Who doesn't enjoy sitting in front of an open fireplace? There is something magical about watching a fire burning in the fireplace and seeing the smoke winding its way up in to the chimney. But as with everything in life, with the joy of having a fireplace comes the need to keep the chimney clean and the flue in good order. So you need a chimney sweep to come and clean it for you and check that the chimney is still safe to use.



Sadly many families lose their lives due to house fires that have used open fireplaces where the flue was cracked or broken or the chimney was not clean and the home has caught on fire. It is a dreadful and unnecessary loss of life, that could so easily have been prevented, simply by not using a dirty or damaged chimney. For this reason it is vital to get a chimney sweep to come and check the condition of your chimney on a regular basis. Approximately once a year, or at the very least once every 2 years.

What is involved in chimney sweeping?

Chimney sweeping is taking a specially built chimney sweep brush, and sweeping the inside of your chimney from the very top right down to the bottom.

This will then dislodge the materials that have built up on the insides of the chimney. When your fireplace is lit, and a fire is burning, it releases various by-products in to the smoke that is produced. These by-products create layer upon layer of black soot on the inside of your chimney. As this soot material is carbon based, and is essentially the same product that people buy in brick form to burn on their barbeques it is extremely flammable and therefore dangerous to leave in place. It must be regularly cleaned out to prevent the danger of it catching fire and burning your home down.

Can you sweep the chimney yourself?

Yes with the right tools and the correct training you can clean your own chimney, but it can be quite a dangerous and difficult job. Not to mention, a very dirty one too.

You will need a strong secure set of climbing ladders, as you are going to need to climb up on your roof. Once there you are then going to need to safely balance yourself up there while trying to work down through a chimney that is often far taller than you. How are you going to safely climb up to the top of the chimney? You can see why most people don't feel that the risk is worth it, and opt to call in a professional.

Of course even assuming that you have managed to do all this so far and have dislodged the build up of soot and carbon from the inside of the chimney, and it all comes flooding down to the fireplace. How are you going to contain it and stop it from billowing out and all over your carpet, your curtains, your furniture and yourself?

Usually simply placing a sheet over the fireplace will not stop it all from getting everywhere. Now you will need to have the curtains dry cleaned, and the carpets cleans ands what are you going to do about the sofa? Plus of course your clothes will likely now be ruined.

A professional chimney cleaning and flue inspecting company has the proper equipment required for the job, and knows his job thoroughly. He will be able to offer you a CCTV inspection so that you can see the condition of the flue and the chimney with your own eyes. If you need repairs or simply to have your chimney cleaned he will be able to do the job professionally.