The types of wood that I use in the fire documented below are pine which has been split into 1″x 1″ x 6″ pieces for kindling. Beech Logs which have been cut to 30cm lengths split and Kiln dried. For fire lighters I use certainly Wood Flamers. The stove is a Scan Anderson 4/5 DEFRA exempt, wood burning stove that is approximately 4 years old.

1. You will notice that I leave a bed of ash in the fire box, that is A ok when burning wood

2. On top of the ash we now add a raft of 5 pieces of kindling and begin to build a Jenga like tower.

3.  Carefully we add 2 flamers and ignite using a lighter

4. we now add more kindling to finish the Jenga like square, Ensuring that there are many air gaps for the flame to jut through and leaving a large contact area for the flame available on the kindling.

Warning things are getting HOT

5.   We now ensure that all vents and air intakes on the stove are open and carefully, partially close the door leaving an air gap of approximately 1cm. We leave the fire to become hot 3/10 Min’s approximately. This ensures that the chimney has an adequate draught and will help prevent smoking back when we add our logs.

the door stays ajar 1cm approx

6.  Ensuring that the stove is hot and that there is adequate kindling, we now add 2 small logs in a diagonal cross formation. Adding more kindling is sometimes necessary at this point.

7. Again the door is closed but not fully until the logs are burning vigorously. 5/10 Min’s approx

8. We now close the door and leave the fire to fully warm up the stove and flue.

7. After 15/20 mins the air intakes on the stove should be adjusted In order to achieve a state of moderate flaming combustion. This is when the entire window is  filled with fire without the flames being drawn into the chimney. The air intakes should never be adjusted to the point at which the combustion process is is being severely hampered or stopped. The smoke as it exits the pot should be assessed. It should be white or a light grey. If the smoke is brown or black then it is likely that either the air intake is not  open enough, the fuel is wet or an inappropriate fuel type is being used.

Do I require a chimney cowling?

A.. In most instances you will not require a cowling. Fitting a cowling causes a restriction of flue gases and slows down the fumes escape, this in return can lead to dirtier chimneys and more frequent sweeping.

A..  There are some instances where a chimney cowling is the only sensible option, Some examples may be;  Bird infestation,  down draughts and heavy rain ingress.

The Colt High top anti bird and rain cowling

It is unlikely that fitting a cowling will increase the draught of a chimney indeed the added restriction will most likely reduce the updraught further.  Fitting a rotor cowling can increase the updraught in some instances when the wind can be utilised to drive the fan. The best solution`s for inadequate draught are relining with an appropriate sized liner for the appliance, increasing the chimney length or installing a chimney fan.

TIP!  A poor updraught may be a symptom of excessive leakage within the flue which could have fatal consequences. If you can imagine drinking through a straw that has a split in you quickly notice that it is impossible to hold the Vacuum, this is similar within a flue. leakage can be tested for using a special machine such as the wohler DP23, smoke can also be used but the results are nearly always inconclusive. For more info on chimney leakage testing look here http://www.chimneyservice.co.uk/pressure.php

Rotor vents can be useful in helping to defeat down-draughts caused by the wind. They rarely help in Down draughts that are caused by positive pressure (over hanging trees or buildings usually cause this) in these instances it is typically necessary to extent the flue out of the high pressure zone by installing a long pot or extending the stack.

The Colt Turbolite used for downdraughts caused by the wind

Over the years, old wife’s tales have led to builders and DIYers fitting inappropriate or unsafe terminals.  It is vitally important that if you have one of these incorrect tops fitted that you do not use your appliance until it is removed or replaced. I have added a link below  below for terminals that are for disused/defunct chimneys. Please do not assume that because the terminal you have is not pictured, then it is safe. I have only given samples of the most common unsafe terminals.. If you are unsure then speak to a professional.

Inserts for disused chimneys

I hear on a daily basis that customers like the smell of a particular type of wood smoke?. When I tell the person that wood smoke contains very high levels of carbon monoxide they are often surprised. In the modern world we live in, it is never acceptable to breath any amount of smoke. Some fires or stoves may smoke a little for the first five minutes or so while they are cold however after this time there must be NO smoke or fumes seeping or leaking back into any living space. A carbon monoxide alarm should be installed within any room that has any appliance that burns carbon based fuels. This may seem alarmist but it simply takes away the guess work and makes the user experience of a having a real fire much more enjoyable.

So to answer the question do you need a cowling?. Probably not, but you may have an undiagnosed problem that needs addressing.

It was in the 1950`s that my grandfather decided to become a chimney sweep. He was working in a coal mine just out side of Newcastle on a particularly cold November morning when he bumped into the village sweep. My grandfather noticed that he was bitterly cold and blackened from head to foot while the Chimney Sweep was fairly clean by comparison and was swigging a hot tea and indulging in a bacon sandwich.  After a brief conversation The Sweep agreed to teach my grand father the trade.

It was in 1954 when the decision was taken to move the business to London . Later that year my father began his training,  by 1960 he was running the company and It was during 1964 that `Clean Sweep Chimney Services` was officially formed.  It was not until 1990 when I began to train as a Sweep and in 1992 My father retired from sweeping and I took over the reigns. The first thing I did was to buy the biggest vacuum that I could find.  My father did use a vacuum, although it was something from the 1970`s and did very little to control the dust.

In 1995 My brother Matthew joined the company followed in 2000 by My youngest sibling Benjamin.

From 1992 I decided that I wanted to improve both myself and the chimney sweeping industry. I began to undertake every training course I could find which appertained to the Industry. I started with ACOPS for gas later both myself and my brothers became HETAS registered later on I retrained in muhlbach in Germany to further my chimney sweeping knowledge. We now have qualifications in, pressure testing, working at heights, camera surveying, chimney relining, appliance installation, installation of steel chimney systems, renewable technologies, pellet systems  and the installation of wet solid fuel heating systems.

The HETAS registered installer logo

By 2006 my company was highly qualified in the solid fuel sector but lacked the ability to certify our chimney sweeping work. After lots of searching we discovered that there were two sweeping organisations in the UK that could offer industry approved certification. The Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps and The NACS, after some deliberation I decided that the Guild was the right choice for Clean Sweep and later that year I was assessed and admitted to join. By 2007 it was noticed by the Guild board that I had a vast industry knowledge and was voted into the position of education director. This position carried much responsibility as it involved writing the new training manual and training new sweeps. The manual I co-wrote `Masterful Sweeping` is still used today and was a great achievement. I would like to thank the chimney sweeping institute of America for their help and also Mr Lawson Wight.

In 2009 the past Chairman of the Guild  Mr Russell stepped down and I was elected as Chairman. This is a position that I am proud to say that I still hold today. My new role involves general day to day running of the Guild along with representing the chimney sweeping trade in Europe as part of ESCHFOE. We also undertake liason work between the European chimney sweeping associations (ESCHFOE), several stearing groups and sit on carbon monoxide awareness boards (COCAA).

Heads of some of the chimney sweeping Guild`s from around the world taken at the ESCHFOE meeting in Muhlbach Bavaria

I believe that the standards that I hold, have been instilled in the Clean sweep work force which is steadily growing. We now have several full time Master sweeps and also a superb office staff. I believe that the experience that the Clean sweep staff have cumulatively, is the greatest of any chimney sweeping company within the UK and our values are unbeatable anywhere. We have a motto which is ` Traditional values Modern Excellence`. This motto defines our company as one who upholds age old traditions and customer service while we utilise the newest techniques and best equipment.

Looking to the future we have restarted long lost apprenticeship programs so that our company continues to grow and the art of chimney sweeping is not lost.

All the best

Daniel Hodgson