Frequently Asked Questions:
Why you need to Sweep your Chimney?
To prevent house fires and keep your family safe you need to regularly clean inside working chimneys to remove debris that build up from smoke, as well as checking for animal nests and cobwebs. An inspection will also highlight any structural problems such as cracks which could allow smoke to escape the flue into rooms in your home. Your chimney can become blocked by birds nests, bee and wasp nests and even cobwebs from spiders can block your chimney up; these cause a risk by stopping smoke from leaving the chimney properly which means your house can fill up with carbon monoxide as the only other escape is back through the mouth of the chimney (your fireplace!)
How often should I have my Chimney swept?
HETAS recommends yearly when burning smokeless fuels, twice a year when burning wood or bituminous coal. The reason it is recommended to have a chimney sweep regularly is because soot builds up inside your flue which can cause a fire hazard, leaving your chimney sweeps too long can cause buildups of soot to the point where smoke can instead of leaving through the chimney leave through your fireplace. This is dangerous as your house can then have a build up of carbon monoxide.
What is involved in Chimney Sweeping?
Sweeping a chimney usually requires a good amount of patience and plenty of time to devote to the task (at least half a day to a full day) as well as the having the correct equipment and the right attitude! Chimney sweeping is undoubtedly a messy job so a good amount of pre-planning is paramount, make sure your room is covered in any type of sheet you can find, making sure your furniture is covered too. If you look up your chimney and can’t see straight up it, you may have a blockage, though we recommend hiring a professional if this is the case sometimes the debris is just built up soot or a birds nest. Sometimes though it can be a structural integrity issue such as a misplaced brick that will need professional attention.
If choosing to maintain your own chimney instead of hiring professionals, you will need to be aware that it is important to check for structural damage on a regular basis, small cracks and chips can be patched up alone but large cracks will need the aid of a DIY manual or hiring a professional. Sooty and Sweeps have years of experience in dealing with structural problems in chimneys, our expert advice may be what you need!
Does Sweeping a Chimney make a mess?
Simply put, yes. Sweeping a chimney requires soot and debris to be knocked down from your chimney so this can cause a mess in your room, this is why pre-planning is essential. Any good chimney sweep company will make sure to cover the floor with specialised dust/debris sheet, cover the furniture, makes sure the area around the fireplace is completely covered, and finally add a see through screen to the opening of the fireplace itself so that soot and debris falls down behind the screen. Once the sweep is done we remove the screen and simply vacuum up all the soot deposits and debris with a specialised vacuum. Sooty and Sweeps makes chimney sweeps look easy with our quick, efficient and clean service.
Why do I need a CO2 alarm?
Having a CO2 alarm should be a standard practice in homes nowadays. Any family that uses a fireplace brings up the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning, carbon monoxide has been dubbed the silent killer as it has no odour, colour or taste. Carbon monoxide poisoning can be produced by faulty appliances or poorly ventilated boilers, fires and cookers. High levels of carbon monoxide can kill in a matter of minutes, lower levels can cause a range of serious health problems, so it is extremely important that you have an alarm in your house.
Sooty and Sweeps for all your flue sweeping needs in Barnet and across London.
