Chimneys need to allow free passage of dangerous combustion gasses. Regular cleaning will remove soot and creosote, helping prevent dangerous chimney fires. Cleaning will increase the efficiency of some appliances. Bird nests, cobwebs and other blockages will be removed.
The sweeping frequencies below are for guidance. Frequency will depend on a number of factors including: Type of fuel, appliance used, duration of use, moisture content of wood fuel, type of chimney. Your Guild sweep will be able to advise on sweeping frequency during the appointment, the sweeping frequencies below are for guidance.
| Smokeless fuel | At least once a year |
| Wood: | Quarterly when in use | Bituminous coal: | Quarterly when in use |
| Oil: | Once a year |
| Gas: | Once a year |
This is a very good question. The answer should be - very rarely. East Coast Flues are able to draw on the collective knowledge of the whole organisation and have a number of best practice techniques for preventing dust escapes. A rare exception may be when the chimney is blocked with a bird’s nest when it is sometimes difficult to contain all dust.
In general we would ask for a clear passage to the chimney and adequate space to work in. Clear ornaments from the hearth and perhaps from the mantelpiece. It would be helpful for us if you could clear the grate of any fuel / ash / rubbish as this would save us time and hopefully reduce the amount of mess that is produced.
Yes. Although burning these fuels does not normally deposit soot there are numerous other problems which can affect chimney function and sweeping can solve or identify these.
To demonstrate to you that the flue has been swept throughout its length, and that the sweep has done his work properly.
This depends on the type of stove or fireplace. As a general rule, we charge £50.00 per sweep. Should we discover problems with the chimney or liner then costs may differ to this. A good example of this is if a chimney is blocked with a birds nest or we discover a serious tar build up, then cost will differ. The other exception of this is an inglenook fireplace with no liner which would be charged at £65.00
A standard weep can take around an hour to complete. If the sweep is of an inglenook with no liner then expect this to take up to 2 hours to complete.
We would certainly recommend this and also regular sweeps to keep your chimney in good health.
We recommend that if your stove or fireplace is used consistently then you should have your chimney/liner swept every quarter. If your stove or fireplace is used for the winter period then we recommend having it swept at the end of the season in readiness for the next winter period.
For certain appliances, there is a recommended fuel, and this is the one you should use. In appliances where there are no such requirements, there are several things that need to be taken into consideration. As a general fuel we recommend wood. It is clean, gives good heat and is carbon neutral. However, at the end of the day, some people don’t get on with wood and find coal suits them better. If you are looking at coal, find your local approved coal merchant who will have the expert knowledge to guide you.
If a chimney is closed off, it can get a bit damp. If there is any soot up there, then this soot can turn to a black acidic slurry that in an old chimney can soak into the internal walls causing severe problems. If bad enough, this damp can penetrate through to the room where it will cause unpleasant stains on the walls.
This is because smoke is leaking back into the room. Contact us for further advice on this.
Contact East Coast Flues for further advice when we will be able to advise you on a suitable terminal/guard for your chimney.
Enter the dimensions of your room into our calculator below to see what size stove we recommend for your room.
PLEASE NOTE: This is to be used as a guide. We strongly recommend a site visit by East Coast Flues in order to give a more accurate recommendation.
fantastic staff, friendly, great prices good local business
Excellent work, helpful advice, great staff and a great price. Woodburner ready to use immediately, no mess to clean up, lovely and toasty now, highly recommended
Wud def recommend this company. Friendly & efficient, helpful & professional. We r so plsd wiv r new woodburner. Cant thank u enough
Lovely friendly lads....good job well done..many thanks
had a stove fitted by East Coast Flues and am very pleased with the result. They were very friendly and professional. They were also very tidy in their work and left no mess and to top it off it saves me money on my heating bill! A fantastic company. I would recommend them to everyone.
East Coast Flues installed an AGA Little Wenlock Classic into my Bungalow today. Both Richard and Adrian we prompt, polite, courteous and above all, clean in their work. My wife was expecting a mess to clean up but it was probably cleaner after they left than it was before they arrived!! We chose East Coast Flues for our installation as we found that Richard understood his job, offered good sound advice and was extremely personable. He took the time to explain everything to us and even advise us on the little things we didn't even consider. I would not hesitate in recommending East Coast Flues to anyone who is looking to have a wood burner installed. I have attached a photo of the final install, its better than we had imagined it would be, we can't wait for the cold weather to start it up now!
Richard explained all of the wood burner options available and carried out the installation work in a clean and courteous manner. Once the installation was complete he took time to explain the instructions for usage, safety and warranties for both the wood burner and flue lining. I would highly recommend.
