To chimney sweep or not?

[lizziecupcakes]

Hello
I have a chimney breast that revealed a spot of damp after the heavy rains in September. I peeled the wallpaper back to the lime plaster to allow it to dry. I thought there was black mould over it, but after touching it, it smudges. I think it's soot, but it might be a type of black mould that smudges. it felt a tiny bit damp. Anyways, it's been about 2 months now since and I've been letting it dry all this time. The room's humidity has remained about 50-60%.

I will still give it more time to dry, but back in September I had my roofer take a look as I thought the cause was down to a leak. He wasn't sure it was but he noted the felt wasn't stacked against the chimney stack quite right and redid this for us and put the lead flashing back "properly". I can't remember exactly what he did, but he said that it could be due to heavy rain going over the threshold of the lead flashing and that might have been causing it. I decided to go with a repair here just in case, in preparation for the winter. All has been fine in the area since, but we haven't had heavy rain since then.

I have been in the loft this weekend and checked the same chimney breast area that extends into the loft here, before it becomes the chimney stack. It didn't feel damp or anything and looked fine to my unprofessional eye. The bitumen and surrounding roof area looks absolutely fine. I think the cause of the damp spot on the chimney breast may actually be down to condensation within the chimney breast - probably due to salts.

My best bet is to just let it dry out further with the aim of redecorating this room in the Spring. In the meantime, I am thinking about these possible salts. I don't think the previous owner took care of the chimney and never had it "cleaned" (swept?). Personally, I have never ever hired a chimney sweep before (I didn't even know it was a thing before buying my period property.

I wanted to ask if people on this forum get their chimneys swept regularly? How do you take care of a chimney breast?

In this partiuclar room with the damp spot, it's a bedroom. Below, the chimney breast extends into the dining room. There is a "traditional" fireplace there, but it is unused. I disconnected the gas from it when we moved in. I think we will probably use it as a woodburning chimney in the future, once I figure out how to restore it or anything else I need to do. I've attached some photos incase it's helpful.

thank you!

 

[Eric56]

Yes to chimney sweeping. Have two woodburners. Insurance requires proof of two sweeps a year.
I have since argued them down to one.
My sweep has a camera on a wire and shows me how he inspects the flue and looks for cracks or signs of water ingress.
I get a certificate which I then scan and email off to my insurance company.
It does not cost much so could bring you peace of mind?

 

[lizziecupcakes]

Thanks @Eric56 - do you get it done only because of your wood burners, or is it a requirement for everyone with a chimney?

If they find a problem, does the chimney sweeper fix it, or someone else?

Thank you

 

[Flyfisher]

Yes to chimney sweeping. Have two woodburners. Insurance requires proof of two sweeps a year.
I have since argued them down to one.

Interesting that your insurer requires proof of sweeping. Are you thatched by any chance?

I also have wood burners but my insurer (NFU) does not require proof of chimney sweeping, perhaps because of the pantile roof.

I have the chimneys regularly swept but the frequency depends on usage. We have four stoves. One is used almost daily during thee winter months so I have that chimney swept every year. Another one is used mostly at weekends during the winter months but I also have that chimney swept every year. Another is in a bedroom and rarely used so that chimney is swept every 2-3 years and the final one has only been recently installed and will likely only be used when we have house guests, Christmas and other similar occasions, so I'm guessing the chimney will be swept every other year.

All the chimneys have bird guards and rain tops, so water ingress is not a problem (that I've noticed!) and the local sweep always issues a certificate of sweeping. The sweep will also do any necessary maintenance of the stoves, such as replacing the rope seals etc, and they say they can fix/replace chimney pots and guards etc, but I doubt they'd get involved in any significant structural repairs as that seems more like a builders job to me. Depends on the problem I suppose.

 

[paulc]

I wanted to ask if people on this forum get their chimneys swept regularly? How do you take care of a chimney breast?

In this partiuclar room with the damp spot, it's a bedroom. Below, the chimney breast extends into the dining room. There is a "traditional" fireplace there, but it is unused. I disconnected the gas from it when we moved in. I think we will probably use it as a woodburning chimney in the future, once I figure out how to restore it or anything else I need to do. I've attached some photos incase it's helpful.

Your gas fire might have a lightweight aluminium liner inside the flue. If so, it will want replacing with a stainless steel liner if you plan to fit a wood stove.
Got a liner with my stove with a suitable cowl on top. The flue was given a good clean by a chimney sweep before the liner went in. I now shove a brush up there once in a while to dislodge any soot & creosote. Don't have to worry about damp as the liner distributes a fair bit of heat all the way up the chimney - The chimney breast in the bedroom above will sit around 25°C long after the fire has gone out, so little chance of moisture lingering.

 

[Eric56]

No thatched. Just did a "deep dive" with my insurer. They told me people send scans of all their documents as proof the required tasks are completed. So to cover myself I have done the same for sweeping and boiler service and alarm maintenance etc.

 

[Flyfisher]

Fair enough, but I'd have thought it would sufficient to just produce the certificates in the event of a claim.

 

[CliffordPope]

I think it depends on what you burn. Years ago we burned a lot of coal in the range, and it needed sweeping every few months just to make it useable. It required vigorously rodding with a scraper to dislodge a thick coating of tarry deposit. I knew when it needed doing because the flue began to draw badly.
Now we only burn seasoned hardwood logs in both the range and the open fire and although I sweep them once a year hardly anything comes down. Dry hardwood hardly produces any soot, and what there is mostly either falls of its own accord or is carried away up the chimney.

The days of emptying bucketfuls of soot went out with the demise of coal burning. I don't notice any sparks from the chimney pots either from hardwood.
Softwood's another matter - showers of sparks from the chimney when starting up or putting another log on.

 

[Cubist]

Personally, I have never ever hired a chimney sweep before (I didn't even know it was a thing before buying my period property.

Wha-aat!? You've never seen Mary Poppins and watched, and worse heard, Dick VanDykes orrible impersonation of a Cockney Chimney Sweep? Kids today, harumph, no proper entertainment for them I see.

The only progress among the Honourable Company of Sweeps since the Victorian age has been that they no longer send six year old boys up the chimney to clean them thoroughly - at least, the chap I use every year doesn't - he just brings his live-in girlfriend to help him carry his kit to the house - women's lib hasn't quite caught up in this neck of the woods.

That aside its always a good idea to have any chimney you have not known to have been used before swept and inspected by an accredited sweep.

Looking at the photos you included. Soot can indeed bleed through the plaster to appear in the interior and it is wise to wait until you're sure that the affected area has thoroughly dried out and is not affected by condensation. However, in these situations it's best to assume the worst and hope for the best. Black mould can smudge rather like soot and to the touch will feel rather oily like soot. Treat the area on that basis and keep an eye on to until you're confident it remains dry and stain free before re-decorating.

In your second photo I see what appears to be a stove some kind. It's not particularly clear so I'm not certain but is that a gas/electric fire of some kind? If not, then what?

I think we will probably use it as a woodburning chimney in the future

As I understand it you live in a city area. You should check whether your local authorities have imposed any local regulations concerning installation and use of wood-burners before proceeding - as I recall there was talk some time back of prohibitions in built up areas.

 

[lizziecupcakes]

Hi @Cubist ! Your replies always make me smile and giggle!! I have seen Mary Poppins haha. What i meant was that I didn’t know the job of a chimney sweep still existed today; forgive my ignorance.

yes, the black stuff could well be soot or mould. I have no idea. I think it might be both I havent yet cleaned it (as per a different thread, with sugar soap and mould treatment). I think i just didnt want to get it more wet. But it’s been two months now so maybe I should get on with that now. There hasn’t been any heavy rain for a while so i guess i won’t know if this patch is ok now from the roofers repair work (which was really based on a guess), or from the chimney itself.

Is there a specific time in the year I should get the chimney sweep in? I was hoping to leave it til the new year.

In the second photo, that’s the fireplace in the dining room (not a stove, although it probably does look like it). II think it’s the original, but I use the term loosely because my neighbours with identical houses have the same ones. They are very elderly and told me the fireplace has been there since the house was built. It is completely unused and probably has been for decades. I disconnected the gas when we moved in. I want to restore the area and keep it. The tiles are a maroon colour and at first sight, i don’t think many people would like them, but i’ll try to make it work.

I was thinking about removing the middle (iron?) part out and replace it with a wood burner. I’m in the suburbs of london so will double check about that. I am a bit unsure anyway because woodburners arent good for our lungs, so I’ll see. In the meantime, i have to put my “wants” lower down the list while I fix the more pressing, urgent areas. I have a couple of other spots of damp to deal with too

 

[Cubist]

Hello again LCC,
No reason we cant have a chuckle or two while bemoaning the travails, travesties and tragedies discovered by most visitors here - and I much prefer that to weeping on their shoulders or wiping the tears from their cheeks.

Yes there is a best time to get the chimney swept and it's usually around the onset of Autumn and before people start to light up their more traditional heating systems. The primary reasons are to clear out any excessive build up of soot AND get rid of birds and insect nests all of which can fuel chimney fires - I came across one sweep, an ex Major in the British Army, who cleared 50 kilos of birds nesting material from a house on one of his early sweeping missions. Its particularly worthwhile getting it done with an old house you don't know as soot deposits will hold on to any absorbed water far longer than you might expect.

Before you go ripping out that fireplace could you share some better pictures of it please? Also, if you are seriously thinking of investing in a wood-burner please tell me if you want a 'Show' or a 'Go' system?

 

[lizziecupcakes]

Hi @Cubist , here are some photos of the fireplace. It is “boarded” up within by the previous owner, but there is still ventilation beneath it as it doesn’t completely close it off. Hmm makes me wonder if that is causing the damp spot problem in my original post

Apologies about the bad angle, I was balancing over some boxes and kinda took it at a funny angle
.
I’m thinking about keeping the mantle piece and details, keeping the tiles, remove the paint and the black iron and having a small wood burner in there, local authority permitting. As mentioned above, this isn’t very “original” as my very elderly neighbours seem to have the same pattern/design too but they did confirm it’s the original from when our houses were built.

The tiles are kind of ugly, but I think I can make it work with the right colour palette in the room.

Tbh I’m more concerned about the damp spot and resolving that. I need to look for a chimney sweep soon!

 

[Cubist]

Apologies about the bad angle, I was balancing over some boxes and kinda took it at a funny angle

Thank goodness for that..... I recently sent a new pair of reading glasses back to my optician because whenever I used them to look at my phone or eBook I was seeing a parallelogram rather than a rectangular outer frame and for a moment there your photos had me thinking my eyes were the problem.

Speaking as a paid up member - according to close family and friends - of the Thoroughly Unbalanced community I wouldn't worry about a few boxes as a source of your problems.

It is “boarded” up within by the previous owner, but there is still ventilation beneath it as it doesn’t completely close it off. Hmm makes me wonder if that is causing the damp spot problem in my original post

Could be, but.... air needs to get into the chimney from below to support movement up through the stack to the top to aid evaporation of moisture that would otherwise accumulate in the brickwork. That said. you may find that all sorts of rubbish has built up behind that board and this may be limiting the chimneys ability to breathe.

In any event that board would have to come out to allow the Sweep to ply his trade as the fireplace is the primary access point for all his/her equipment.

Some investigation of the iron fireplace AND the outer surround is I think needed as these MAY be one piece rather than seperate components. When you're ready it would be wise to clean off some of the white paint in some strategic locations to see if the mantle and surround are indeed independent.

 

[noj]

From a sweeps point of view, they'll love you if you put it off until summer when they're least busy!
But if you're intending on knocking out the old fireplace then get it swept first to avoid dislodging a load of old soot in the process!