This guide is meant as a guide only for fitting decorative fireplaces. To fit a working fireplace the relevant qualified engineer must carry out the work. Failing to use the relevant qualified engineer may void the warrantee.
To fit a Solid fuel fireplace use a Hetas qualified engineer.
Find a qualified Hetas engineer
To fit a Gas fireplace use a Gas Safe Register qualified engineer. (Gas Safe Register replaced Corgi on April 1st 2009)
Find a qualified Gas Safe Register engineer
Tiles
Lay tiles face down on floor, making sure you have lined the five tiles up (matching the pattern) Using wide masking tape stick the five tiles together at the back (two 2 inch wide strips 30 inches long). Place insert face down on floor run a bead of black Silicon around the outer edge of the tile frame, place the set of five tiles into the Silicon bead press firmly in place. Now run two beads of Silicon along the tile bar which is then placed behind the tiles locate the bolts at each end of the tile bar tighten up the bolts so that the tile bar sinks into the Silicon **Be very careful the tiles are ceramic and will crack if over tightened**. Now lift the insert up to make sure the tile pattern is inline at the front of the insert, then put to one side to set.
Hearth
Place hearth onto a bed of sand and cement mix, so that the back edge of the hearth is against the plaster line of the chimney making sure that the hearth is central to the fire opening, and that both sides of the hearth are the same distance from the chimney edges, using a sprit level placed on top of hearth make sure it is level side to side and front to back.
If you are having a gas fire fitted you will have to make a channel at the back of the hearth for the gas pipe to run from the supply to the fire.
Fire opening and fire back (concrete)
Protect the hearth with an old blanket, place the insert onto the hearth put the wooden surround on top of the hearth around the insert push the surround against the insert so that it goes against the chimney, mark out against the fire opening the area which needs to be removed. (Put the surround and the insert to one side). Once this area is removed, now cement the floor area of the fire opening to the same height as the hearth place the concrete fire back into the opening, make sure the fire back is in the right position with the insert, then back fill with sand and cement and any loose rubble behind the fire back when you get to the top of the fire back flaunch back to an angle of approx. 45 degrees. Now place the lintel (flat face forward) with sand and cement onto the front edge of the top of the fire back, then brick up on top of the lintel with bricks and sand and cement sealing all around the front sides of the fire back and top. Smooth off any rough areas inside the chimney space above the fire back so that you get a free flow of air going up the chimney.
Cast iron Insert and wooden Surround
Now that the fire back is in the correct position the insert can be placed on top of the hearth in front of the fire back put the wooden surround around the insert and mark against the wall with a pencil were the surround comes remove the surround from the chimney, where the pencil mark is on the wall, measure the thickness of the outer wooden leg of the surround transfer that measurement to the inside of the pencil line, then screw a two by one inch batten down the chimney wall inside of that line so that it is the full height of the leg of the surround, repeat on the other side. Now put the surround back around the insert making sure the battens are on the inside of each leg, now screw through the top of the leg of the surround into batten repeat on the other side do the same at the bottom of the leg. Now the surround is in place you need to seal the insert to the fire back get some fire rope one or two inches thick (or fire cement) push the rope between the cast iron and the concrete fire back all the way around the sides and the top to make a good seal.
Combination Fireplaces
Look at the back of the combination fireplace measure the outer area of the cast iron fire back, mark out this area with a pencil on to your chimney wall from the top of were the hearth will be fixed into place, now remove the brick work from the marked out area, to the right depth for your combination to fit into (you will have to insert a lintel into the brick work above the fire opening)
Place the Combination fireplace on to the hearth, mark out around the outer edge of the combination with a pencil, then remove the plaster from the marked area of your chimney wall, once you have removed the plaster and you are down to bare brick, you can fix the combination to the chimney wall, drill through the two holes each side of the combination, and using raw plugs and screws, fix firmly to the chimney wall. Now that the combination is securely fixed to the chimney wall you need to back fill behind the cast iron fire back, you can do this through the open flap area at the back of the combination, use Vermiculite (or loose rubble) mixed with sand and cement, when you have filled the area at the back of the chimney you will need to flaunch back at 45 degree angle slopping back, to the back of the chimney area, when this is all completed you can then plaster around the completed combination. Remove any deposits of cement and plaster from the cast iron with a damp cloth.
Please note this is a guide only and Victorian Fireplaces Ltd accept no responsibility for any issues which may occur through the use of this guide.
Return to previous page
Return to guides overview