We have ours done annually, but the scary thing is that the last wood I put on it was at around 8, by 10 when we went to bed there was nothi g but a handfull of embers but the fire in the chimney didnt break out untill around 1 the next morning.
Chimney fire, Check your smoke alarms
- Thread starter ozzy1977
- Start date
Several ways of stopping a fire melonfish - understanding what creosoting is and what causes it is a good start. Running a flue at the correct temperature, properly insulated, properly maintained and using the right fuel makes a fire between unlikely and impossible. Creosoting is caused by unburned fuel residue adhering to the sides of the chimney or flue. The adherence can be caused by a sticky build-up catching particulates and glueing them on. The stickiness comes from inefficient combustion and bad fuel choices. It is made worse when hot gases hit a cold surface.
I run my stove all year round for cooking and heating. The guy who did the Hetas inspection and who also sweeps it says its one of the cleanest he has ever seen, but its fully twin walled got a properly fitted blanking plate, the chimney is cowelled and the entire chimney void is filled with insulation medium. This stops smoke hitting something cold and the creosote forming a sticky residue. Keeping the flue up to temperature and not just lighting it intermittently helps, as does using stoves that achieve high levels of combustion (not passing unburned gases up a cold flue). Burning well seasoned wood (well under 20% moisture) makes a difference - or smokeless fuel is fine in a multi fuel burner.
Open fires are easier to sweep but woefully inefficient (and there's not much to sweeping a flue when you come down to it). They are also more prone to creosoting than a properly installed stove and flue - so more prone to chimney fires.
HTH
I run my stove all year round for cooking and heating. The guy who did the Hetas inspection and who also sweeps it says its one of the cleanest he has ever seen, but its fully twin walled got a properly fitted blanking plate, the chimney is cowelled and the entire chimney void is filled with insulation medium. This stops smoke hitting something cold and the creosote forming a sticky residue. Keeping the flue up to temperature and not just lighting it intermittently helps, as does using stoves that achieve high levels of combustion (not passing unburned gases up a cold flue). Burning well seasoned wood (well under 20% moisture) makes a difference - or smokeless fuel is fine in a multi fuel burner.
Open fires are easier to sweep but woefully inefficient (and there's not much to sweeping a flue when you come down to it). They are also more prone to creosoting than a properly installed stove and flue - so more prone to chimney fires.
HTH
Excellent advice. In my opinion the flue is more important than the stove itself.
A bloke lost his entire 500 year old cottage at Yaxley 3 or 4 years ago, same scenario, leaking flue only it ignited the thatch in his case. It took over a year to sort out insurance, and it was listed too...
Just a thought, if you did have a fire up the flue could it possibly be stopped by ramming soaking wet sacking up there to stop the air flow?
the best two things you can buy for a stove to stop a chimney fire or carbon monoxide poisoning are a thermometer for the stove pipe or stove (get right one) and a moisture meter.
bring wood inside at 25% and burn it below 20%. For an open fire get the moisture meter.
cleaning your own flue is not to be recommended as although the basic action seems easy there is a lot to know and without a current cert. you have no insurance.
coal can tar a flue up very very badly but smokeless coal can help to clean a flue.
if a flue seems very clean when swept that can be a warning sign and may need closure inspection with a camera.
bring wood inside at 25% and burn it below 20%. For an open fire get the moisture meter.
cleaning your own flue is not to be recommended as although the basic action seems easy there is a lot to know and without a current cert. you have no insurance.
coal can tar a flue up very very badly but smokeless coal can help to clean a flue.
if a flue seems very clean when swept that can be a warning sign and may need closure inspection with a camera.
TurboGirl
Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
I was worried about this and phoned our building insurers (Direct Line) to clarify. They said they didn't need any form of certification, I explained the fire and chimney was swept regularly by myself and was built with the property.... they added it to the records and sent me written confirmation of the call
So I guess it depends on the insurer.I'd always been told that burning combinations of fuels dramatically increased the build up and I'm a lazy wench so I like to build the chimney heat up gradually and have a long, efficient burn rather than ram it on from cold for a big flare up in a cold stack
The other reason for using wood alone is the beneficial effects of the ash and soot on the garden, I'd been told its not a good idea to use coal ash on a kitchen garden.
Absolutely ash from coal or smokeless fuel is absolutely a bad idea for spreading on your garden - indeed it can kill plants.
My dad best friend died from carbon monoxide poisoning. Went to sleep in his arm chair with a warm fire on and past away in his sleep. So my dad always has a alarm now to be safe as well as regular sweeps.
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