Wood burning stoves and chimney sweep prices

muckybutt

PaulF81 wrote: »

all the answers to this and much more can be found here, on a free resource. its called google.

You're the rocket scientist aren't you ?

highrisklowreturn

What separate prices can be expected to be paid if a nest needs removed, or if the stove needs swept from the roof down - my sweep couldn't get the baffle plate out of my waterford stanley.

Also what is a fair price to get a cowl stuck on?

muckybutt

Most sweeps have different prices for nest removal and for roof work etc, some sweeps like myself wont do roof work because of the high insurance premiums that you have to pay - not economical if you only do a few roof jobs per year.

Prices vary drastically depending where you are and what the going rate is so to speak. For instance a normal sweep for me depending upon travelling distance is between £30 and £50, nest removal starts at £60 depending how long it takes obviously the longer it takes will be reflected in the price.

jonewer

£40 here in Surrey.

Thats a fair price, I think. Considering the time and work involved.

highrisklowreturn

£60 for a nest removal? I thought it was just a simple question of sticking a nest hook up and smashing the twigs through?

muckybutt

highrisklowreturn wrote: »

£60 for a nest removal? I thought it was just a simple question of sticking a nest hook up and smashing the twigs through?

If only ! its taken me 2 and a half hours before now to shift the best part of 3 meters of old twigs and muck, you would be surprised at just how compacted they can get.
Worst one I did I had to break through into the chimney in the loft to clear it.
Two in the last 8 years of sweeping have had to be written off completely as they would have been beyond economic repair, beginning of this year I had an 18M chimney to sweep - turned out I could get as far as 11M after that it was like hitting concrete but it was just twigs and muck after seeing it with cctv. Estimated to clear would have cost in excess of £500 because of the chimney location above a glass conservatory it would have meant scaffold and or a cherry picker, removal of part of the chimney to get access etc.

Greenfires

My worst nest was one that completely filled a whole chimney from about a foot above the top of the fireplace to the pot - took over three hours to clear. Most recent one was one that the customer had cleared "but you never know if there might be a bit left" There was - a whole builders bulk bag full and another couple of hours I won't get back! Also done a couple that three other sweeps had given up on - though they still charged the customer anyway!

Not rocket science though is it muckybutt?!! ;-)

muckybutt

And that little lot was removed after a Hetas company had signed the install off :eek:
Customer rang me up - Ive just had a stove fitted and its filled my room with smoke, I went and had a look - no liner fitted and no soot box for starters ! managed to remove the cover plate on the flue and get my inspection mirror in only to see twigs a few meters up. Advised custy to contact the stove installer to get their bottoms back there pdq, they came back and removedthe stove, then I went back and shifted that little lot and some more, in all two stable barrows full.
He registered that as a complaint to Hetas and sent the photos in...Hetas didnt give a hoot !

A._Badger

I moved into a house that had stood empty for a couple of years and my sweep/installer had a rooks' nest the size of... well it produced a pile even bigger than that in Mucky's picture... that had to be removed before he could start installing.

Some sort if bird preventer is absolutely essential in a chimney, IMO, especially in country districts, or near parks!

Swipe

Jackdaws always seem to go back to the same nest each year too so the nests get larger and larger over time. I'm just glad they chose next door's disused chimney rather than mine.