it's amazing we still have a house (chimney)

[tycarregydwr]

The chimney sweep has been. First open fire isn't. That is to say, he couldn't get more than 3 rods up it, even with a 6 inch brush. **** knows what's happening up there. He says he would have to break a hole into the stack (in the room) to investigate.

Second open fire - the more important one - has been cleaned and declared safe but my word, we're lucky the house is still standing. We haven't used it as I strongly suspected the previous owners had been less than fastidious. I don't think it's been swept in YEARS, many of them. And we know the previous owners were using it regularly. The sweep had to empty his hoover three times! He says that's never happened. It was many kilos of dust and soot, he said it's an absolute miracle there wasn't a chimney fire.

There are still bits of soot falling down it - it's very windy tonight - he said it was fine and he couldn't 'get it clean enough to eat dinner off of' but it was drawing well and he was satisfied it was ok.

We'll have to use it as an open fire this season I think as I doubt we can afford to install a woodburner very soon, but at least we can have a fire. And hopefully not burn down the house.

 

[middi]

No doubt you will let us know what " F*%* knows" was blocking your chimney :wink:

Middi

 

[Feltwell]

3 rods isn't much. Presuming that you can't see straight up the flue, can you see the obstruction with a mirror on a stick? Even easier would be a CCTV system used for drains, but that would cost to hire in. Another way possibly is a cheap digital camera or mobile phone on video mode, taped to a stick and passed up the flue, with a decent light shining up from the bottom. Doesn't help you get the obstruction out though!

Quite a few of us have discovered acts or neglects by previous owners that have threatened to burn our houses down, more commonly it's dodgy wiring though!

 

[LadyArowana]

Time to put on the safety goggles, grab a powerful torch and contort yourself to peer up the chimbley. If the rods wouldn't go up very far then you might easily spot the obstruction, failing that are there any small children in the household? If not then still no cause for concern as it will soon be Halloween and thanks to that American import trick or treat some might be delivered to your door.

 

[JoceAndChris]

Oh, how tiresome and annoying for you! Surprised the chimneys hadn't been swept, ours spits the smoke into the room when it needs a clean, yearly, and then I know I have to make it top of the jobs list. How neglectful some people can be!

Making a hole in the stack sounds so drastic! Is the roof easy to get onto?

 

[tycarregydwr]

Thanks.

Lady Arowana - Halloween is not an American import, it's originally Scottish :lol: At any rate we've got two munchkins of our own but they're not playing. Grump.

I tried to have a look yesterday with a mirror on a stick and a torch but had no luck at all. It's a very small fireplace as it has an insert to make a tiny coal-burning fire, so I just couldn't get a view.

Someone I told about this asked if the sweep had a corkscrew? They said that there's an attachment they can put on the rods to remove blockages, sounds like a drain snake - I've not heard of this before and the sweep who came clearly didn't have one, does anyone know? As if this exists it would be a less drastic step than breaking a hole in the stack! The roof is rather tricky to get on to, and is currently elderly asbestos shingles so I want to disturb them as little as possible. And if the blockage is only 3 rods up then we're probably unlikely to see anything from the top, I've had thought?

And finally, the one he did sweep has been dropping soot all evening and morning, quite a lot of it skittering down. Is this normal? I've never had this before but then again I've never had an open fire in this country either, nor have I had an open fire swept that had such an amazing accumulation of crude up it, so does it just need time to shed all the last few crumbs, or should I get him to come back?

Thank you

 

[Feltwell]

I think it will be a while before bits stop falling down that flue if it was that badly clogged up. The brush will have loosened some parts that didn't come down. Some of the disused flues here drop odd bits after several years of not being used.

I really think you need to see what's blocking that flue before you can decide what to do - it could be a collapse of the flue itself, in which case rebuilding will be required. No chance of getting a camera in video mode up there?

 

[tycarregydwr]

I think it will be a while before bits stop falling down that flue if it was that badly clogged up. The brush will have loosened some parts that didn't come down. Some of the disused flues here drop odd bits after several years of not being used.

I really think you need to see what's blocking that flue before you can decide what to do - it could be a collapse of the flue itself, in which case rebuilding will be required. No chance of getting a camera in video mode up there?

Thank you, in that case I'll wait a while before calling him back.

I think you're right that a camera is the way forward, going to look into that this weekend and see what our options might be.

 

[88v8]

Someone I told about this asked if the sweep had a corkscrew? They said that there's an attachment they can put on the rods to
remove blockages, sounds like a drain snake.

I think they are indeed confusing it with a drain snake.

Could be a bird's nest (frozen turkey?) or a loose brick if the flue is coming apart.
If you buy yourself a set of rods - cheap on Fleabay - worth trying the camera idea. Whatever you spend it will be cheaper than getting someone else to investigate, even if you have to buy a s/h camera.

Not quite the time of year you would have chosen for this though.

Ivor

 

[LadyArowana]

Lady Arowana - Halloween is not an American import, it's originally Scottish :lol: At any rate we've got two munchkins of our own but they're not playing.
And finally, the one he did sweep has been dropping soot all evening and morning, quite a lot of it skittering down. Is this normal? I've never had this before but then again I've never had an open fire in this country either, nor have I had an open fire swept that had such an amazing accumulation of crude up it, so does it just need time to shed all the last few crumbs, or should I get him to come back?

It's possible that some long gone thieves or robbers stashed their ill gotten gains up there and then never made it out of jail to collect, discuss this furtively when the munchkins think they are un-noticed and they will be up there in no time I didn't know trick or treat was a Scottish custom, I shall look more fondly on it if it is less "Disney" and has some long history North of the border.

 

[worms]

Just to clarify, "trick or treat" is American. We do guising (corruption of "disguise") and the pumpkin lantern should be a neep*. But all this was normal in rural England too, wasn't it?

Getting a neep (swede) big enough is difficult in modern Tescoland and hollowing one out is seriously hard work in comparison to a pumpkin!

 

[LadyArowana]

Just to clarify, "trick or treat" is American. We do guising (corruption of "disguise") and the pumpkin lantern should be a neep*. But all this was normal in rural England too, wasn't it?

Getting a neep (swede) big enough is difficult in modern Tescoland and hollowing one out is seriously hard work in comparison to a pumpkin!

I'm not familiar with what's normal in rural England, and after some of the vague inuendo that gets bandied about here I intend to remain that way :shock: Carved neeps and quait tartan clad children sound much more appealing than tacky store bought garb and plastic pumpkin shaped buckets though.

 

[JohnB]

You can get spy video cameras on eBay very cheaply. Some are pen shaped, and would probably be easy to tie onto the end of a pole with a torch.

I think I need to demolish a birds nest this weekend, before lighting my stove. Now squatting is illegal, I suppose I can chuck the birds out at any time in future, rather than waiting for them to leave of their own accord!

 

[dalivar]

We opened a fireplace recently and the chimney's getting swept Tuesday! Once its open to the air (its currently capped) we'll have to invest in a chimney balloon to stop the draughts as we also want but can't afford a woodburner yet.

Its a large opening now but was bricked up twice to make it smaller and accomodate smaller fireplaces. Is your newly opened fire place as big as it can be, or could there be more to excavate?

 

[Feltwell]

Miserable Dad here won't let his kids trick or treat. I have a mild moral objection to it, although not in so far as to criticise anyone else for letting their kids do it.

There was a definite split when I was a kid - I grew up next to a small American air base, many of the USAF families preferred to live off the base so there was a mix of American and English kids in the village. The American kids would go trick or treating, the English kids weren't allowed. Since then (mid 1970's) it's clearly become more established over here, although we don't get many where we are.

Fred Drift once again, back to flues!

 

[Owain]

If I remember Busman's Honeymoon correctly, a shotgun discharged up the chimbley is good for dislodging sut. Especially 'ard corroded sut.

Do you have a local Bert Ruddle?

 

[middi]

If I remember Busman's Honeymoon correctly, a shotgun discharged up the chimbley is good for dislodging sut. Especially 'ard corroded sut.

Do you have a local Bert Ruddle?

Now, that is an exellent bit of lateral thinking to unblock a chimney stack, and in case it does not work, drop a stick dynamite down the flue passage. That should do it
On the other end, the shotgun blast may get rid of the crows that have nested down the chimney. If that's the case just set fire to it :wink:

Middi

 

[Sonyaclegg]

Sorry if this is not strictly on thread....We need to install a register plate in the kitchen chinmey to prepare for the oven and hob going in. After lots of reading, I know I need to allow for the chimney to breathe so sought advice from local chimney/HETAS chap. He can make a frame and install plywood sheeting with vents in the sheet and place that in the mouth of the chimney and then another plywood sheet underneath that so the self circulating extractor fan can be installed. We can't have a duct and extracor as that would mean removing some of the stone work on the back of the chimney to feed the duct through and that would be an alteration I'm not prepared to make when we can have a self contained filter type extractor.

Does the advice I have received sound correct?

I hope you get to the bottom of the blockage soon and without too much difficulty.

 

[Baron de Gynes]

Sonya, (Off Topic? That's PP for you! ) but have you considered installing an Aga (or similar) in the chimney breast? You could then have it flued up through the chimney, although by the look of the photographs already uploaded that could be a very long flue liner...

 

[Sonyaclegg]

I'm getting the lingo. An Aga is too costly at this stage but a rangemaster isn't so that's what I've picked. The flue liner would go on for what would seem like infinity to get to the top. I enjoy standing in the fireplace with my torch gazing up at the history and it needs a very good sweep. An Aga flue would still need a register plate to stop debris falling in the stew!