Chim chimney, chim chimney, chim chim cheree! a sweep is as lucky, as lucky can be……
The reason is because this time of year is when they earn their crust and perform an essential service to us all.
Winter is coming.. looking out of the window this morning, you would think it’s already here and not going anywhere for a while.
Time to put the kettle on and think about staying warm and toasty, maybe light the fire today.
There aren’t that many homes now with real fires anymore, double glazing and central heating have pretty much been the staple of every building since the mid 1970’s but there is something magical about a real roaring fire, it seems more “homely” and timeless I suppose, memories of childhood, long toasting forks and charred crumpets on a sunday night,
the dog asleep with the cat on the hearth rug, gently steaming after having his walk in the cold.
Mind you, stripping the nostalgia aside, I do remember the dangers too, the burns in the hearth rug where the coals were banked to high and had rolled out when they settled and an ambient temperature in the room hot enough to melt lead and the ever present danger of a flue fire.
It is essential that your chimney flue is properly cleaned, preferably before you light that first fire of the winter. Whilst your fire is active, the smoke that goes up the chimney deposits soot, tar and creosote on the inside of the flue, this build-up can be hard to clear and can, if not seen to, restrict the escape of gasses like carbon monoxide which will flow back into the room where the fire is.
Having the chimney swept is only half the solution as the deposits set hard when the flue is cold and can be difficult to manually remove.
*It is essential to have the chimney inspected and swept at least once per year to break up the accumulation of soot and check for obstructions to the flue*
We have a couple of solutions that will keep your chimney clean and you don’t have to clean up afterwards.
Firstly there is Hotspot Flue Free Chimney Cleaner This is a powder you burn with a small fire in the grate, which weakens the bonding of the build-up to the chimney wall.
Along the same lines, we have Sorcerer Flue and Chimney Cleaner A sachet you place in a low fire that also weakens the bonds of the build-up.
If you want something a little more solid, then we recommend the Chimney Cleaning Log Just place in a low fire and leave to burn.
All the above will reduce the build up of creosote over time and use of the fire and make having an open fire safer to use.
Don’t forget to have the chimney swept at some point, after all, it’s only a few weeks before “you know who” pays a visit.
Ho! Ho! Ho!
Good post. I learn something new and challenging on websites I stumbleupon everyday.
It will always be interesting to read articles from other writers and use something from their websites.
Very great post. I just stumbled upon your weblog and wanted to mention that I’ve truly loved surfing around your
blog posts. In any case I’ll be subscribing in your feed and I
hope you write once more soon!
Usually I don’t read post on blogs, but I wish to say that this write-up very
compelled me to try and do so! Your writing taste has been surprised me.
Thanks, quite great article.
Usually I don’t learn article on blogs, however I wish to say that
this write-up very compelled me to check out and do so!
Your writing taste has been surprised me. Thank you, quite nice post.
[…] This ensures that the smoke and gasses from the coal fire escape properly into the atmosphere and not into your living room with potentially lethal consequences. Also this will ensure there is virtually no risk of a flue or chimney fire. (For detailed information on cleaning the chimney, check out a previous blog here.) […]
drone thermography