Will I burn down my house - Wires inside chimney question.

[AdsterUK]

I thought it wise to get some opinions before making a huge mistake

I've got a plasma mounted on the brick chimney breast with wires everywhere. I've heard people talk about chasing holes in the plaster for wires but what about putting them inside the chimney itself?

The chimney has a working gas fire in it and used to also house a back boiler. It also has a wooden panel at the side. I foolishly thought that if I removed the panel I'd be able to access the chimney cavity but i've found that its just a 1 brick deep cavity with the old redundant boiler pipes in it.

So the question is, if I make a hole in the front of the chimney and another in the side could I route the wires for the plasma through it? I was planning on enclosing them in pipe insulation stuff to keep the heat down, but the reality is I have no idea how hot it gets in there and would ideally like a rouhg idea before poking holes in things

Any advice welcomed!

[Osakan]

Is there any chance of maybe posting a picture or two so that we can understand the situation a bit better.

My first thought would be that the chimney is presumably sized to match the extraction requirements of the fire, blocking it partially with cables wrapped in insulation may impact the effective venting of the fire.

You mentioned the pipes from the now defunct back boiler - any chance of putting the cables in that space rather than in the chimney itself?

[AdsterUK]

I'll try and get some pictures sorted.

The chminey (and house) are 50-60 years old, so it'll have been designed to take a coal fire, when the new fire was put in and the back boiler removed they used ducting down the chimney so theres probably space around the ducting that in theory wouldn't get as hot. The boiler pipes run up the side of the chimney, I can run the wires up there, but then i still need to get them across from the side to the centre.

Theres a new possibility now, hopefully I can borrow a 25mm masonry drill and perhaps run one/several diagonal holes from the pipe cavity to an area that is hidden by the TV itself. It would mean the wires aren't exposed to any heat but I shouldn't need to replaster. The question then becomes, can I get the wires through a 25mm hole.

[albriscoe]

If thats the way you are going, with drilling holes then hire a core drill say 2" and there`s your answer. I would have thought that the largest cable end will be a scart if any, so the rest will go through easily

Allan

[AdsterUK]

Thats a good idea I've looked on ebay and I can get a drill and extension for around £20, worth it to make the cables a bit safer.

[AMc]

In case you didn't know...be really careful not to breach the liner or you could end up with the flue venting carbon monoxide into the room. It's odourless and kills you because you start to feel sleepy and pass out in the room.
We have a wood burner with a crack so I bought a carbon monoxide alarm (like a smoke alarm) not indication of a problem but I wouldn't be without it now.

Be careful with that big drill