Expert: James Ball - 11/14/2008

Question
the outside of my existing standard (rumford type)fireplace is now in the center of the kitchen,due to adding a room,doubling the kitchen area....with other words,the chimney/fireplace is now centered in the kitchen....is it possible and safe,to open the backside for flue access,and building a through,two faced firebox? The existing fireplace is made of cinderblock with an easy removable brick facing....by cutting an opening above the smoke shelf and adding a second damper on the other side,relining the new opening with angle iron supported brick,can the origioneal firebox backwall be removed?please help....no other info or pics to be found on the internet,thank you,hans-peter trode

Answer
Hello Hans, I am not a big fan of double sides fireplaces they really do not heat well (get a wood stove/insert)and tend to smoke if not built correctly. I would have a local Certified Chimney Sweep (www.csia.org, there you can look up by zip code to find one near you) take a first hand look at what you have. You will need a mason they should be able to tell you if you can do it safely, how much, if it will draw (fireplaces are sized when built to the size of the flue and the flue might may not hold the double sides fireplace, just cutting in a second damper might not be enough. also check with your local building department.
good luck and keep me posted