Chimney Sweep Process.
Chimney sweeping should be a relative simple process for someone who has gained experience in the field and if the installer of the appliance has done his job right.
We pride ourselves to be bang on the time we agreed, failure to do so we will call you to say we have been held up for one reason or another. Time slots usually very depending on our work load but i usually say for example we will be with you between 12 and 1, or if the job before you is quite large will give you a time slot between 12 and 2.
Chimney sweeping averages from 45 minuets to 1 hour, if someone tells you it takes less time please ask them what they will do for the money.
When we enter your property i always introduce my self and if asked i will show you my institute of chimney sweeping card to prove that i am a certified chimney sweeper.
The process will begin by putting dust sheets down in front of the woodburning appliance or open fire, a lot of the time some customers like to take there own precautions and put there own sheets down first and i lay mine on top, when there is cream carpets we do like to take extra precautions. some customers also like us to dust sheet over furniture to take extra precautions.
Chimney sweeping should not be a messy job if the appliance is swept regularly and the correct wood has been used and burnt correctly.
We always take a visual look at the appliance to make sure the appliance meets Hetas regulations and there isn’t any potential dangers to yourself.
Next we will start to strip the appliance down so it will give us access into the chimney, you don’t have to do this with every appliance but if it is a woodburning or a multifuel stove we always strip the fire box down so we can vacuum inside the box and check that the fire bricks are in a good safe working order. Also removing the top baffle plate on wood or multi fuel appliances is accentual, as soot or deposits can start to build up on top of the baffle and potentially block your flue pipe.
Once we have removed everything and cleaned the firebox out i like to do a visual inspection of the chimney, it is essential to do so, so we can see if there is any tar or creosote build up or if there is any obstructions in our way which might restrict us from doing a chimney sweep.
A good point to add at this point is, when we come to sweep your chimney we use a specific kind of vacuum that is used and designed for chimney sweeping, it is a Numatic HZDQ750-S it has been specially designed to retain soot inside the vacuum when it has been drawn up inside the machine. It retains 99.997% of soot or dust molecules. I have known chimney sweepers to turn up with Henry hoovers or cheap vacuums which aren’t fit or safe to do the job. I would turn those chimney sweepers away. So for piece of mind when we leave your property there will not be any soot molecules left in the air, which in return it will be better for your health.
Once all the above is completed we like to give your chimney a thorough going over, chimneys can only be done manually with a rod and brush, we usually push the brushes up at least 5 or 6 times until we cant hear or see anymore soot falling down, it is mandatory to see the brush exit the top of the chimney so we know we have swept the hole length of the flue. We are always cautions when approaching the pot so we will not knock any chimney cowls or bird guards off.
After sweeping your chimney, i personally like to visually inspect the chimney again so i can see if there are any bits off soot left inside, normally after pushing the brushes up 5 or 6 times it is very rare i have missed any soot particles.
Cleaning all the loose soot up is the next stage and piecing the appliance back together, it is crucial that all the parts of the appliance go back in the same way they came out or to the manufacture instructions if there available. Being a Hetas registered installer it has gave me a wide variety of knowledge in dealing with different types of stove’s, there isn’t a lot of stoves i don’t know by looking at them. and taking them apart and piecing them back together has kind of become second nature to me.
Before we tidy our dust sheets away, it is mandatory to do a smoke test on your chimney. This procedure start’s by heating your chimney or flue up so the heat starts to rise up the flue. once we have got the chimney up to temperature we light a smoke pellet and pull the doors too on the appliance. We open the air vents half way (if there is any) to see if there is a sufficient draw on the chimney and there isn’t any blockages in the chimney and no fumes are leaking back into the property from places it shouldn’t, if the appliance runs straight into your chimney without a liner it is best to check inside the loft space to make sure no fumes are escaping from the mortar joint inside the loft. I also like to make sure the air controls are working the way they should be by opening and closing the air vents (If there is any) whilst the smoke pellet is burning away. Whilst doing this i like to shut all the vents down completely to check the door rope seal on the doors are sealing correctly and no air is being drawn in from places it shouldnt, sometimes i have to put 2 smoke pellets up to check everything.
(i did get called out once to service a woodburning stove not to sweep one, the customer used someone else to do the sweep previously. This customer just wanted to make sure there stove complied with Hetas regulations and everything was ok. the first thing i did was heat the flue up and put a smoke pellet in the fire box and all the smoke came back into the property.The previous sweep didn’t do his job properly, He left a huge blockage in the flue pipe which i had to remove. We do a free smoke bomb check with every sweep we do, it mandatory to do so).
The final stage is to pack all our sheets up and vacuum any loose bits that are left lying around, i like to leave my customers home exactly the same way as i arrived, if not cleaner.
If there are any advisories i will tell you and let you know the best course of action to get any problems resolved, I try my best to steer away from any additional charges, but please bear in mind safety is key, i only want it right for you. If it is a blockage or a birds nest removal i cant guarantee how long it will take for me to remove the nest so extra charges can occur, but i do try my best to remove it asap for.
Chimney sweep safety certificates can be issued after sweeping of your appliance if needed, prices very from £35 upwards depending on what needs to be done.
Don’t forget we are Hetas registered so we do full stove, woodburning or multi fuel appliance installations with full preparation work, stove servicing and safety checks, we are Gas safe register so we do any gas fire servicing or gas fire installations work, we can supply gas fires and supply and fit fireplaces of many kinds. We supply and fit bird guards, rain guards of all different types and supply and fit chimney pots. And as you know i am a certified chimney sweeper with many years experience.
Please Don’t hesitate to contact us today.
Services we provide, Keywords & Areas we cover.
Chimney Sweeps, Chimney Sweeping, chimney inspections, Chimney repairs, Bird Removal, Bird nest removal, Wood & Multifuel Stove Installations, Stove Installer, Wood burner installer, Chimney Lining or Chimney Liner, Liner Removal, Removing chimney liner, Chimney liners Supplied & Fitted, Bird Guard/Rain Guards, Cowls, Chimney cowls, Chimney Capping, Chimney cappers, Chimney pots, Gas Fire Installations, Fireplace Installations, Fireplace installer, Gas Fire servicing, Fix gas fire, Hearths Made to Measure, Oak Mantels, oak beams, Oak shelf made to measure, Lintels, structural Chimney work, Chimney opening, Plastering, all In and around –