News & Advice

Lockdown number 2, same sort of thing as it was back in march 2020, but not exactly! It’s all good news though. Because unlike in March, when the government’s advice was much misunderstood – prompting many sweeps and installers to

So winter is just around the corner and our summer has been one that has been surrounded by Covid-19, lets try and forget about that for a second! Jenson my youngest son Normally most of my Summers are spent entertaining

Many people ask “when is it best to have my chimney swept”Although there is no definite answer to this question from a chimney sweeps point of view its actually best during the summer months, here are a few reasons why.1,

Which Chimney Sweeps association to choose? These are my views and some other sweeps may not agree, I’m not blogging this to discredit anyone.  For me it was simple, I wanted to choose one that stood out from all the

The Government have decided to go ahead and ban the sale of wet wood under the volume of 2 cubic meters.  DEFRA (The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) is bringing in the mandatory certification scheme next year 2021 The smaller wood manufacturers

Chimney myths and preconceptions  There are a lot of myths surrounding fires, chimneys, stove as well as fuels and what to burn; from their construction, how they work and how they are cleaned. Many of these are simply based on

Some questions we often hear are “Who will fit my stove?  Which stove installers are the best?  Why should I use a HETAS engineer? Well, when it comes to choosing stove installers, recommendation is always king, but it pays to also

How it worksHaving an open chimney is like leaving your window open all the time.Fitting a Chimney Balloon to an open chimney is like fitting the gap with double glazing. The Chimney Balloon is designed to inflate and push against

Wood-burning stove or open fire? Arabella Youens examines the pros and cons of both options.In the country, most houses need a powerful source of heat in the depths of winter to boost or counter the cost of having the central

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 you pick the burnt skin

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? If you have a wood

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, which is now out for consultation, includes

The Silent and Invisible Killer. Ken Knight from Knight Security Inc “Carbon monoxide is a highly poisonous gas that has no colour, taste or smell, making it impossible to detect without an alarm.” Carbon monoxide alarms must be audible – they make

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 of up to £5,000. Check the legislation

With the onset of the Industrial Revolution, coal became the main fuel for domestic heating. When overcrowded cities began to produce foggy smoke from chimney fires. The job of a chimney sweep was essential to avoid fires erupting in the

Why You Should Open Up Your FireThe 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 of the character of a fireplace

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 it’s so often referred to

As the days become colder and the nights longer, more and more people will start lighting up their fireplaces or stoves.  Get your chimney swept and relax in front of your fire with peace of mind that your chimney is

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 fire manufactured to be used

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 chimney. However, if something were to