F.A.Qs
Q. How often does my chimney have to be swept?
A. The recommended time cycle is at least annually for smokeless fuel & gas, twice yearly for Domestic bituminous coal and quarterly for wood burning appliances. For thatched cottages, check with insurance company's requirements.
Q. What are the risks associated with not having my chimney swept/tested.
A. The build up of soot could create a fire hazard; there is also a risk that the flue becomes blocked by soot, fallen brickwork, nesting birds, squirrels or even by spider’s webs. The more serious cases can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Q. Will the next door adjoining/above flat's (if it's a block of flats or a house conversion into flats) neighbour's need to be in for any of the work undertaken, and how do I know if my chimney is or isn’t sound?
A. For sweeping purposes only, where you have already been using the chimney successfully for Gas or Solid Fuel with no problems, and are just having a regular clean, then generally the answer is no, the neighbours don't need to be in as each chimney is separate from all the other one's in the property, and a test is not required anyway.
However if you are bringing the chimney into use for the first time,or are changing the use from one type of fuel to another, then you will need to have it tested. When having it tested, if the chimney adjoins your next door neighbour or passes upstairs through an above property (e.g. a semi detached/terraced house or a block of flat's), access is briefly needed to these properties, for just a few minutes to make sure there is no internal leakage into their property. The chimney is tested using recognised and approved smoke tests, dependant on the fuel type to be burnt.
Q. Does it make any mess?
A. No. We screen the fireplace opening and sweep the chimney through the screen, the soot that falls will fall behind the screen and a vacuum is used to clear away the soot. We use a cloth to go on the floor and need a working area in front of the fireplace approx. 2 metres square. The furniture, fixtures and fittings do not need to be removed but we would suggest, purely as a safety precaution, where there are light coloured carpets and light coloured furniture that some precaution be taken by the householder.
Q. Do I have to wait in all day and how long does it take?
A. Except for the first call of the day, all our appointments are either 2 or 3 hour time banded, meaning that we will call any time between the hours quoted. If for any reason we are going to be late we will call you to advice. We would expect the chimney sweeping of a two storey house to take between 20 and 30 minutes. Please don’t forget that our charges include travelling time.
Q. Can I burn solid fuel or gas?
A. All houses with what was called a “ class 1 chimney “ can be used to burn solid fuel, but those properties inside the London boroughs can only burn smokeless fuels, except for a few purpose made wood burning stoves. All chimneys that were used for solid fuel must be swept prior to the change over to gas. All flues that have been out of use for a period of time or those where the history is unknown, should be swept and tested prior to use.
Q. What happens if I don’t have a chimney?
A. There are appliances on the market using either flueless or powerflue technology.
Q. Will a cowl being fitted help stop downdrafts?
A. There are different types of anti down draft cowls for different degrees of draft problem, but these will only work where the chimney terminates outside the positive pressure zone. Where drafts cannot, for whatever reason, be cured then we would recommend the use of a chimney extractor fan.
Q. Why are there “bits & pieces” falling down the chimney?
A. This is possibly a sign that the chimney needs sweeping. It could also be because the flue is suffering from “Loose Liner” which is a deterioration of the chimney lining and although sweeping may help it will not stop no matter how often the chimney is swept and in the worst case could need relining. If the liner dropping is mainly when it’s raining or windy you may find fitting a cowl will help. The other reason for this problem could be bird or squirrel entry, which once removed can be stopped by the use of a cowl, bird guard or cap depending what the flue is being used for.
Q. Why do I need to have a vent.
A. The fire requires air / oxygen to complete the burning process, it also needs a quantity of air to carry the fumes up the chimney, where there is insufficient air for these purposes you will get smoke or fumes coming back into the room and the more serious cases can lead to carbon monoxide poisoning.
Q. What does it cost?
A. This is dependant on the work required, but generally we are happy to quote for most of the work on the phone.
Please feel free to give us a call should you have any other questions you would like to ask.
