You’ve been enjoying the warmth and comfort of your Town and Country Fires stove all through the last year, but have you thought that it might be time to have your chimney swept?
The popular stereotype of the chimney sweep with a terrible cockney accent and love of dancing on rooftops may seem like something confined to antiquity, but in modern times anyone with a stove should still be aware of the essential nature of today’s chimney sweep.
In fact, HETAS encourages you to have your chimney swept at least twice a year when burning wood or bituminous house coal and at least once a year when burning smokeless fuels.
Having your chimney swept will help prevent blockages, soot and creosote build-up & reduce the risk of a chimney fire.
Soot can be very corrosive and if left unswept in the chimney it may shorten the life of your stainless steel flue or brickwork.
The first problem to occur is the build up of soot inside the chimney. Although this may be difficult to notice, over time this can reduce or even block the regular flow of smoke and gasses from your stove to the world outside.
How do I know if there’s a build up of soot?
The first sign of this problem is when you start noticing smoke in your home and that the fire in the stove itself is not burning as well as it has been previously.
A chimney blockage may not always be due to soot build-up, it can also be caused by birds attempting to build nests in your chimney. This is a surprisingly regular occurrence and is one of the reasons modern chimneys have cowls. Chimney sweeps will always check for bird’s nests and remove them to ensure the best possible airflow up the chimney.
How to get your chimney swept
The best times to have your chimney swept are just before the start of the heating season and after your stove has not been used over a prolonged period, but if you haven’t had your chimney swept for over a year then the sooner the better.
Having your chimney swept is an easy and inexpensive thing you can do to ensure the maximum efficiency and output of your stove as well as ensure the safety of your home from accidental fires and harmful gasses building up in it.
To find a chimney sweep in your area, you can easily search for HETAS approved chimney sweeps in your area on the HETAS website here.
Once your chimney has been swept, most people will notice an improved performance from their stove.
