Servicing a gas fire in an old London fireplace

Why old fireplaces need more attention

Stoke Newington, Clapton and Stamford Hill are full of Victorian terraces with original fireplaces in the front and back rooms. Many of those fireplaces had gas fires fitted into them, often decades ago, burning into the original brick chimney. That type of fire is a conventional flue fire. It relies on the chimney to pull the fumes up and out.

Gas Safe Register’s gas fire guide describes several types:

Type	How the fumes leave	What it means in an old house
Conventional flue	Up an open chimney or flue liner by natural draught	Depends on the condition of a chimney that may be over a hundred years old
Balanced flue	Through a sealed duct in the outside wall	Fits on an outside wall, so less common in a middle terrace chimney breast
Flueless	Into the room, with a catalyst	Room size and an opening window matter, per Gas Safe
LPG	Bottled gas	Less common in Stoke Newington, where mains gas is normal

The fire itself may be in fine condition. The chimney is often the weak point. A chimney shared with a neighbour, a stack rebuilt during a loft conversion, or a cap fitted to stop rain can all change how well it draws.

What a gas fire service covers

Gas Safe says the engineer will check that the fire has no faults and is running safely and efficiently, following the manufacturer’s guidelines. On a conventional flue fire in an old fireplace, that normally includes:

1. Visual check of the fire, the fireplace opening, the hearth and any surround.
2. Removing the coals or fuel bed and cleaning the burner and the area behind it.
3. Checking the burner, injector and pilot so the flame burns cleanly.
4. Testing the flue. A flue flow test shows smoke is drawn up the chimney. A spillage test checks fumes are not coming back into the room with the fire lit.
5. Checking ventilation in the room, including any air vent the fire needs.
6. Checking gas pressure and tightness at the fire.
7. Checking any safety devices fitted to the fire.
8. Rebuilding the fuel bed in the right pattern. Coals in the wrong place can upset the flame and cause soot.

You can ask the engineer for a written service report. Gas Safe calls this a Gas Safety Report.

Warning signs of an unsafe gas fire

Gas Safe Register lists signs that a gas appliance may be producing carbon monoxide:

• A floppy yellow or orange flame instead of a crisp blue one
• Dark, sooty staining on or around the fire
• A pilot light that keeps blowing out
• More condensation on the inside of windows than usual

If you see any of these, stop using the fire and have it checked. If you or others in the house get headaches, dizziness or nausea that ease when you go out, think about carbon monoxide. The NHS explains the symptoms. Get fresh air, turn the fire off, and call 0800 111 999. Call 999 if anyone is seriously unwell.

Landlords with gas fires

Many flats in north London HMOs and conversions still have gas fires in what are now bedrooms. HSE is specific about this. Since 31 October 1998, a room converted for use as sleeping accommodation should not contain:

• A gas fire, space heater or water heater over 14 kW gross input unless it is room sealed
• One of 14 kW or less, or any instantaneous water heater, unless it is room sealed or has an atmosphere sensing device

Where a room was already a bedroom before 1998, you need a risk assessment to decide whether it can stay a bedroom with that appliance.

Every gas fire you provide must be on the landlord gas safety certificate. Under the 2022 England regulations, a room used as living accommodation with a fixed combustion appliance, including a gas fire, needs a carbon monoxide alarm (GOV.UK).

Service, replace or remove

Sometimes the service shows the fire is fine. Sometimes it shows the chimney will not draw, parts are no longer made, or the fire is not safe to keep using. Your options are then:

• Repair the fire, if parts are available and the flue tests pass.
• Replace it with a new fire suited to the flue. A new gas fire must be notified to building control by the installer, and you receive a Building Regulations Compliance Certificate. Approved Document J also requires a CO alarm when a new fixed gas appliance is fitted.
• Remove it and cap the gas, leaving the fireplace as a decorative feature or for other use.

If the fire hides a back boiler, removal becomes a heating job too. Our guide to back boiler removal explains what that involves.

Booking a service

London Gas Engineers services, repairs and removes gas fires across north and east London. See our gas fire servicing and removal page. When you get in touch, tell us the make of fire if you know it, whether it sits in an open fireplace, and whether the property is rented. The price is confirmed after a look at the fire and the flue.