Why Do I Need My Chimney Swept?
During the colder months, the allure of a crackling fireplace becomes irresistible. However, the warmth and ambience that a fireplace brings also come with responsibility – the maintenance of your chimney. In this comprehensive [...]
Chimney Fires: What You Need to Know
As the weather gets colder and the cosy crackling of a fireplace becomes more inviting, it's important to be aware of the hidden dangers that can lurk in our chimneys. Chimney fires are more common [...]
7 Ways To Get The Most Heat From Your Wood Burning Stove
Looking to maximise the heat output of your wooden stove? Check out these 7 simple tips and tricks that can help you get the most heat from your stove and keep your home warm and cosy during the winter months.
5 Reasons You Shouldn’t Call A Roofer To Fix A Leaky Chimney
The roof is one of the most important structures of a building. It's essential for protecting the interior from the elements, and it also plays a key role in maintaining the building's energy efficiency. The chimney [...]
Wood Burning Stoves – The Environmental Improvement Plan
In recent years, there has been growing concern over the impact of wood burning stoves on air quality and public health in the UK. According to a report by the Department for Environment, Food and [...]
The Future Of Wood Burning Stoves
As environmentalists continue to debate how to mitigate the effects of climate change, an increased focus on sustainable living and eco-friendly heating solutions has emerged. Wood burning stoves have long been popular for their warmth [...]
Santa Maria Maggiore – The International Chimney Sweep Festival
The 39th International Meeting of Chimney Sweeps with chimney sweeps coming from all over the world took place from September 2nd to 5th 2022 in Val Vigezzo, Italy. What is it? The International Meeting [...]
Common Misconceptions About Wood Burning Stoves
Uncovering the misconceptions about wood burning stoves. Book us now for a qualified chimney sweep for your chimney.
The Ins and Outs of Chimney Testing
There’s more to our jobs than making sure the chimney is clear of debris. We also perform several safety checks to ensure that your chimney is fit for use.
How Do I Know Whether My Fireplace Is Safe for Use?
Most chimneys in the UK are over 100 years old, and many are no longer safe to use. It’s essential that you make sure your chimney is safe to use.
5 Things You Must Check Before Booking a Chimney Sweep
5 Things You Must Check Before Booking a Chimney Sweep Chimney sweeping is an unregulated industry, but a dangerous chimney is potentially fatal. As your chimney gets older, problems that didn't exist can start [...]
Let’s Talk about Chimney Boys – The Harsh Truths about Child Chimney Sweeps
Let's Talk about Chimney Boys - The Harsh Truths about Child Chimney Sweeps For most people, the image that comes to mind when you say ‘child chimney sweep’ is the scene from the film [...]
What Makes Chimney Sweeps Lucky?
What Makes Chimney Sweeps Lucky? In the UK, chimney sweeps have been considered lucky for hundreds of years, and in some places, it’s still believed that they carry luck today. To find out why, [...]
Hello Spring – It’s Time to Get Your Chimney Swept
Let’s face it, getting your chimney swept at the height of Spring isn’t one of the first things on many people’s minds. The weather is improving, the nights are getting longer, and the sun is [...]
5 Reasons Why Water May Be Coming Down Your Chimney
Let’s face it, the British weather isn’t always the driest or most pleasant. With an average of 133 days of rain or snow per year, it’s no wonder we’re always carrying an umbrella ‘just in [...]
Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps AGM and Exhibition
The Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps is the UK’s premier trade association for professional chimney sweeps. It was established over 25 years ago with training, standards, and member co-operation at its heart. The Guild’s [...]
Are All My Fireplaces Connected To One Chimney?
Fireplaces provide warmth and add character to your home, so they’re often considered to be one of the favourite features of people’s properties. But have you ever wondered whether all your fireplaces are connected to [...]
Does My Gas Fire Need Chimney Sweeping?
If you have a wood or coal fire, you’re probably already aware that your fireplace will need some maintenance. However, if you have a gas fire, you may be wondering whether your gas fire needs [...]
What is a Smoke Control Area?
Today, we’re going to be talking about smoke control areas and the importance of burning the correct fuel. It’s important that you’re aware of which fuels you can and can’t use, otherwise you could face [...]
Chimney Fires – How to Prevent Them and What to Do If you Have One
The chimney may be a treasured asset in your home, but they do come with risks. Purchasing a home with a chimney is large responsibility (although totally worth it) as they require you to have [...]
What Do I Do If I Have A Bird Stuck In My Chimney?
This isn’t a particularly nice scenario for you or the bird, is it? But, unfortunately, if your home has a chimney, you may well experience the plight of at least one feathered friend. This [...]
Is Your Chimney Tall Enough for a Fire?
Is Your Chimney Tall Enough for a Fire? There are so many factors that make a chimney work effectively, but there are two, in particular, that stands out: temperature difference and pressure difference. [...]
How Does a Party Wall Agreement Affect Your Chimney?
How Does a Party Wall Agreement Affect Your Chimney? If there's one thing that could put a dampener on your spirits when it comes to renovating your property, it's a party wall agreement. A party [...]
Why Is Spring the Best Time to Get Your Chimney Swept?
Why Is Spring the Best Time to Get Your Chimney Swept? Go on, admit it - this happened last year to you, didn’t it? Summer already seemed like a distant memory, and the nights were [...]
Don’t Just Hire the Nearest Chimney Sweep! Why You Should Always Choose a Qualified Sweep
Sometimes, the most important jobs in the house are left to the very last minute, and the chimney is a typical example of this. It’s rarely a conscious decision to leave it because most [...]
How Can You Tell if a Chimney Needs Sweeping?
Your chimney is probably not the thing at the top of your mind every day, is it? After all, can you even remember when you last had your chimney swept? If your home has [...]
What Happens if You Don’t Sweep Your Chimney?
Ah, life gets in the way, doesn’t it? There are so many things to do around the house, but you just don’t have time to keep on top of everything. For some house-related duties - [...]
What’s the Best Fuel for a Wood Burner?
It’s that time of the year when everyone craves the natural warmth of a log burner. They’re incredibly comforting and a wonderful addition to any home. But whether you’re a current wood burner owner or [...]
What’s Involved in a Chimney Inspection in London?
You’ve probably already got a picture in your mind of a chimney inspection in action. After hours of scratching around, coughing, spluttering, and cursing, a figure emerges from the top of your chimney stack, covered [...]
What’s the Difference Between a Flue and Chimney?
If you’re looking into chimneys for any reason at all, you may have reached the inevitable point where you start to ask one very important question. What's the difference between a flue and a chimney? [...]
“How I Became a Chimney Sweep in London” – Paul’s story
You might have a pre-defined image of a chimney sweep, and that’s entirely understandable; these aren’t the sort of people you come into contact with regularly, after all. However, if that image is one of [...]
Why Does my Chimney Smell in the Summer?
Stoves and fireplaces love it when it feels colder outside your home than it does inside. This enables the flue to exhaust air from the stove (even when the fire isn’t on) and simultaneously [...]
New House, Old Chimney? Here’s What to do When You Move in
New House, Old Chimney? Here’s What to do When You Move in Congratulations, there’s nothing quite like buying a lovely old home which includes a traditional fireplace or stove. However, a chimney fire probably [...]
The Different Types of Chimney Cowls
Call us odd if you like, but we do like to geek out about chimneys. For us, understanding every nook and cranny of each chimney we work on is vital if we’re to deliver [...]
Does a Chimney Sweep Make a Mess? What to Expect from a Sweep
The idea of a chimney sweep is pretty messy, isn’t it? All of that soot, dirt and years of wear and tear falling down into the fireplace beneath. Surely that’s going to make a [...]
I Can See Debris in My Fireplace, What Should I Do?
The sight of debris in your fireplace may raise concerns, but rest assured, it's not uncommon for some debris to find its way down the chimney. This phenomenon is particularly prevalent if you have a [...]
COVID-19 Procedures For A Chimney Sweep
If everybody in your home is well, you can continue to book your Chimney Sweep as normal. These are extraordinary times, and to help prevent the spread of Coronavirus (COVID-19) we have had to implement some [...]
Roasting your nuts on the fire? Don’t get burnt!
Ahhh, chestnuts… When most of us think of the festive season, there are a few things that instantly come to mind; sparkly tinsel, Mariah Carey, mince pies, and of course supressing the agonising screams while [...]
Do Birds Nest Down Chimneys
Do Birds Nest Down Chimneys? Early spring is the time of year when birds begin nesting, during this time we receive numerous enquires regarding the removal of a potential bird nest from a chimney. Under [...]
Is it safe to burn your Christmas tree?
It’s that time of year again, we are all packing our Christmas decorations away. The big question is – How are you going to get rid of that over-sized tree standing in your sitting room? [...]
Brief History of Chimney Sweeps
The Industrial Revolution, marked by technological advancements and increased urbanisation, brought about a reliance on coal as the primary fuel for domestic heating. In bustling, overcrowded cities, the resulting foggy smoke from chimney fires became [...]
CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING
CARBON MONOXIDE POISONING – You can't see, taste or smell it but it can be deadly Any fuel burning appliance in your home can produce carbon monoxide, this is usually expelled through the flue or [...]
Why You Should Open Up Your Fireplace
Why You Should Open Up Your Fire The introduction of central heating brought about a trend of closing up fireplaces and installing either gas or electric fires in their place. That, or ridding homes completely [...]
The best funny stories from the trade!
Technicians, plumbers, carpenters, chimney sweeps, builders… whichever trade you’re skilled in, we know that no day at work is ever the same as the last! Whether you’ve been working in your trade for 2 years or 20 [...]
Are wood burners bad for the environment?
This blog will investigate London’s pollution issue and wood burning stoves, the solution, and what the future looks like for wood burning. Wood burning has been in the media regularly over the past couple [...]
LONDON’S AIR QUALITY – Burning wood correctly
Wood-burning stoves have been the subject of various hostile reports in the past few years, more recently the London Mayor Sadiq Khan wrote to Michael Gove, the environment secretary. The mayor has asked to amend [...]
The Guild Trade Exhibition and AGM 2019
The 'Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps' hosted their annual trade exhibition and it was a record breaker - more sweeps, more suppliers, more fun! 'Herding Sweeps' - group photo The Guild of Master [...]
How will the Clean Air Strategy affect wood-burners?
There have been a few attention-grabbing headlines recently "Homes face ban on wood‑burners". There are NO plans to ban wood-burners. The Environment Secretary Michael Gove has published a Clean Air Strategy. The new strategy, [...]
FIREPLACE SAFETY ADVICE
A fireplace in your house can potentially be very dangerous – but it doesn’t need to be. Below are some general safety tips. Get your chimney swept regularly by a professional sweep. Don’t use [...]
Here’s how to enjoy your open fire at Christmas!
Everyone loves Christmas and the general festive season. Full of brightly decorated trees and twinkling lights, delicious sweet treats, and plenty of opportunities to spend time with your nearest and dearest, there’s little wonder why [...]
FIREPLACE LANDLORD AND TENANT ADVICE
In this post, the term “solid fuel” means any fuel that is not a liquid or gas (e.g. wood, coal, mineral smokeless fuels, wood derived fuels and biomass). The term “appliance” means any device or [...]
The importance of testing your smoke and CO alarms
#testittuesday Take a second every Tuesday to test all your smoke and CO alarms. Push and beep the button. The Silent and Invisible Killer. Ken Knight from Knight Security Inc "Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous [...]
Stove Installations post
A Stove is a great addition to any hearth, it looks fantastic and is a green way to heat your home efficiently and economically. At SweepSmart we offer fireplace and stove installations along with a comprehensive [...]
Legislation for Landlords
Regulations require both smoke alarms and carbon monoxide alarms to be installed in rented residential accommodation. The Regulations apply both to houses and flats. Failure to comply can lead to a civil penalty being imposed [...]
