The Soot Smith

Check out this quality work by Middleton's Property Services, Stove, Fireplace and Chimney specialists.

We swept and inspected the flue before the installation.

It is recommended that a sweep and inspection is carried out before you lovely new stove is installed.

Sometimes it is only a little soot and cobwebs, but often they are extremely caked in creosote or contain old birds nests, chicken wire etc.

A super efficient Burley Hollywell stove with a double glazed door!

After a sweep and inspection, we replaced the inner peice of glass, glass seal, prepared and re-finished the exterior of the stove.

Not only is it back to optimum efficiency (C. 90%!), it looks beautiful too!

Get in touch for chimney sweeping, stove maintenance and repairs.

The glass on this ACR had seen better day days!

New glassed supplied by Boston Heating

Get booked in ASAP for your sweep or maintenance before the mad rush starts in September.

If you are at the Lincolnsire Show Lincolnshire Showground head over to the Candent Gas stand!

Face painting and games!

Throw some hoops to win a 10 year Carbon Monoxide alarm!

Stay safe!

https://www.facebook.com/cadentgas

We had the pleasure of carrying out the first sweep and service on this stunning Stovax.

I even let out a 'Wow! That's stunning!' as I entered the room.

Another impeccable istallation by Middleton's Property Services, Stove, Fireplace and Chimney specialists.

Stove, flue, tiles etc supplied Boston Heating

As expected, everything plassed with flying colours.

Do it right, do it once. - Stay safe!

Small but mighty!

Especially for the stoves that were designed to be swept from the top down! Contura stoves

There is a clue there somewhere!

We went back to carry out the remedial work on the Arada Solution 5. This included fitting a blanking plate (hotplate) that should have been fitted when the stove was installed. This covers a 5" hole on the back of the stove!

With that safely installed along with full set of firebricks, we tidied and sealed the collar on the top.

As always, smoke tested and certificate provided.

Parts supplied by Boston Heating our local Arada Stoves stockist.

A couple of sweeps with routine safety checks carried out this morning in Billinghay

A big old Villager stove (manufacturered in 2001) that we will be carrying out some maintenance work on.

Next was this lovely little Woodwarm Firefox. A quality stove that is being used perfectly.

Lovely soot! 😎 This shows that the wood is clean and dry and the stove is burning cleanly and correctly.

- advise on distance to combustibles, but otherwise carry on doing what you are doing

Supplied and installed by Ignite Stoves & Fireplaces

Quality hardwood logs delivered locally by Shaw's Agricultural Contractors

This stove was installed by the previous owner.

The current owners asked the previous sweep to safety check it.

I guess they didn't notice that the blanking plate that should seal the 5" outlet at the back of the stove is missing! 😮😮

Every sweep we carry out includes a service and safety checks.

A 10 year old Contura i6 swept, serviced, new door seal and a replacement door latch spring.

Contura stoves are like the Aston Martin of stoves. - James Bond may own one too!

Superbly engineered and very efficient.

Boston Heating are our local stockist of Contura Stoves and spares.

Another 1st class installation and associated works by Middleton's Property Services, Stove, Fireplace and Chimney specialists.

The Clearview Pioneer that we meticulously restored is now in a suitable habitat. 😎

We had the pleasure of bringing this Clearview Pioneer back to life.

Due to the work required, we took this one back to our workshop.

We discovered that the existing fire bricks were incorrect/cut wrong. Meaning the stove wouldn't work correctly and be less efficient.

If you look carefully, you will see that this stove has a double glazed viewing window. 😎

We were called out by Darren vinters Hetas approved installer and builder to carry out a flexi liner installation pre-sweep.

Having been informed that there was a chance of encountering a wasp nest, we took the precaution of carrying out a camera survey first.

Once we were sure that it was a vacant nest, we set about sheeting up. Great care was taken to ensure the new herringbone brickwork stayed spotlessly clean.

The nest was removed and the flue was power swept.

As far as style and efficiency go, a Contura stoves C500 with soapstones is very hard to beat.

This particular stove was supplied by Boston Heating 5 years ago. It was an ex-display model and an absolute bargain. - Check out Boston Heating for excellent deals on new and ex-display stoves.

This stunning piece of engineering was installed, commissioned, and signed off by Middleton's Property Services, Stove, Fireplace and Chimney specialists. and Chimney specialists. Check out their FB page to see other examples of their impeccable work.

We were called out to replace the door seal. Whilst we were there the customer mentioned that it sometimes filled the room with smoke.

After a thorough assessment of the stove, flue, ventilation, and fuel, we had it under control.

A thorough power sweep of the flue, fuel with the correct moisture, and advice on the best procedure for lighting and refueling.

It's amazing how little heat is produced by fuel that is slightly too wet. What is even more amazing is the amount of heat provided by a small amount of correctly dried wood.

Get in touch for sweeping, maintenance and fault diagnosis.

We brought this Charnwood Country 6 back to life today.

I love the quirky twin-angled doors that are designed to optimize the view of the fire.

We were called out as it had filled the house with smoke.

On inspection, it was clear that it needed some TLC and advice on fuel types, moisture content, and best practices for using air feeds.

All door seals were replaced.
All glass seals were replaced.
Glass cleaned - most of the melted plastic was removed.
New brick set.
New baffle plate.

It is now working like new. Hot and efficient once again.

If your stove or open fire needs some love, get in touch.

WET WOOD!!!

This week we have had a few cases of wet wood!

Wet wood doesn't combust properly. It requires lots of heat to boil off the moisture before it will burn.

Efficient stoves struggle the most with this.

If you continually try to burn wet wood or coal, not only will you become frustrated with blackened glass and a smoldering fire that doesn't generate much heat, but you also run the risk of coating your fire and flue with tar.

This leads to even worse performance, back smoking, flare-ups, and chimney fires.

A moisture meter can be purchased for around £20.

Test the outside of your log. Then split the log and test the center. You are looking for a combined reading of less than 20%.

If it's above this, store the logs somewhere dry and with good airflow until they reach the correct moisture content.

Fuel with the correct moisture content will burn hot and clean.

Your stove will be much more efficient and it will save you money on your fuel bill.

Buy your logs from approved suppliers and store them in dry and ventilated conditions.

Contact Green Barn Timbers LTD for top-quality log stores that are made to measure.

For kiln-dried and seasoned logs that are Woodsure approved

Barn Dried Logs
https://www.facebook.com/LewisHartLogs
https://l.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.shawsfirewood.co.uk%2F%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR2Q6H4TBwswV_--gTPHsVVMmtAfNh-unr16ZOSYhKN1iIvy1lY0MTEDxW4&h=AT2s1utb-3sS-BNMCT4gW0OrvGGBu5ZKmrcf51FtXRRiKXAWl3bXO_mvI8ZdE8T0MsWGL4IsYoUgPBGixEPn5sLQIR_jwefQCF6pFMmicxNq-5AiD3K-rRnwbSq9AA

I love these Inglenook-style installations!

We replaced the rear fire bricks, installed a carbon monoxide alarm and adjusted the position of the stove to correct the angle of the flue pipe.

Get in touch for sweeping, maintenance, troubleshooting etc.

We were called out to troubleshoot this lovely 60-year-old Rayburn that was filling the house with smoke when lit.

According to the owner, it was last swept in Oct 2023.

There are dozens of reasons that fires start to back smoke. They aren't usually as extreme as this one!

The flue was completely blocked solid with creosote! We had to use a long steel bar to smash through it and break it up into smaller pieces so that it could be removed.

We power-swept the stove pipe and brick flue with 3 passes. With each pass, we increased the aggressiveness of the head until we achieved the results we desired.

A camera inspection of the brick flue allowed us and the customer to see the results.

Afterwards, we lit the Rayburn to ensure everything was hunky-dory!

Before we left, we installed a new Carbon Monoxide alarm.

Stay Safe.


Rotary Power Sweeping - SnapLok UK
SootDevil - HEPA Chimney Sweep Vacuum Range

Sweep and service on this Town and Country Little Thurlow in a rental property.

New rear fire bricks.
Collar sealed.
Door rope seal replaced.
Door handle adjusted.
Glass polish.

A properly maintained stove will burn more efficiently and reduce fuel consumption.

Sweep and service certificate provided to tenant and landlord.

Happy tenant, happy landlord = happy days! 😎

All parts were supplied from stock.

Did you know that having the right moisture content in your firewood is key to the efficiency of your stove and reducing your environmental impact? 🤔

With the help of our Consumer Advice Hub, you can make sure your firewood has the right moisture content – 20% or less. Simply follow the link below 👇🔥

https://pulse.ly/pnnzcuhgft

We were called out to troubleshoot this beast of a stove that had recently started to smoke back into the room.

Once we had carried out our routine inspection. We power-swept the flue, provided advice on ventilation, and confirmed the stove was now drawing correctly with a hot smoke test.

The customer was so happy that we have been booked in to go back in the spring to carry out a full service and to sweep their other fire.

We are back!

To get booked in for sweeping, blockage removal, service, trouble shooting..... send a message or call on 07367 345 840.

Prompt and reliable services.

Not only do we offer annual and bi-annual sweeps, we also provide technical advice and maintenance packages to ensure that you are getting the best from your multi-fuel stove, wood burner or open fire.

We love what we do!😎

We swept and carried out the 1st service on this 17 year old Morso Squirrel.

Using genuine Morsø parts, we replaced the firebricks and baffle plate.
We resealed the glass, sealed the top joint with fire cement and gave it a couple of coats of high temp stove paint.
After completing our tests, we can confirm that not only does it look like new, but it works like new too!

We also supplied and installed a new carbon monoxide alarm.

We are happy, customer is happy, happy days!

The Soot Smith

Lovely stove, lovely install and lovely customer.

Stove supplied by Boston Heating
Install by Middleton's Property Services, Stove, Fireplace and Chimney specialists.
Swept and serviced by The Soot Smith

Winning combo!

SootDevil - HEPA Chimney Sweep Vacuum Range
Rotary Power Sweeping - SnapLok UK
Woodsure
HETAS
Vitcas
Milwaukee Tool

Another very busy week! If you need your chimney sweeping before Father Christmas arrives, get in touch ASAP!

We supply and fit a carbon monoxide alarms.

Stay safe.

It's essential that carbon monoxide (CO) alarms are installed in the right position and checked regularly. ✔️🚨

The HETAS series of CO safety videos is a great resource to help you understand all you need to know, from the appropriate positioning to the signs and symptoms of CO poisoning. Check them out now! 👇🔗

https://pulse.ly/yiwb0fxcz9

A stove is a lot like a car. Every so often they need a little love to keep them safe and performing as they should.

We were recommended to this customer by Boston Heating

This stunning and beautifully engineered Arada Hamlet 5, required an anual sweep and the door latch required some attention as it had become extremely difficult to operate.

We carefully removed the handle from the door with specialist tools, addressed the issue and reassembled. It is now working like new.

There are videos on YouTube of people drilling holes in the door and squirting in WD40! PLEASE DO NOT DO THIS!! Long term this will likley make the problem worse and require a replacement door and handle assembly! £££