Do you sweep your chimney/flu/liner yourself?

[jondy]

I have a stainless twin wall chimney/flue. Inside the house, no conventional chimney.

The cleaning access is a removable plate on the iron part of the flue next to the wood burner.

I have not used it yet except for a test firing up. I would like to be able to clean my own chimney as I think it might need more than a once a year clean if I burn an assortment of scrap wood etc.

Any advice on what to use and where to find it etc. would be very helpful, Thanks

John

[contadina]

We tie flexible twigs in the middle of a long piece of string. One of us goes on the roof while the other stands in front of the stove, with dust sheets on the floor. We tug to and fro until the whole chimney has been cleaned.

[Millymollymandy]

I would check your house insurance to make sure whether they need a certificate for 'professional' cleaning and how often. I know you're in the UK and it's probably OK to clean it yourself but better to be safe than sorry! BTW our stove flu needs cleaning at least 2 times a season and we only burn good wood.

[red]

we get a sweep in - he does a great job and costs very little, and has been visiting us once a year for over a decade... I'd miss his sarcasm... joking with my son, and also the reassurance that we are burning wood well and not building up a problem. next door sweep their own.. they had an impressive chimney fire this year...

[Green Aura]

I've been told by a neighbour that burning wood only, occasionally, in our coal fired boiler keeps the chimney clean.

Everyone round here seems to do it and I've not seen or heard of anyone having to sweep their chimneys. We all have stainless steel chimneys with liners.

[camillitech]

We use a similar method to Contadina,

A rope with a weight on is dropped down the chimney and a sweeping brush is then pulled up and down till it's clean. When I had a Rayburn in the kitchen burning coal and wood it needed doing every 6 months. The Morso Squirrel in the living room that has a flexible stainless liner, is lit every day and only only gets seasoned dry wood has only been cleaned 3 times in 18 years Though it is the top of the 'to do' list for this week

Cheers, Paul

[dave45]

may be a daft question... but how do you tell when it needs sweeping?

[Millymollymandy]

Very easy - smoke comes out when you open the door. You'll know it when you start smelling it throughout the house! Also the fire doesn't draw or burn so well, but you don't necessarily notice that until it has been cleaned and then you realise how well it is NOW burning!

[jondy]

I dismissed drain rods in my mind as I thought there would be a risk of damage to the flu, from the brass ferrules that join the rods together. The flu has a couple of angles and the access point on the 5" iron part is smaller than I would have liked.
Dropping a weighted brush down from the top seems like a good idea. Having the chimney cleaned once a year by a sweep should keep the insurers happy with another clean by myself.

I have got some free wood, not enough and winter drawers on. I looked around for a log supplier in Kent. About the best I could find was a supplier who delivers bulk orders at £65 per 1.3 cu m. The wood is hardwood that is seasoned for at least a year and cut into 250cm (10") logs, split if to big etc. I have ordered 2.6 cu m, cost £135 delivered.

Prices vary a good deal from a local man that wants £30 to £60 to fill up your car, would not give any firm prices. To tree surgeons that deliver freshly cut logs from freshly cut trees and charge by the pick up load. If you buy in wood how much do you pay?

A book gives a comparison between wood-burning and oil-burning some figures. Around 7 cu m of Oak, Beech, Ash or Sycamore = 1,000 litres of Oil. (Birch 8 cu m, Elm 8.9 cu m = 1000 l oil)

[paul123456]

Hello there ,

that's a good subject , considering the idea of a one Europe , I'm jealous England and the UK are still sceptic.

Chimney sweepers here in Germany still wear the original dress as in Mary Poppins !!!!!The tall hat and the young lad .
Thought that was funny he first time I saw them .
But then , the revealed their true colour , they have alot of say here , the range and fire place can be a few millimeters
out of place ,the flue line can be a few millimeters to near to the wall.

They can insist that they are allowed in the house , the only other pric$#%% who can do this are the police.

I'm not against a good sevice of the chimney to prevent fires and other dangers , but this , the way they work
is a bit over the top .

Further i read the book of the former musician of the pop band ............. oh sod it , my memory let me down ,
his book title was snowed oranges an d manana , manana ,
any way he wrote about the scicilian way of rural life ,his old neighbour put chickens down the chimney!
Funny .

My German Meister chimney sweep came im May last , after his visit we lit the fire and the chimney was blocked ,
so he did not do his work thorough , did it myself after .Alas by law he has to come ,and off couse present a bill
of 65 euro.

Praise yoursleves lucky without these comedians , but then again for the 65 euro we do get a scene out of Mary Poppins .

regards ,

Paul

[flexirods]

I am a small manufacturer of flexible chimney rods that are specifically designed for chimneys and flues with liners.
The high cost of having a liner installed makes it crucial that you do everything you can not to damage it and risk having to replace it sooner than necessary.
It would seem many of your readers who sweep their own chimneys are using standard drain rods which is why I posted this message in the hope I can save you from damaging the chimney liner and spread the word about my flexi rods.
A full explanation and video about why you should not use drain rods can be seen at:
flexichimneyrods.co.uk
You can contact me with any issues or specific problems you have regard sweeping your own chimney or flues -- always happy to resolve problems.
Thank you for your time.
paul