (22)

1. A method of installing a gas fire in a fireplace, comprising the steps of locating the flue box at the base of the chimney, the flue box having an exit passage in the top and/or rear of the box, and an open front adapted to receive a closure plate, building or rebuilding a chimney breast of the fireplace or a part thereof and/or plastering over the chimney breast to secure the flue box in position, sealing the closure plate to at least an upper front edge of the flue box, and connecting an outlet from a gas fire to the closure plate so that combustion gases from the gas fire can be conducted through the outlet into the flue box, and thence out of the exit passage into the chimney.

2. A method of installing a gas fire in a fireplace, according to Claim 1, including the step of removing part of the brickwork of the chimney breast prior to locating the flue box at the base of the chimney breast.

3. A method of installing a gas fire in a fireplace, according to Claim 1 or 2, wherein a base support is provided or built at the base of the chimney prior to locating the flue box at the base of the chimney, the flue box being then located on the base support.

4. A method of installing a gas fire in a fireplace according to Claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the closure plate is sealed to the flue box by taping the closure ,plate to the flue box with closure plate tape, masking tape, or the like tape which is impervious to combustion gases of the gas fire so that the combustion gases are restricted from passing between the closure plate and the flue box.

5. A method of installing a gas fire in a fireplace, according to any preceding claim, wherein a gap is provided between the lower edge of the closure plate and the lower front face of the flue box when the closure plate is sealed to the flue box.

6. A method of installing a gas fire in a fireplace, according to any preceding claim, including the step of securing one or more mounting brackets to the flue box prior to building or rebuilding the chimney breast and/or plastering the chimney breast, the gas fire being secureable to the mounting brackets to connect the gas fire to the firepiace and to locate the gas fire relatively to the flue box.

7. A method of installing a gas fire in a fireplace, according to any one of Claims 1 to 5, including the step of plugging the chimney breast brickwork prior to securing the gas fire thereto, in order to secure the gas fire to the fireplace.

8. A method of installing a gas fire in a fireplace, according to any preceding claim, wherein a gasket or seal is provided around the outlet from the gas fire where it is connected to the closure plate, to provide a gas-tight seal therebetween.

9. A method of installing a gas fire in a fireplace the method being substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 0. A flue box for use in a method according to any preceding claim, comprising a box having an open front, an exit passage in the top and/or rear of the box, and means to receive a closure plate for the open front.

1 A flue box according to Claim 10, having an open rear face.

12. A flue box according to Claim 10 or 11, tormed of mild steel.

13. A flue box according to Claim 10, 11 or 12 provided with a rider plate which can be slid over the top of the flue box.

14. A flue box according to Claim 3, wherein the rider plate has engagement means each engageable with a respective side of the flue box to locate the rider plate centrally with respect to the flue box.

1 5. A flue box according to Claim 13 or 14, having one or more mounting brackets which are connectable to the rider plate, and are adapted to mount a gas fire thereon.

16. Aflue box according to Claim 15, wherein the position of each mounting bracket on the rider plate is adjustable.

17. A flue box according to Claim 1 5 or 16, wherein the or each mounting bracket is adapted to receive a sealing means of a gas fire at any one of a plurality of positions along the length of the mounting bracket.

18. A flue box according to Claim 1 5, 16 or 17 wherein two mounting brackets are connectable one to each side of the rider plate.

19. A flue box according to any one of Claims 1 5 to 18, wherein the or each mounting bracket is arranged to slide relatively to the rider plate.

20. A flue box according to any one of Claims 1 5 to 1 9, wherein a longitudinal axis of the or each mounting bracket extends at right angles to a longitudinal axis of the rider plate.

21. A flue box according to any one of Claims 1 5 to 20, wherein a longitudinal axis of the or each mounting bracket extends at right angles to a longitudinal axis of the flue box.

22. A flue box substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings.