Can you de-clinker the top of our chimney?
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Because our chimney sweep has had to discontinue work, due to ill health and he used to sweep our chimney from the top, getting rid of all the build up of clinker on the top of the chimney in doing so, we need someone who could get up there to de-clinker for us. I have asked on FB, but those that do sweep from the top down won’t travel to do so (20 minutes was too far for one). I have an ad on classifieds here too.
Mr. F. could sweep the chimney from the bottom if necessary but I won’t let him get on the roof (he isn’t very stable on his legs since he had the stroke and, although he insists he’d be alright, I’m not letting him risk it!)
Thanks for looking folks.
He doesn’t have any recommendations, does he, your ex ramoneur? And couldn’t you find a harness for Mr F – I’m being serious. If he was attached by a harness to the chimney his security would be OK.
I sweep our chimneys from the bottom up and don’t have a problem with clinkers.
If its a steel or flexible stainless lined chimney you should be using a steel brush which gives a good sorting out to the inside of the chimney. The yellow nylon brushes are for non -steel ie brick or stone lined chimneys.
I see you are at St Maudan 22 – try Vince Boon at VB Plombier – I think he is at Carhaix, if you have to pay for him to travel he’s still good and reliable.
VK no sadly no contacts from the sweep – it’s not so much harnessing Mr.F. to the chimney it’s him climbing the roof ladder – he forgets he’s 79 in May!
Fitter Thanks I’ll try Vince ( we’ve had the chimney swept from the bottom by all methods it doesn’t sort the very top, when the sweep/roofer 1st swept it he said there was just a small hole left, he couldn’t give any explanation why it collects like it!)
Thanks both for you suggestions
Fruitcake, your so right, it’s not a good idea to have ones darling husband dangling from the chimney, harness or not! It’s just not on! I had the same problem when mine, wanted to climb very steep steps to put up the Christmas lights on the outside of our French house ! Is there no one in your village that can help you, don’t the neighbours have their chimneys swept? Perhaps the local fire brigade , our sweep was a fireman as his fulltime job!
Mrs B thinnuks I’m not safe doin’ it from’t bottom.
No way I’m gettin’ ont’ roof, I don’t bounce the same now
Our local roofer does ours F, and from the top.
As did ours Bill, think it’s the roofers that do.
Blue our neighbour does his own – from the top, I’ll keep making enquiries and contact the name fitter gave me, but I suspect he will sweep from the bottom, thanks all.
:rose:apparently you need a roofers ‘ticket’ to do it
Fruitcake there must be a solution to this, cannot it be resolved from the bottom rather than the top! That sounds crazy but I know you’ll get it!!
I don’t think so Blue from what Fruitcake says in her last but one post.
Fruitcake, Vince did ours from the top, we also had a builder friend who did it a couple of times from the top when Vince was back in the UK, of course we didn’t get a certificate from the builder. I used to tape cardboard on the inside of the glass doors of the woodburner, close the doors and it saved a lot of mess and dust coming in to the room.
I hate to disagree Fitter but you normally use a nylon brush in a steel lined chimney and a metal brush in a masonry one.
It might be worth asking at your local Mairie, they usually have a good knowledge of local tradesman. It is normally local roofers who keep chimneys swept.
“I hate to disagree Fitter but you normally use a nylon brush in a steel lined chimney and a metal brush in a masonry one.”
The way I learned it is if you use a steel brush in a masonry chimney it rakes the mortar out of the joints.
The nylon and steel brushes sold over here are far too big for the usual 150 mm chimney liner and need trimming down so the brush is just a little bigger than the inside diameter of the flue.
JohnP – that’s exactly what I’m planning to do next time the Mairie is open (it only opens on certain days) if we’re not sorted before then.
tigre – I’ve left a message for Vince.
With regard to the top versus bottom question. All our other wood burners/chimneys have been fine from bottom to top, we have no idea why this one isn’t and neither had our professional roofer/sweeper either – it was already installed in the house so we have no knowledge of how it was done, we burn the correct wood, it’s swept on a regular basis (at least twice a year) but still every so often we have to have the hard deposits at the top shifted, hence the reason for searching for a person to do just that. I will get it sorted, I just thought it worth asking on here as everyone is always so helpful, as in getting Vince’s contact details. So thanks one and all
I did have this problem for a while with my woodburner. It has a long run of pipe, 13 metres to the top of the chimney and when the pipe was installed, a bolt was put through the pipe to hold it in place while the cement dried and soot used to build up on this eventually reducing the airflow. The last guy who went up on the roof to clear it cut the bolt out and fitted a hat to the chimney to stop rain mixing with the soot and forming the hard crust. Since then I have not had any problem and sweep my own chimney from the bottom up taking care not to force the brush out of the top and knock the hat off.
you could try a Buche de Ramonage
Yes koat we have used those in the past
We have got a hat on the chimney JP
No response yet from Vince and still getting answerphone – he may be away, I’ll try him again
Good luck Fruitcake
Thanks BV
(The reason I’m trying to get this sorted now is I don’t want the dog sitters having any problems with the fire smoking when we go over to the children for our Christmas with them Monday week!)
We have a French roofer coming to sort the chimney tomorrow morning at 9am – many thanks for all help and suggestions my good people
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