Why do I need to have my chimney swept?

​Having your chimney swept is crucial for your safety and your health. Sweeping helps reduce your fuel and repair costs, and it is often a requirement of household insurance:

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• Preventing chimney fires. If soot, creosote and other flammable materials are allowed to build up inside the flue, they can ignite and cause a chimney fire. This can be very damaging.

• Preventing build up of pollutants and allergens. A clean chimney helps to prevent the build up of harmful pollutants and allergens inside your flue.

• Enabling safe removal of combustion gases. A clean chimney enables efficient removal of dangerous combustion gases, including carbon monoxide, which can be deadly.

• Maintaining the efficiency of your appliance. A dirty flue restricts airflow, making fireplace or stove less efficient. You will then need more fuel to achieve the same heat output.

• Finding faults early. The sweeping process can uncover issues such as cracks and leaks that could become more serious and expensive to repair if left.

• Maintaining insurance cover. Some insurance policies require regular sweeping to maintain cover..

How often should I have my chimney swept?

The Fire and Rescue Service and the Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps recommend having your chimney swept as below:

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• Smokeless fuels: at least once a year

• Wood: quarterly, when in use

• Gas: once a year

• Oil: once a year

• Traditional house coal: all sales of traditional house coal (bituminous coal) were banned in England from 1 May 2023. If you are still using up supplies purchased before the ban, the advice is to have your chimney swept quarterly, when in use.

Will your visit make my house dirty?

Not at all; the sheets, vacuum and methods I use provide excellent protection for your home.

How should I prepare for your visit?

The steps below are all extremely helpful:​

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• Don't use the appliance for 24 hours before the visit to give it time to cool down properly (embers can stay hot for quite some time).

• Remove any ash, soot, unburned fuel, rubbish etc. from the fire bed.

• Clear the area in front of the appliance to give me room to work. A square measuring  approximately 2 meters (6 foot) is great.

• Move any hearth furniture, companion sets etc. away from the area.

• Move any ornaments etc. out of the way.

• Make sure the access route from the entrance to the house to the appliance is suitably clear.

• Make sure all pets and children are safely out of the way and are unable to escape when I'm moving my equipment in before sweeping and out at the end.

What happens during your visit?

Visits generally involve the following steps:​

• External inspection of the chimney stack and pots (from ground level, outside).

• Laying dust sheets, etc. as appropriate.

• Torch and mirror inspection of the flue (from ground level, inside).

• Unloading the appropriate equipment from the van.

• Sweeping (which is noisy for both power and manual sweeping as the vacuum is on).

• Smoke test to check air flow.

• Carbon monoxide alarm test.

• ​Loading equipment back to the van.

• Removal of dust sheets etc.

• Completion and issue of sweeping certificate.

• Collection of payment and discussion of any matters arising.

When and how do I pay for your visit?

Payment is due on the day of the visit and can be made by bank transfer, cash or card.

What is the Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps?

The Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps is the leading UK trade association for professional chimney sweeps.

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The website includes lots of useful information and news for householders:

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www.guildofmasterchimneysweeps.co.uk 

What is the Burnright campaign?

Burnright is an independent, grass roots campaign that aims to reduce unnecessary pollution from wood and solid fuel burning.

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The website contains a lot of extremely helpful and accessible information and advice on safe, efficient and effective burning:

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www.burnright.co.uk