As the nights are beginning to get colder, we’d like to remind you about the importance of having your chimneys swept and ensuring your fireplace is in healthy condition for the approaching winter.

You'll be glad to know that taking good care of your chimney helps protect against damage and fires, and also helps ensure the longevity of your appliance, as well as keeping your fuel burning as efficiently as possible.

Regular sweeping will remove soot, bird nests, cobwebs and other blockages which can create unwanted problems.

A good chimney sweep will have the necessary training and experience to notice problems which might lead to chimney fires or inefficient burning and will be able to bring any dangers to your attention.

How often should I have my chimney swept?

Smokeless Coal – At least once a year

Wood – Up to four times a year

Bituminous coal – Twice a year

September or early October is a sensible time to get your chimney swept before professional sweeps get booked up ahead of the busier winter months.

Where can I find a good chimney sweep?

We recommend the hiring of chimney sweeps that are registered with any one of the agencies below, each of whom has their own strict code of guidelines and assessment required for membership.

The Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps

The National Association of Chimney Sweeps (NACS)

Association of Professional and Independent Chimney Sweeps (APICS)

Look out for the orange Woodsure Ready to Burn logo on CPL's wood fuel packaging so you know you are getting a quality wood fuel product with low moisture, low smoke emissions and improved heating performance.

If you have a multi-fuel stove, there are various HETAS approved manufactured smokeless fuels which we would recommend, including Homefire, Homefire Ovals, Ecoal50, Taybrite and Phurnacite. Suitable kiln dried wood can also be used in multi-fuel stoves and we would advise that you look for a product with a moisture content of less than 20%. 

More information about Chimney Fire Safety Week can be found here.