The 30th June today is my fourth wedding aniversary to my lovely wife wife and business partner here at Castfireplaces.
We both own the company and both work fulltime for the company too, as i have said many times before we are a proper family firm with family based service and traditions this is what sets us far apart from any other online fireplace company you will ever deal with we both love our job and you will see that in the service you recieve from us.
So this evening we are closing early as we are off out for a nice meal and an evening in a nice hotel i have booked this also means we will not be back till Lunchtime tomorrow.
Sorry about that but as we are a small family run business we would not ever leave anybody in charge its our little baby and we run it that way.
So if you do require any information regarding a fireplace or stove we are here till 6pm (instead of 8pm) and you can always send us an email and we will reply to them all in the morning when we return.
Looking forward to an evening away from the children and having a nice meal and as its a suprise Rhian has no idea where we are going.
Archive for June, 2010
Wedding Anniversary today at Castfireplaces
Wednesday, June 30th, 2010Tiger Plus Stove and Soot Door to Wirksworth
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010Hello Mark,
I would be highly delighted to give you a recommendation. Apart from being the best deal around, I thought the service and friendliness was excellent. Your fitter Matt did an excellent job too, especially considering the super hard bricks he had to contend with.
All the best
Related Products
Tiger Plus Multi Fuel Stove
Soot Door
Time to spring clean your multi fuel stove
Tuesday, June 29th, 2010It is the time of the year now you are not using your multi fuel stove to dismantle it and give it a thorough good clean, i know when its winter time and in use every day we all empty the ashpan but really not much else.
Anyway as the weather is a lot warmer let me explain to you how to give it a really good clean
First off get some clean newspaper and cover the whole are in front of the fire, remove any ash on the grate and drop it into the ashpan.
Remove the Hood thats sits on top of the firebricks and place on the paper then take out the firebricks and finally the grate and ashpan.
Hoover out any ash left in the stove and then inspect for any damage to the casting.
Take outside the baffle hood and the grate and give them a good wire brush loosening and removing any dirt these can then be sprayed with Heat temp paint if required.
Do the same with the firebricks using a soft brush and hoover ashpan check for any cracks or damage and repair or replace if needed then its all ready to be refitted.
Lightly hoover around the rope door seals checking for any fraying or if its coming out of its groove reglue back in place.
Give the glass a good polish with soot and tar removing glass cleaner to leave it as clean as a whistle, finally just give the outside a hoover off and add a drop of oil to the hinge pins and now your stove is all ready for a good winters use ahead.
Which way round do my Fireplace tiles go
Monday, June 28th, 2010Well when i took this phonecall this morning from Tony who fits a huge amount of fireplaces for us in the South area i thought he was taking the mickey as he really knows his job and very rarely rings for advice more for a chat and a bit of banter.
Anyway the Fireplace tiles in question are the Lavenham Velvet of course which are a gallery set of tiles sold by us on our website and very popular.
I knew instantly which set he meant and i said there all the same its a repetitive pattern so it doesnt matter, he replied thats what i thought and on closer inspection there not all the same.
Now i knew they had 3 tiles on two sides on 2 on the other but i had not seen that some of the two tile panels were further apart.
Right let me ring you back ill get brochure out and have a look now you can see what i mean there not the same and when fitted into the fireplace they do not seem to run in any pattern apart from the three flowers always being at the top.
So we settled on the fact they are placed in random fashion as there is no other way for them to go, so another thing i have learnt today i would have never noticed that had it not been pointed out to me.
So little small details eluded me and ive sold probably 100 sets of lavenham tiles in the past and this have never been mentioned before its true what they say you learn a little something everyday even if i have to store that bit of information in my brain forever without someone asking ever again its now logged in should anybody ever ask again.
Cast iron fireplace choices
Monday, June 28th, 2010Adding a living flame cast iron fireplace to a room can really add that ‘wow’ factor you might have been looking for. But with so many different designs available, how can you be sure what fireplace will work well in the room?
The size of your chimney breast
Perhaps the first thing to consider when choosing a cast iron fireplace is the size of the room in which it is going to be installed. The fireplace will be installed in your chimney breast, so it’s best to check the dimensions of this before you make your choice. Chimney breast dimensions can differ from home to home, so it’s always worth checking this before you buy a fireplace which is too large for the space you have.
Tiles or no tiles
This is purely down to personal preference, but the tiles in the fire can work well with the décor in your home if you choose appropriately. It’s worth noting that fireplaces that have tiles are usually wider that those that do not.
The cast iron fireplace finish
Not all cast iron fireplaces are finished with a matt black effect. On some, the detail can be of a high gloss polished effect and on others the whole fire can polished to provide a striking high gloss finish.
With so many different beautiful designs to choose from, we hope that these tips will be able to narrow down your options.
Firefox 12 Stove to Ely Cambridge
Sunday, June 27th, 2010Good Evening Mark,
Thanks for delivery today of our stove how you driver got it into our house on his own i will never know i’ve just gone to move it and it wouldnt budge an inch.
Fitter is coming Wednesday day to install so will contact you if we have any issues once again thanks for great service and above all the price is the best on the internet
Thanks
Related Products
Firefox 12 Multi Fuel Stove
Fireplace delivery makes driver miss England game
Sunday, June 27th, 2010Well what can i say except that i wish i had been at work today delivering fireplaces and stoves to the sunny South on our normal fireplace delivery run.
Stuart today has been out for an eleven hour stint and was not back in time to see Englands exit from the world cup again to the germans which is a blessing in disguise.
I wish i had been out delivering too but we loaded it all on to one van and he had a busy long day from Amersham to Farnborough down to Brighton and then in to London and finally in Cambridge which if anyone knows the UK is a good trip right around the M25 and many places in between.
Again we have had 3 stoves to deliver which is unusual with the warm weather people must be planning ahead.
An English fireplace is long a thing of the past just like our football team and Stu is not bothered he missed the match but someone had to do the job today as we never let anyone down and pride ourselves on our delivery service which for most of you is the only face to face contact with our company.
We really are good at it and i believe we do oofer the best service you can have if you do not take my word for it have a read through our testimonials section.
Bye for now off to drown my sorrows
What is a Class 1 or a Class 2 fireplace?
Sunday, June 27th, 2010Having a beautiful cast iron fireplace as the focal point in your room can enhance the interior décor of the room considerably. And when you have a living flame gas fire, the effect can be truly stunning.
When you buy your cast iron fireplace, you will have a number of options to choose from regarding the fire insert. You can choose from an electric option, a real fire option, a Class 1 gas fire and a Class 2 fire. You can probably tell the difference between an electric fire and a real (open hearth) fire, but do you know the difference between Class 1 and Class 2 gas fires?
Class 1 and Class 2 fireplaces
The choice of a Class 1 or a Class 2 fireplace is determined by the type of chimney and flue you have in your house. And, in fact, this can play a significant part of your cast iron fireplace choice too.
You chimney or flue type can be determined by a survey from a qualified Gas Safe registered engineer.
Class 1 flue fires
If you have a standard chimney which is easily recognisable on your roof, the likelihood is you will have a flue diameter of 7” or greater. If the chimney is very old, it may not be airtight, so a liner should be fitted. But this type of chimney should be able to support a Class 1 fire.
Class 2 fire flues
If you have a pre-fabricated flue or a pre-cast flue, the chances are, you will need a Class 2 fire. A pre-fabricated flue is usually distinguishable by the metal gas terminal on your roof. This will usually have a flue diameter of about 5”. Pre-cast flues usually use block work in the cavity in a similar method to a standard chimney. However they are very shallow and don’t offer a great deal of extraction, you might notice a ridge vent or gas terminal on your roof in this instance.
In summary, it really does depend on the size of flue you have whether you can have a Class 1 or a Class 2 fire. For flues of 7” or larger, Class 1 is appropriate. For flues less than 7” that are around 5” in diameter Class 2 is the right choice.
Cast iron fireplace choices
Saturday, June 26th, 2010Adding a living flame cast iron fireplace to a room can really add that ‘wow’ factor you might have been looking for. But with so many different designs available, how can you be sure what fireplace will work well in the room?
The size of your chimney breast
Perhaps the first thing to consider when choosing a cast iron fireplace is the size of the room in which it is going to be installed. The fireplace will be installed in your chimney breast, so it’s best to check the dimensions of this before you make your choice. Chimney breast dimensions can differ from home to home, so it’s always worth checking this before you buy a fireplace which is too large for the space you have.
Tiles or no tiles
This is purely down to personal preference, but the tiles in the fire can work well with the décor in your home if you choose appropriately. It’s worth noting that fireplaces that have tiles are usually wider that those that do not.
The cast iron fireplace finish
Not all cast iron fireplaces are finished with a matt black effect. On some, the detail can be of a highly polished effect and on others the whole fire can polished to provide a striking high polish shiny finish.
With so many different beautiful designs to choose from, we hope that these tips will be able to narrow down your options.
If not just give us a call
Fireplace not backfilled this is what happens
Friday, June 25th, 2010So when using a fireplace for solid fuel use we have stated many time before that it needs to be backfilled to stop any damage to the cast iron back.
I know some of you are now saying what is back filling and how do i do it.
Any profesional fireplace fitter would have done this already for you and you will not need to worry about it, for those that have fitted it themselves or had DIY Dan the I can do anything man you may need to pay a little attention.
Backfilling is filling the inside chamber of the chimney breast so that it is packed full and very tight with no air pockets with vermiculite or small pieces of rubble.
This is an essential part of fitting a fireplace and for all open back fireplaces it must also be sloped so soot falls into the fireplace opening its a little harder with fireplaces with damper flaps as these still have to operate backwards and forwards.
So if you have not backfilled correctly or have air pockets there you can expect over time to have some damage to your cast iron back and hopefully just the Replacement Firebrick like in this photo supplied by one of our customers.
Luckily its not the end of the world we do supply replacement bricks for our fireplaces as they will will warp and crack over time but not wihin 8 months like the one shown below.
So check your fireplace is fitted correctly to avoid any damage to the working parts of it.
