YOUR LOCAL PROFESSIONAL CHIMNEY SWEEP
& STOVE INSTALLER
Tel: 07542 071659
CHIMNEY SWEEPING
Why should I have my chimney swept?
This depends on several factors; how frequently the chimney is used, what type of fuel you use and the quality of the fuel.
As a guide, the following applies:
Smokeless fuel | At least once a year
Wood | Quarterly when in use
Bituminous coal | Quarterly when in use
Oil | Once a year
Gas | Once a year
All chimneys must be properly maintained. Failing to sweep a chimney will not only reduce your fires’ vital air flow, but it could also result in potentially dangerous carbon monoxide fumes! In addition, failing to sweep your chimney could possibly void your home insurance policy.
It is important to have your chimney cleaned regularly because soot is a combustible material and can lead to chimney fires.
This image shows a chimney that has not been cleaned properly and the appliance is not being used correctly. The customer was leaving their stove to slumber, which means the gases do not combust properly due to less oxygen, resulting in an extremely tarry chimney.
Burning multi-fuel and wood burning stoves in a chimney leads to the accumulation of soot and creosote, a flammable, sticky substance that can cause chimney fires if it’s not removed by a professional sweep.
Tarry Chimneys present a higher risk of chimney fires, as tar cannot always be detected or totally removed by regular sweeping. Loose Liner will continue to fall from older chimneys and sweeping will not alter this. Serious cases will need relining. We can advise if you are unsure.
The first step that I take is to make sure your chimney is not blocked. This is usually done with a smoke pellet. After I have done that, I put down dust sheets where we are going to sweep your chimney. We cover the stove or open fire with a soot sheet. Then we insert the right size brush for the chimney. Once we have done that, we then push the brush with the rod connected into your chimney to clean the soot of the inside of your chimney.
Once we have cleaned the whole of the chimney, we then use a soot vacuum cleaner to get rid of all the soot that has come down the chimney. Finally, we remove the dust sheet and make sure the room is in the same condition as we arrived.
Lewis is a member of the National Association of Chimney Sweeps and a registered HETAS Installer and Chimney Sweep which means:
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He is fully insured
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He works to the NACS Code of Practice 1982
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He works to the NACS Code of Conduct
Lewis issues an official NACS certificate for each chimney swept which will confirm it has been done in accordance with NACS Code of Practice and will indicate a recommended date for the next sweep, along with any details of any defects found.
