Importance of getting your chimney swept!

[Roger H]

Just a reminder to all to get their chimney’s swept frequently and also to check that their fires haven’t been as badly bodged as mine was. I spent an hour last night in our front room at midnight with a very pleasant three firemen and a firewoman while they made sure a small chimney fire was extinguished. Our downstairs woodburner sits in a former range opening where the previous occupant had closed off the opening with plasterboard rather than a proper register plate. I’d done a template for a proper metal plate but it is yet to be cut and installed. In the meantime sparks from the woodburner ignited a small fire on top of the inept plasterboard plate.

When the fireman unscrewed the pboard the fire had set on top of the timber framing :shock: that the plasterboard was screwed to. Wooden framing within the chimney is not an ideal construction detail! Even I’d been planning to fix it to angle iron.

Luckily no damage was done and it has spurred on my register plate project. I was fairly sooty this morning after having stuffed rockwool up the hole as a temporary measure.

 

[88v8]

Urrrgh, not fun!!

So, no flue liner?
In which case how is the chimney swept? Doesn't all the debris just land on top of the register plate?

Ivor

 

[Flyfisher]

Not only the importance of having the chimney swept but also the importance of having a chimney carefully inspected before lighting a fire for the first time in many years.

We recently had a stove installed in a fireplace that had not been used for at least 30 years and removed three dustbins-full of twigs and assorted detritus that had accumulated and would have no doubt burned very nicely indeed.

Glad to hear that no real damage was done.

 

[LadyArowana]

Firemen Glad all OK of course

 

[Roger H]

Firemen Glad all OK of course

Indeed. My Mrs sat on the adjoining stairs in her dressing gown :? ...

Ivor, yes, no flue liner and no real means of clearing debris on 'register plate' save for taking out short flue and putting an arm up. The new design will have access points but will probably remain unlined.

 

[noj]

That's scary...

Happy there was no major harm done.

 

[88v8]

We recently had a stove installed in a fireplace that had not been used for at least 30 years and removed three dustbins-full of twigs and assorted detritus ...

You've destroyed a virgin eco-system :shock:
Life forms unknown to science...

 

[Flyfisher]

Not sure about unknown life forms, the two skeletal remains that came down looked like ordinary birds to me, though I couldn't tell what species so you may be right. :wink:

 

[jocelyn plummer]

Glad all is well 88v8

 

[Zebra]

We recently had a stove installed in a fireplace that had not been used for at least 30 years

Yes how is your fireplace/chimndy situation FF? Is this the one in the room adjacent to the new kitchen, or the one in the "Georgian" sitting room? Have you managed to line the chimney which was leaking into the new kitchen yet?

Firemen

Now now Lady A, I'm sure they were just doing their jobs!