my gas fire keeps sooting up ... any ideas please

daz, November 2008

no 100cm VENT NEED UNDER 7KW ONLY AIR IN ROOM NEEDED

GASMAN, December 2009

HI YOUR COALS NEED TO BE PLACE WITH AN AIR SPACE OF 5-10MM BETWEEN THEM AND THE LOCATION OF THE COALS SHOUD BE AS THE M I MANUAL, SOME SOOT IS OK AND EXPECTED WITH A FIRE THAT BURNS A YELLOW FLAME, HAVE YOUR CHIMNEY SWEPT EVERY TWO YEARS AND THE FIRE SERVICED YEARLY MAKING SURE YOUR GAS PRESSURES ARE CHECKED AND THE CHIMNEY IS SMOKEK TESTED.

G T HEATING AND PLUMBING SERVICES, October 2009

bills answer is every bit correct except for the fact that not all dfe,s require 100cm2 ventilation(refer corgi essential gas safety)the manufacturers instructions specify if ventilation is required or not,if in doubt always call a gas safe installer

steve w, August 2009

I would have your chimney or flue checked ASAP. We had the same problem a few years ago and even after having the gas fire serviced it still left soot around the fire and on the marble above the fireplace.

We ended up chaning to a glass-fronted gas fire bought online from www.hotprice.co.uk

We went for this gas fire as we thought the glass front would stop the problem:

http://www.hotprice.co.uk/2118/2923/products/flavel-caress-he-high-efficiency-inset-gas-fire.html

It turns out that when we had the fitter remove the old fire there was a birds best in the chimney which meant that the fumes weren't able to go out at the top!

Very happy with the new gas fire though as it's far more efficienct than the old, open fronted gas fire we had.

Margie Stock, August 2009

bill is correct in some ways but not all dfe gas fires required extra ventelation.The manufacturers instuctions will state if it is required or not.You can have a decorative fuel effect fire in your home up to 7kw heat input without purpuse provided ventilation as long as its the only appliance using the air in that room.Also decorative fuel effect fires starve the initial mix of air so that it produces a yellow flame as to look like a real fire.In doing so it can produce soot as a result which can build up due to incorrect coal allignment.still get it serviced though

kev, January 2009

a DFE gas fire is probably the worst type of fire. these appliances are the most inefficient at around 30% efficiency rating,that means every pound spent on gas you lose 70 pence straight up the chimney.a DFE gas fire must have at least 100cm2 of aditional ventilation to ensure correct combustion and to enable the flue to draw the products of combustion up the flue and out of the room.soot build up is a sign that the appliance is not operating correctly.i suggest you find a corgi installer and have the appliance inspected and serviced. in the short term you should check the manufacturers instructions and make sure you have the artificial coals on the burner arranged in the correct manner as this alone is enough to prevent the appliance working correctly.worst case senario is that the appliance is spliing carbon monoxide into the room which is deadly! are there any signs of soot deposits or discolouration above the fire around the fireplace? if so switch the appliance off and do not use it, this indicates products of combustion are spilling into the room.you obviously have concerns about the fire so dont delay and have it serviced.always use a corgi registered installer!

Bill, December 2008

Why not visit www.onestopfires.co.uk, they have a list of qualified fire guys who will fix it up

Deborah, December 2008