Some are Lucky to Escape

Some are lucky to escape but a few suffer Yes, chimney fires can be really dangerous. Not all chimney fires burns explosively and therefore are not noisy and dramatic enough to detect So be careful with your chimney usage. But how will you detect a damage chimney? Fissured chimney crown Rusted firebox Damaged mortor joints Cracked flue tiles Damaged wallpaper inside the room Creosote flakes on the roof or ground Damaged roofing material Warped metal of the damper, metal smoke chamber, connector pipe or factory-built metal chimney What causes chimney fire? Infrequent sweeping and cleaning Overnight burning or smouldering wood for long periods in wood stoves Restricted air supply Improper appliance sizing Burning unseasoned wet wood Make sure you get your chimney swept and appliances serviced and maintained annually. How гedu the risk of chimney fires? Regular sweeping of chimney. At least once per season regardless of the fuel type Wood use must content 17% of moisture Purchasing the correct size appliance for the room. How to minimise creosote production in a wood stove? Condition of the fire and density of the smoke as it exit should be checked through glass panel Magnetic flue thermometers can be located within the flue to ascertain if temperature is appropriate or if they are excessive The stoves air supply should be adjusted to limit the amount of air to avoid over firing and excessive heat loss up in the chimney. What to do if you have a chimney fire? Call the fire brigade Get everyone out of the building On Close the glass door on the fireplace Close the air inlets on the wood stove If possible use a garden hose to spray down the roof so that fire won't spread to the rest of the tructure Monitor the exterior chimney temperature throughout the house for at least 3 hours after the fire is out Do not re-light any appliances after the chimney fire has occurred So make sure you get your chimney swept and appliance serviced and maintained annually. And to get it done by a professional get in touch with JAMES THE SWEEP www.jamesthesweep.co.uk 07587 134589 HEAT