This is the busiest time of year for chimney sweeps as people want to start using their fires and realise that they haven’t had the chimney swept yet. The recommendation from the fire service is for an annual sweep – quarterly for woodburners when in use. The quality of the wood that you are burning will affect the need for sweeping, as will the possibility of blockages through birds nesting.

Whilst landlords should be responsible, do share the following safety advice with your friends and family if they have students off to university:

• If there is an open fire or woodburner that the landlord is happy for you to use, they should provide a certificate of sweeping. If they don’t have it done before you use the chimney – don’t risk it. A professional sweep will sweep the flue and also guide you if there are any problems or things to look out for when using the fire.
• Make sure there is a Carbon Monoxide Alarm present in any room where you’re burning solid fuel – not just by the gas boiler. This is the LAW as Carbon Monoxide is a silent killer as you can’t see or smell it. To be safe we always travel with a CO alarm and it might just be the best gift you give. The best on the market is a Honeywell XC70 which has a 7 year warranty and built in battery – so no stealing it for the remote control!

We’d be happy to help with your chimney sweeping and advise you if you have any concerns about chimneys or carbon monoxide.

Louise Harris

Wilkins Chimney Sweeps

01635 45175