Know Anything About Sweeping A Chimney?

muckybutt

Mid feathers ! when you have two chimneys side by side they are seperated by a coarse of bricks, it is this coarse of bricks they call the Mid Feathers.

Many people think that the chimneys all go into one, but if they did that your house would soon fill with smoke !

I have known one chimney to have two pots though - that was confusing !

Some sweeps carry CCTV gear as standard kit, I don't I just rely on my torch and Inspection mirror.

UnderPressure

muckybutt wrote: »

Mid feathers ! when you have two chimneys side by side they are seperated by a coarse of bricks, it is this coarse of bricks they call the Mid Feathers.

Many people think that the chimneys all go into one, but if they did that your house would soon fill with smoke !

I have known one chimney to have two pots though - that was confusing !

Some sweeps carry CCTV gear as standard kit, I don't I just rely on my torch and Inspection mirror.

Thanks for that I had no idea, no feathers for me then just the 1 single chimney

I think I need to get a professional in still at least once a year, with the best will in the world the camera is going to be able to show me how clean the chimney is but anything after that such as its condition and safety I have no idea so I think on reflection I will clean it myself this time but will book a professional sweep to come when they can fit me in to just make sure everything is OK and then have them come once a year.

I am planning on burning just wood so I like the idea of me being able to do "interim" cleans just to keep on top of it.

Mister_G

I suspect that the culprits are rooks. My chimney sweep told me that the siblings return every year to where they were born - a 'Soft Touch'. Hence my advice about a bird guard in my earlier post.

Greenfires

More likely to be jackdaws - rooks tend to nest in colonies in the tops of trees.

Renoir77

Reading your woes of sweeping your chimney has brought back great memories of my Uncle offering to save my Grandparents (his in-laws) some money by sweeping the chimney for them.

He also got the brush stuck up the chimney and no matter what he nor anyone else could retrieve it.:o
As it was only three foot up into the chimney (just above mantle height) and could just be seen they decided to set it alight (an all wood brush). That didn't work
So another Uncle (a builder) ended up knocking a big hole into the chimney breast above the mantle, such a mess but the brush was retrieved and my Uncle never offered his services again. :rotfl:
Lesson learned I think.

Mister_G

Greenfires wrote: »

More likely to be jackdaws - rooks tend to nest in colonies in the tops of trees.

Not the b*ggers who built a nest in my chimney about three years ago. Even after fitting a bird guard they still come back every year and try again!

When the wind blows we end up with a heap of twigs on the ground by the front door. Eventually they give up, but not until after several attempts.

Swipe

UnderPressure wrote: »

I think I need to get a professional in still at least once a year.

I wouldn't bother. You have all the equipment you need now and, by the time you've cleared that nest, you'll know your chimney very well indeed.

elsien

Hopping on board this thread, my nearest chimney sweep who's been the last couple of times is not replying to my calls or answerphone messages. Although I understand he's probably busy and I'm not expecting him imminently, I do think it would be courteous (and good business sense) to at least phone to acknowledge my calls and arrange a date for the new year. So I'm miffed with him and looking elsewhere.


However there don't seem to be any others in the near vicinity, the next closest are about 20 miles away. Not knowing how far afield chimney sweeps tend to roam, am I likely to get a response do you think?

muckybutt

Good luck this time of year !

I start to get busy from October onwards, December is normally booked up fully by mid November.

Not having a go at you but why oh why do folk leave it till the last minute to sweep their chimneys ? it is the same every year, use your noggin and either book us early or in the Summer - Summer months for us can be dead - bookings then can be the difference of a business surviving or folding !

I have had several calls today asking for sweeps this week .... I laughed !

elsien

Point taken, but I did start phoning in November and left contacting anyone else as I was waiting for my normal chap to get back to me.


I suppose I don't get it done in the summer because my line of thinking was if I get it done too early it gives the birds more chance to nest build between getting it swept and me actually using it. It feels safer getting it done just prior to starting having the fire. No idea how based in reality that is, but that was the thought process.