Now is a great time to get your Chimney Swept!

There is the common perception that your Chimney should be swept just once a year before the winter months. However, ideally your chimney should be swept before, during and after the heating season.  Sweeping the flue ensures the chimney is clear and will reduce the risk of a chimney fire. Here are a few reasons to book a chimney sweep in today…

1. In the summer the air temperature outside is hotter meaning the air outside is warmer than the air inside the flue – this causes the air in the chimney to sink. The result of this is a horrible sooty smell in your house. The hotter it is, usually the stronger the smell.

2. In long periods of disuse, the soot in the chimney will get damp. Soot is very good at retaining moisture – this means that even when it’s not roasting hot outside, the air in the chimney will be cooled – causing the air in the chimney to sink for the same reasons as in number 1 – except damp soot is even more smelly than dry soot.

3. Soot is very acidic. If soot sits inside your chimney all summer, it will eat away at the mortar in your chimney, or will corrode the steel if your chimney is lined (often the case if you have a stove/wood burner). Relining your chimney is very expensive – it ranges from a thousand to several thousand  pounds.

4. In the spring/summer, appointments are more widely available, so we can fit around your schedule better. It’s not unusual to have to wait several weeks in the Autumn, and be offered a very specific time.

5. If there’s a cold snap in September, how confident are you about lighting your fire? If your chimney is dirty, do you really want to risk a chimney fire? If not, you’ll have to live through the cold snap without a fire, while you’re waiting for your appointment which could be a couple of weeks wait.

6. If there’s a problem with your chimney, you’ve got plenty of time to have it rectified before you want to start using the fire. If you have repairs carried out in the summer, you’ll have plenty of time before you need to use the fire.

7. Chimney sweeps have more time in the Summer. That means that if you need basic repairs such as replacement of fire rope, repairs with fire cement etc, you’ll likely need another appointment. If it’s the summer when Chimney Sweeps are not so busy, they will likely be able to sort the problem out there and then – saving money and time.

Book your chimney sweep today!

(some text used courtesy of the Pro Chimney Sweep Forum)