Services
Upon arrival at your home I will first lay a dust sheet from your door to the fireplace or stove to protect your flooring. Then I will lay sheet over the area on which I can place my equipment. I will then seal your fire opening with either a traditional soot sheet or foam blocks which fit snugly into the fire opening to form a tight seal to prevent soot escaping. Sweep the chimney/flue using the latest sweeping rods and brushes, a Hepa filtered vacuum cleaner is used to collect the soot, etc.
We can also supply Carbon Monoxide detectors
Please note: Regulations require that all new small stove installations should also have a carbon monoxide detector in the same room as the stove. For your own safety and peace of mind, please ask me for one if you don't already have one. Each year in the UK, there are over 50 deaths and 4000 near-death occurrences due to this deadly and silent killer. I personally know of someone who has been woken by his alarm going off in the middle of the night due to CO gas from his coal-burning stove - so it can and does happen! The cost for a CO alarm is typically only £25-£40, depending on the model chosen, and they last for 5-7 years (i.e. for a cost of less than 1p a day, it may save the lives of your family!).
How often should an open chimney be swept?
Bituminous Coal : Quarterly when in use.
Wood : Quarterly when in use.
Smokeless Coal : At least once a year.
Oil : At least once a Year.
Gas : At least once a Year.
How often should a stove flue be swept ?
Bituminous Coal : You should NEVER use bituminous coal - but at least quarterly if you alread have!
Wood : Quarterly when in use all year
Smokeless Coal : At least twice a year.
Oil : At least once a Year.
Gas : At least once a Year.
Chimney and Flue Sweeping
Essentially when you sweep your chimney with chimney brushes, you are removing tar deposits that are dry and 'crispy', such as are found in the lower portion of the chimney. You won't take out tar that builds up higher in the chimney, where it is sticky and tar-like, and glued to the chimney wall. That is the stuff that causes chimney fires. When you burn fuel, especially wood, tar is deposited on cool surfaces on the inside of your chimney. This is why many people use stove liners to insulate their chimney - the warmer the flue gasses are, the less tar is deposited.
If you have a stove, then your chimney will need sweeping more often than if you have a fireplace. This is because a fireplace is a lot less efficient than a stove and a lot more heat and hot gasses go up the chimney!
If your stove is used to burn wood, you should always use dry, well seasoned wood. Wet wood will cause more tar deposits.
You should never use normal bituminous coal in a stove - always use smokeless coal. Smokeless coal produces much less tar and acidic fumes and therefore cause less of a fire hazard, mess appearance and less damage to your flue. Note that the acidic fumes from bituminous coal can dissolve in the rain water inside your flue and actually dissolve the stainless steel liner and end cap!
We aim to be able to clean all domestic and commercial chimneys with a minimum of disruption. We will do our utmost to guarantee a service that makes absolutely no mess. All immediate areas are sheeted and once completed an industrial vacuum removes all waste from the fireplace. Following each job we will perform a visual inspection of the flue to ensure our standards.