Hi - thought about sweeping my chimney myself. What sort of price should I pay for a set of rods/brush? Is there anything particular you should look for in a set or are they all about the same? Best place to buy? Is it straight forward?Just an old sheet in front with a hole in? Don't want to cover the room with soot :)
Thanks, Trevor P.
Probably the cheapest you can get will do unless you are going into business. The is only one rule - constantly turn your brushes CLOCKWISE so they don't unscrew while they're up there (and it seems to help going round any bends. You will get some soot dust so try and avoid a windy day and be sure to turm back carpets near the fireplace or cover them well. Dust covers on furniture will stop the wrath later. You get better with practice. Oh and if you have an old pair of leather gloves it helps to get a grip and stops the soot getting in your pores.
Thanks Jim,some good tips there.I'll give it a go,nothing to lose! Trevor P.
Ps - Love the photos on your site
What will the soot from the chimney go down into as you pull the rods and brushes down? A sheet won't do much in the way of protection. I would like to be there when you undertake the task of chimney sweeping. I remember when we had to have ours cleaned by a sweep. His clothes were impregnated with coal soot. He attached a heavy oiled cloth to the front of the fireplace. The soot was dragged down into a heavy cloth bag. Soot went everywhere in spite of his efforts. We could see soot motes floating in the air for days. The only reason chimneys were cleaned was in case of fire from the old type of coal that was burned. Interesting topic for those who have 'been there'. Please let us know how you made out. Angell
A crap chimney sweep then.
I removed the old Triplex range (fire with oven at side) from my old house and asked a chimney sweep to come and sweep the chimney. He put the brush up the chimney and said there is a bit of a blockage at the top which needs to be cleared by knocking some bricks out in the loft, but I got the brush through so you should be ok. He charged me £25 Having knocked the bricks out there was nothing but a handful of twigs. I was not convinced about the amount of rubbish he got out so I purchased a set of rods from Screwfix. It was the first time I had ever attempted chimney sweeping. It took 9 hours to clear the chimney. The blockage was on a bend between the 1st & 2nd floors. There was enough rubbish to fill 6 black bags to the top. Later a builder came to put a flue liner in for me and said that he had never seen such a clean chimney in all his building career.
-- the_constructor (DIY is best)
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