Can I have a "Hole in the Wall" fire?
A chimney is constructed of a chamber at the bottom into which the appliance is fitted and then tapers into a flue which runs up through the house to the roof. The size and construction of the fire chamber will determine the type of fire that can be fitted. Provided that there is enough height and width in the chamber to allow the fire box to be fitted and the waste gases to be extracted safely, then you can probably have the fire of your choice. Some hole in the wall fires are required to run on a reduced size flue so you may have to have a liner inserted into the chimney. If this is the case, then ease of access to the chimney stack will also be a consideration. Unfortunately some modern chimneys are built of prefabricated components with very small fire chambers which can sometimes restrict the type of fire you can fit. You are advised to seek advice from a qualified fireplace surveyor to determine the structure of your chimney. In cases where there is no chimney but the fire can be installed against an outside wall, balanced flue glass-fronted gas fires are an option but it may be necessary to construct a false chimney breast to house the actual fire box which will almost always be too deep to fit in a cavity wall when the fire is required to fit flush to the wall.
