Electrics and gas
A modern gas fire sits in an old tiled fireplace and the surveyor did not see a flue liner or a sweep record. What combustion check is missing?
The combustion check of that gas fire and its flue is missing. A modern fire sits in an old tiled fireplace, and the surveyor did not see a flue liner or a sweep record, so the old throat has not been shown to be lined, swept or suitable. The survey has seen the appliance in the opening. Gas work of this sort belongs with a Gas Safe engineer. The home survey did not do that check, and it has not called the fire safe or unsafe.
Last reviewed 24 October 2026. Written for buyers in England and Wales unless this answer says otherwise. No named surveyor has signed this page. It is general guidance, not a report on your house, and not legal advice.
What is the fuller explanation?
An old tiled surround can hide an open throat that was built for coal. A modern gas fire needs a flue that actually serves it, not a sooty void nobody has looked up. Without a liner in view and without a sweep record, the survey stops at the firebox. It did not analyse the products of combustion, did not smoke-test the flue, and did not confirm the chimney is clear. HSE expects gas work to be done by someone competent to do it.
Ask a Gas Safe engineer to check the fire, the flue and whether a liner is present, and ask the solicitor for any installation record or sweep the seller holds. Do not light the fire as your own test. Do not tell a lender the appliance was certified because it is modern. Modern is the casing. The combustion check is what is missing, and the survey has not supplied it.
What should you ask your surveyor?
- Did you see any flue liner, plate or catch above the fire?
- Was any sweep or installation record shown to you?
- Are you recording that no combustion check was carried out?
What are the typical next steps?
- Treat the combustion check of the fire and flue as missing.
- Ask a Gas Safe engineer to inspect the appliance and the flue.
- Ask the solicitor for any liner or sweep record the seller holds.
Costs vary with the building and with who you instruct. Where this page does not cite a published figure, ask the surveyor, a relevant specialist, or your solicitor for a written quote. Do not treat a forum average as the price.
Also asked about this
If the tiles look clean, has the throat been swept?
No. Clean tiles are a fireplace finish. They are not a sweep record, and the surveyor did not see one. They are also not a liner. The combustion check is still missing. The old throat behind those tiles was not shown to be lined or swept.
Can the surveyor condemn the fire as dangerous without that check?
The survey has not made that finding. It did not test combustion and did not see a liner or a sweep record. Danger is not something to invent in the gap. The missing check is the point, and a Gas Safe engineer is who should do it.