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Why do I need my chimney swept?
There are 3 basic reasons why you should get your
chimney swept
1 To protect your health, Breathing in the fumes from gas or
solid fuel fires can cause serious damage to your health and
in the worse cases prove fatal. Having your chimney swept
will help make sure that the flue is sufficiently clear to
allow the dangerous fumes to escape safely out of the
chimney.
2 To avoid chimney fires, Having your chimney swept
regularly will drastically reduce the chances of having a
chimney fire. Chimney fires can cause property damage the
least usually being a cracked chimney pot. Which will need
to be replaced and the worst being you could lose your home!
Fortunately, the more extreme outcome does not happen very
often, but it does happen.
3 To avoid smoke damage, Each time the fire is used, soot
will accumulate up the chimney. Gradually, this will
decrease the size of the flue which in turn, will lower the
draw of the smoke upwards. If the chimney does not have
enough pull, the smoke will enter into the room, not only
causing irritation to you, but can also blacken your
fireplace or the decoration above.
How often do I need my chimney swept?
This depends on how often the fire is used and what
you burn. A general guideline is, For occasional evening and
weekend use, Once a year is enough. For more frequent use,
you should have your fire swept once before you start having
fires then once again half way though the burning season.
Can the chimney be cleaned properly with just a vacuum?
No a vacuum is used to suck up soot that falls when
sweeping the chimney. Brushes must be used to sweep the soot
from inside the stack.
How long does it take to sweep a chimney?
It takes around 45 minutes from start to finish to
sweep the average chimney. If your chimney sweep is in and
out within a short period of time he is not doing the sweep
properly.
I have a gas fire, do I still need the chimney swept?
You should have your gas appliances checked and
serviced regularly by a corgi registered engineer. This
should be done yearly or more often if a problem occurs. At
the time of the service, the engineer will check the draw of
the chimney and, if there is a problem sweeping the chimney
will almost certainly be necessary.
Why does my chimney smoke?
There are different reasons why your chimney may
smoke. Below is a list of the major causes. It may be that
only one or a combination of any of them could cause the
smoke to blow back into the room.
Blocked chimneys
Solution- Having the chimney swept will either
correct the problem or highlight where and what the blockage
could be. The chimney sweep can the advise on what work will
then be necessary.
Cold air up the chimney
Solution- if the fire hasn't been lit for a while,
the air up the chimney can get cold. Cold air is heavy and
if the flue isn't heated quickly enough, the cold air will
force the smoke back into the room. Initially, just burn
newspaper as this will create a lot of heat quickly and will
move the air upwards.
Downdraught
Solution- downdraught is a brief flow of air down the
chimney resulting in puffs of smoke interfering with the
wind flow. To help with this problem, a cowl can be fitted
on the pot. It is advisable to ask your chimney sweep which
type of cowl to use as there are many different designs
suited for the different problems. If the incorrect cowl is
fitted, it may make the problem worse being pushed back into
the room. One reason for downdraught is that the chimney
stack has been built to short and another could be trees,
buildings or other large high objects.
Inadequate ventilation
Solution- all fires need air to make them burn
properly. A lot of properties are very well insulated with
double glazing etc. thus not allowing a flow of replacement
air into the room. This can be solved by fitting air vents
or simply leaving the door to the room open.
The wrong type of cowl fitted on the top of the pot
Solution- many people are ill advised as to the
correct type of cowl to fit. Fitting the wrong type can
either cause the problem or make it worse. Consult your
chimney sweep as to whether you have the right cowl fitted.
The wrong sized fireplace
Solution- in the uk, the average size fireplace
opening is about 18" wide and 24" high. If it exceeds this
by a large amount, some of the smoke may curl out into the
room. Try either lifting the grate up or lowering the
height.
How can I stop birds nesting?
Birds nesting especially jackdaws can be a problem.
More so the nearer you get to the countryside. There are
companies who make purpose built bird guards. These should
always be used in preference to putting chicken wire on the
pot. Proper bird guards are strong enough to withstand any
efforts from the birds to pull them off. They do not reduce
the size of your chimney pot in any way. (which is important
for the draw of your chimney.
Can I sweep my own chimney?
There is nothing wrong with cleaning your own
chimney, but you must ask yourself is it worth it. I have
been called out on many occasions to get lost brushes out of
peoples chimneys and been told many stories of mess and soot
covered houses made by people sweeping their own chimneys.
If you still want to clean your own chimney you will need a
selection of brushes that are suitable for your chimney and
a set of lock fast rods, these are used so they don't
unscrew. You will also need a high powered vacuum that is
made to catch all the fine particles of soot. Please don't
use you home vacuum as you will probably blow soot all
around your home. The total cost of all of this is around
£1000 which is not cost effective as a chimney sweep is £40.
Do I need a certificate for my household insurance?
When you have your chimney swept it is advisable that
the chimney sweep gives you a certificate to prove to your
insurance company in the event of a chimney fire, you have
had your chimney swept, at the very least get a receipt of
your chimney sweep. More and more insurance companies are
requesting this. Your insurance may be invalid if you have a
chimney fire with no proof of sweeping.
Do I need a liner for a stove?
The answer to this is no as long as the chimney stack is
sound and does not leak and there is nothing that can catch
fire such as timber beams etc. most modern homes built after
the mid 1960,s with a fireplace already have a lined chimney
because of building regulations. In very old houses or very
large chimneys it is advisable to have your chimney lined as
problems with condensation will occur and a build up of tar.
Can I burn wet or unseasoned wood?
You should never burn wet or unseasoned wood the main
reason for this is as the gases rise up your chimney stack,
the moister in the gases condensate on the inner walls of
the chimney stack and set as a hard tar. This is in most
cases will not be able to be removed and if built up could
catch fire and lead to a large chimney fire. Burning wet
would gives little heat and may spit sparks into the room.
You can avoid this by buying a moister meter, this way you
can reject damp wood, the wood should not have a moister of
over 25% anything higher will start leading to problems.
What are the benefits of a wood burner over a open fire?
More and more people are realising the benefits of
having a stove fitted instead of a open fire. The reasons
for this is a stove is far more efficient uses less fuel and
gives much more heat in to the room. The average open fire
when lit is around 20% efficient this mean that 20% of the
heat created comes out into the room and 80% goes up the
chimney and out of the house. Where as a good stove can be
up to 90% efficient that is 90% of the heat coming back into
the room and only 10% going up the chimney stack. The other
down side to a open fire is that when your not using the
open fire, heat from the house is still rising up the
chimney and out of the house and cold air is then brought
back in to the house from outside to replace it by the way
of draughts. You can lose up to 40% off your central heating
this way. With a stove you can close the doors and shut the
vents so warm air is not being lost up the chimney when not
in use.
Do I need an existing chimney stack to have a stove?
Stoves are becoming more and more popular and stove
companies have been coming up with more ways of people being
able to have them fitted using insulated flue liners that
can run up the outside or even the inside of a home, so the
need for an existing chimney stack in a home.