Chimney Man - North Wales Sweep

𝟗 𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐘 𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐕𝐄 - by Chimney Man - North Wales

After many years in the industry I have written this guide and I hope it helps you. Follow this guide closely and you will save money on unnecessary chimney sweeping / fuel costs.

1. Get the chimney swept to make sure full combustion of fuel can take place. Incomplete combustion leads to more soot and less heat in the room. A viscous circle that ultimately could lead to a chimney fire and damaged flue liner. Now the flue liner is clean, 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐈𝐓 𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐍 by following the next 5 steps.

2. Burn with adequate oxygen at 𝐀𝐋𝐋 times, keeping the stove hot at all times. Never close off vents fully, it’s a false economy and soots the flue up and will mean you need to spend unnecessary money on extra sweeping. Clean glass = good combustion.

3. Burn high quality dry fuels. Burning damp wood is a false economy and will soot up the flue pipe and lead to the chimney needing more sweeping. Damp wood gives off less heat meaning you need to burn more of it.

4. Learn to control the oxygen supply correctly. Play around with the vents and experiment and learn how to balance good combustion and air flow without closing down the air supply too much.

5. Make sure you have a vent or draughts entering the room of the stove. You might think that blocking vents makes your house warmer but it’s a false economy, leading to damp and poor combustion of fuels.

6. NEVER bulk buy coal or wood from a new supplier you don’t trust or if you haven’t used their products before. A bulk load of damp wood or bad coal will lead to an entire season of sub standard heat in your house and sooting of the chimney and it will be too late to rectify.

7. Make sure your stove installation is safe so you don’t have a house fire. A house fire could cost tens of thousands of pounds and worse , your life. Don’t ignore the advise of your chimney sweep.

8. Get your neighbours onboard to have their chimneys or flues swept on the same day as you and ask the sweep for a discount because of this.

9. NEVER burn house coal on a multi fuel stove, only smokeless coal. Normal coal will soot the flue liner and damage it permanently.

What a great question to ask.

It’s not a scene we want to see so make sure to get your chimney swept.

Great to see North Wales Fire and Rescue service sharing my post to help keep people safe.

When I advise against it , it’s only because I care.

Wood doesn’t need to be touching a naked flame to combust. It only needs to be dry and hot enough and boom 💥

North Wales fire service are urging people to get their chimneys swept after a high amount of chimney fires over recent days.

With the cold and snow coming I am prepared to work more hours to help get those chimneys safe.

Hi all! Thank you for your support in 2023.🫶

I’m back to work now and ready to take more bookings. If you’be dropped me a message in the past few weeks and it’s gone unnoticed it’s not personal, I just struggle to get back to everyone so please feel free to message me again and I will start going through all the messages ASAP.

Hey guys. Please be patient with me. It’s a busy time for me. I work on my own and each day I get phone calls and messages. It’s hard for me to keep up with all the various conversations I have when I’m physically tired from working. If you feel like I haven’t got back to you quick enough, drop another message but please be polite.

Emergency appointments available ❄️

Temperatures will plummet soon with daytime temperatures barely above freezing and many of you are reliant on your log burners and open fires operating correctly. I will do my best to attend any urgent sweeping jobs in the evenings where possible and if safe to do so.

To those living up steep roads and tracks especially:

So we have predictions of the end of this week turning much much colder and long range forecasts saying that much of December could be cold and snowy. We haven’t had a prolonged cold December for a few years so we will believe it when we see it but it’s good to get those chimneys sorted before I can’t drive up your roads.

Just a reminder that I’m the only sweep in this area who has sat and passed HETAS qualifications. In addition I have also sat and passed several OFTEC oil qualifications. These are heating engineering qualifications.

This means I’m much more capable of spotting potential hazards and fire risks than a sweep who has just bought a set of cheap rods and carries a generic unsuitable vacuum. If you want to risk your safety of your home with doing it for cash in hand that’s up to you.

Say NO to damp wood!

I know I make money from your dirty chimneys but I want my customers to have cleaner chimneys and a safe and economical experience using their fireplaces and stoves.

If your firewood is hissing and steaming when you put it onto an already hot fire it’s too damp. Look closely and feel that firewood before you buy it:

Does it have white fungus all over it?

Is it slightly damp to the touch?

The fungus or mould will have already eaten the calories within the firewood, leaving less for you to get as heat energy in your home.

The water in the wood makes burning it harder and makes for poor combustion which costs you money in having to buy more firewood prematurely and having to get the chimney swept because of the soot associated with damp firewood.

It’s now a legal obligation for firewood suppliers to sell firewood with no more than 20% moisture in it. Its not complicated to dry wood 🙈. If they can’t make sure their product is dry then they don’t deserve your heard eared money.

Snow and very cold weather are due from tomorrow onwards. Get me booked in before you run into troubles with your log burners or open fires.

After nearly 10 years of experience in the industry I believe this guide I created will help you

𝟗 𝐖𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐓𝐎 𝐒𝐀𝐕𝐄 𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐄𝐘 𝐔𝐒𝐈𝐍𝐆 𝐘𝐎𝐔𝐑 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐕𝐄 - by Chimney Man - North Wales

After many years in the industry I have written this guide and I hope it helps you. Follow this guide closely and you will save money on unnecessary chimney sweeping / fuel costs.

1. Get the chimney swept to make sure full combustion of fuel can take place. Incomplete combustion leads to more soot and less heat in the room. A viscous circle that ultimately could lead to a chimney fire and damaged flue liner. Now the flue liner is clean, 𝐊𝐄𝐄𝐏 𝐈𝐓 𝐂𝐋𝐄𝐀𝐍 by following the next 5 steps.

2. Burn with adequate oxygen at 𝐀𝐋𝐋 times, keeping the stove hot at all times. Never close off vents fully, it’s a false economy and soots the flue up and will mean you need to spend unnecessary money on extra sweeping. Clean glass = good combustion.

3. Burn high quality dry fuels. Burning damp wood is a false economy and will soot up the flue pipe and lead to the chimney needing more sweeping. Damp wood gives off less heat meaning you need to burn more of it.

4. Learn to control the oxygen supply correctly. Play around with the vents and experiment and learn how to balance good combustion and air flow without closing down the air supply too much.

5. Make sure you have a vent or draughts entering the room of the stove. You might think that blocking vents makes your house warmer but it’s a false economy, leading to damp and poor combustion of fuels.

6. NEVER bulk buy coal or wood from a new supplier you don’t trust or if you haven’t used their products before. A bulk load of damp wood or bad coal will lead to an entire season of sub standard heat in your house and sooting of the chimney and it will be too late to rectify.

7. Make sure your stove installation is safe so you don’t have a house fire. A house fire could cost tens of thousands of pounds and worse , your life. Don’t ignore the advise of your chimney sweep.

8. Get your neighbours onboard to have their chimneys or flues swept on the same day as you and ask the sweep for a discount because of this.

9. NEVER burn house coal on a multi fuel stove, only smokeless coal. Normal coal will soot the flue liner and damage it permanently.

More cold weather on the way. Get those flues and chimneys sorted beforehand for optimal combustion and problem free heating.

I have one appointment available tomorrow ( Friday 27th ) in the Corwen - Bala area

Next Tuesday and next week are looking very cold. Don’t delay booking in. If your rural and possible snow will prevent me coming I can prioritise you beforehand.

It’s a super cold start to the day. This was my thermometer this morning ( clock is wrong 😝).

Remember, like I said earlier in the week, start your fire using a good amount of fire lighter as the cold will cause a greater pressure differential and plug the chimney or flue making it harder to light. A good concentration of heat from a fire lighter will help push the cold air out of the chimney.

With regards to sweeping , I have some availability this week, so drop me a message but be prepared to possibly have an evening appointment 👍

🚒🚒🚒 We have attended a couple of chimney fires in the last week – please remember it’s important to get your chimney swept regularly to avoid chimney fires.🚒🚒🚒

Here are some more tips for keeping warm but keeping safe when using an open fire 👉

• Store wood and other fuel away from the fire or stove to avoid accidental ignition
• If you’re burning wood, make sure that it’s completely dried out
• Always use a fire guard to protect against flying sparks and hot embers.
• Never use petrol or paraffin to light your fire.
• Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children- consider buying child resistant lighters and match boxes to reduce the risk
• Choose the correct size fire for your room (seek advice for this) and always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on fuel loading and air flow
• Make sure good quality fuel is used - more information about how to buy the correct fuel can be found on the HETAS website
• Always have a carbon monoxide alarm in the same room as your fire
• Have a working smoke alarm and test it weekly

More info here 👉Chimney fires - At home - Keeping You Safe - North Wales Fire And Rescue Service (gov.wales)

One if those chimney fires they attended was my neighbours. If you are very worried about your chimney , I can work evenings etc to keep you safe. Please don’t risk it, call me up or drop me a message on here.

🚒🚒🚒 We have attended a couple of chimney fires in the last week – please remember it’s important to get your chimney swept regularly to avoid chimney fires.🚒🚒🚒

Here are some more tips for keeping warm but keeping safe when using an open fire 👉

• Store wood and other fuel away from the fire or stove to avoid accidental ignition
• If you’re burning wood, make sure that it’s completely dried out
• Always use a fire guard to protect against flying sparks and hot embers.
• Never use petrol or paraffin to light your fire.
• Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children- consider buying child resistant lighters and match boxes to reduce the risk
• Choose the correct size fire for your room (seek advice for this) and always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on fuel loading and air flow
• Make sure good quality fuel is used - more information about how to buy the correct fuel can be found on the HETAS website
• Always have a carbon monoxide alarm in the same room as your fire
• Have a working smoke alarm and test it weekly

More info here 👉Chimney fires - At home - Keeping You Safe - North Wales Fire And Rescue Service (gov.wales)

We’ve all woken up to very cold weather again this morning. This will make lighting your fire harder than usual so I recommend using fire lighters beforehand and not just some newspaper.

We need to force the cold air up so your fires can burn properly and safely, if you dont you will get smoke coming back down. A very hot burning fire lighter will unplug the chimney quicker than most solutions.

Be safe and stay safe.
Care for and use your stoves correctly then they will work efficiently for longer.

❄️Brrr! It’s pretty chilly outside with many of us lighting our open fires to keep warm. There’s nothing like the glow of a real fire – but please remember it’s important to get your chimney swept regularly to avoid chimney fires.

Here are some more tips for keeping warm but keeping safe when using an open fire 👉

• Store wood and other fuel away from the fire or stove to avoid accidental ignition
• If you’re burning wood, make sure that it’s completely dried out
• Always use a fire guard to protect against flying sparks and hot embers.
• Never use petrol or paraffin to light your fire.
• Keep matches and lighters out of reach of children- consider buying child resistant lighters and match boxes to reduce the risk
• Choose the correct size fire for your room (seek advice for this) and always follow the manufacturer’s recommendations on fuel loading and air flow
• Make sure good quality fuel is used - more information about how to buy the correct fuel can be found on the HETAS website
• Always have a carbon monoxide alarm in the same room as your fire
• Have a working smoke alarm and test it weekly

More info here 👉Chimney fires - At home - Keeping You Safe - North Wales Fire And Rescue Service (gov.wales)

We’ve got very cold weather models for early December. If you’re concerned about your chimney drop me a message, I’m working some evenings and weekends days to get things sorted for Christmas.

I’ve got one slot left on Monday if anybody wants it. 👍

I hear many people make the incorrect statement: “wood is a fossil fuel”.

Wood is not a fossil fuel, only gas/oil are fossil fuels. Trees continuously sprout / are planted and grow. Fossil fuels once burnt can never be replaced. People are also confused about the carbon footprint of wood burning:

“Despite the fact that it gives off much carbon dioxide when combusted, wood is a carbon-neutral energy source – it may seem counter-intuitive but in fact the logic is pretty simple. Through its life-cycle the tree will absorb a significant amount of carbon dioxide, and when the wood is burned the absorbed carbon is released back into the atmosphere. This amount of absorbed CO2 during the lifetime of the tree is balanced by the overall amount of CO2 released when the wood is burned. Therefore, the carbon dioxide actually added to the atmosphere is effectively zero”

Are Wood Burners Bad for the Environment? - TheGreenAge Wood burning stoves are sometimes considered to be more environmental than relying on energy generated by the burning of carbon-heavy fossil fuels to heat homes. But how accurate is this idea? Are wood burners actually good for the environment?

Unlike the previous few weeks I have availability coming up, so please contact me soon to arrange.

Fire service issues reminder to get chimneys swept after two house fires in a day Debris can build up and cause a fire to get out of control.