Chimney query

Sapphire

I live in a ground-floor maisonette and have noticed that concrete dust (looks like sand) and small pebbles fall onto my hearth from the chimney. Can anyone tell me what the issue here is likely to be, and what the remedy might be? Would it be a difficult job?

Any help would be appreciated.

Thank you.

Doozergirl

Birds nesting up top?

Fit a cowl to the chimney pot.

Edit: I stated that as a question, but it's almost certainly what it is. They dislodge stuff but they also bring all manner of random stuff up there. When you see a twig, you'll know!

FreeBear

Could be the render used inside the chimney disintegrating - If the fireplace is used, the chimney should be swept at least once each year. A chimney sweep would also be able to give advice if there are any major concerns about the state of the flue.

Davesnave

If the chimney isn't used, it may be as Freebear says and not a big issue, but you might still want to fit a cap to the pot. This will restrict your nice warm air leaving via the chimney, but not seal it, which is important because ventilation's needed to prevent damp.


If you are using the chimney, then take advice from your sweep, as above. You may still have a cage fitted to keep birds out, if they are the culprits. The difficulty of this job depends on the heght of your building; on our bungalow, the sweep cleans the bird cage once a year for a tenner, but higher than that will possibly require a cherry picker or scaffolding.

Sapphire

Thank you for all your replies. Very useful. I was worried in case the chimney would come down. I don't use the fireplace. Also no twigs coming down.