Why Do I Need My Chimney Sweeping?

Insurance

Most home insurance policies will not pay out if they discover the chimney has not been professionally swept in the event of a claim. In many cases you will need to provide a certificate of sweeping annually to maintain valid home insurance. If you are not required to provide a certificate of sweeping its good practice to keep all the certificates of sweeping to ensure a potential claim does not get rejected.

Safety – Birds Nests

This is a common issue, the birds set up home in the chimney, they bring twigs and branches and other debris. This material is highly flammable especially the longer its left to dry out. Bird nests can also cause nasty smells in the house when the material starts to rot.

Safety – Carbon Monoxide

A blocked or damaged chimney can cause severe carbon monoxide poisoning and in some cases can cause house fires. We recommend using a carbon monoxide detector, if you do not already have one we can supply one and fit it for you or test an existing one.

Preventing Chimney Fires

Unprofessional installations is a common cause of chimney fires. Chimney installation is best left to the professionals. Its simply just not worth the risk. Using the correct size stove for the correct flue is something the professionals do best. Safety first.

Incorrect Use of Fuel

Its tempting to burn fuel that is not deigned for use in a stove such as wooden doors, wet wood, fence panels. However this is extremely risky. Painting wood can cause an oily film in the chimney that can be become highly flammable. Wet wood also has a similar effect, this causes a build up of creosote.

Creosote

This is a very dangerous substance from burning improper fuels and lack of sweeping. Creosote builds up when the smoke cannot exit the chimney fast enough. Firstly it becomes a flaky layer in the chimney. This is usually rectified by a basic sweep once per year.

The second stage is more dangerous. This is when the creosote starts to look like a tar substance. This is much more flammable. It also reduces the diameter of the flue as the substance starts to collect within the chimney.  This in return makes matters even worse. The smoke will now be restricted even more which makes the creosote build up even faster.

The third stage and hopefully it never gets to this stage is severe. Creosote at this stage is a thick hard tar like substance that can be extremely difficult to remove. In many cases you will need a new flue install. The creosote can bond to the chimney making it near impossible to remove without damaging the chimney itself. If your chimney is at this stage we would need to condemn the chimney for further use until the issue is rectified.

How Often Do I Need My Chimney Swept?

It boils down to what type of fuel you are using. This is the current recommendations

Smokeless Coals: Once a year
Wood: Once a year when in use
Coal: Twice a year
Oil: Once a year
Gas: Once a year