NACS registered · Fully insured · Free smoke draw test and certificate included
★★★★★ Rated 5 stars from Google reviews
NACS registered · Fully insured · Free smoke draw test and certificate included
★★★★★ Rated 5 stars from Google reviews
NACS registered · Fully insured
The questions we get asked most often, answered plainly. If yours is not here, call and ask — we would rather you knew before booking.
What it costs, how long it takes, and where we cover.
Our sweeps start from £75, which includes a free smoke draw test and a NACS Certificate of Chimney Sweeping. The price depends on the appliance and how many flues need doing — tell us your postcode and what you have and we will give you a figure before we come out.
Most straightforward sweeps take under an hour, including setting up, sweeping, the smoke draw test and clearing away. A large house with several flues, or a chimney that has not been swept in many years, will take longer. Tell us when you book and we will allow the time.
We cover Greater Manchester and Cheshire, including Stockport, Altrincham, Didsbury, Chorlton, Sale, Timperley, Cheadle, Worsley, Wilmslow, Alderley Edge, Knutsford, Mobberley and Warrington. See all areas we cover, or give us your postcode and we will tell you straight away.
Spring and summer, if you can. Everyone books in September and October and the whole trade is solid for weeks. Out of season you get a choice of dates, and if we find something that needs fixing you have the whole summer to sort it rather than a cold November. More on that in our guide to when to get your chimney swept.
Frequency by fuel, and the appliances and flue types we work on.
It depends on your fuel:
If your stove is your main heat source rather than an occasional evening fire, err towards the more frequent end.
Yes — twice a season rather than once. Stoves run at lower flue temperatures than open fires, which means deposits build faster, and wood is the fuel most likely to leave tar. Tar is highly flammable and hard to remove once established, so regular sweeping matters more with a woodburner than almost any other appliance.
Yes. An unused or lightly used flue still needs checking. Nests, debris and damp all accumulate in chimneys nobody lights, and a flue that has been out of service for years is the one most likely to throw up a surprise when it is brought back into use. Sweep and draw test before first lighting, not after.
Yes. We sweep masonry chimneys, flexible liners and twin wall flue systems, using traditional sweeping or the modern power-sweeping technique depending on what the flue needs. A stainless flue looks clean from the outside but still accumulates deposits and still needs certifying.
What to expect when we arrive, and what you need to do beforehand.
No. We use a high-powered HEPA filtered industrial vacuum running throughout the job, along with sheets to protect the room. Our customers regularly say they would never have known we had been. That is the standard we work to, and it is the thing most of our reviews mention.
Make sure the fire has been out for at least 24 hours so the flue is properly cold, and clear the area around the fireplace — ornaments, rugs, anything on the hearth. If there is anything unusual about the chimney, or it has not been swept in a long time, tell us when you book so we can allow the time.
You get a NACS Certificate of Chimney Sweeping, issued on completion and recognised by insurers. It matters because most insurance companies will no longer pay out for chimney fire damage unless the flue has been swept by a professional sweep who can issue a valid certificate. If you are letting a property with a solid fuel appliance, you will want one on file too.
It confirms the flue is clearing properly after the sweep — that the gases are going up the chimney and not back into your room. It is included free with every sweep we do.
What to do when something is not right.
Often it is not the chimney at all — it is air supply. If you have had new windows or doors fitted, or the house has been draught-proofed, the fire may have nowhere to draw air from. It can also be a blockage, a flue that is too cold, or an appliance mismatched to the flue. We will carry out a smoke draw test and tell you what we find.
It depends on the stove size and when the house was built. Houses built before 2008 have a 5kW allowance without a vent; above that you need 550mm² per kW over 5kW. In a house built after 2008 you need 550mm² per kW across the board. Sometimes an older property with a 5kW stove still needs a vent if there is not enough air flow. There is more detail on our safety advice page.
Smoke blowing back, a musty smell when the fire is not lit, soot falling into the stove or hearth, tar around the stove door, the fire not burning as well as it used to, or anything you can hear moving in the flue. We have written up the eight signs worth watching for.
Never treat it as a fault. Carbon monoxide has no colour, no smell and no taste, and solid fuel appliances produce hundreds of times more of it than gas or oil. Stop using the appliance, ventilate the room, and get the flue checked before you light it again.
Do not use it again until a full survey has been carried out and a report produced. Damage from a chimney fire is often not visible and everything can seem fine afterwards. This applies even more to steel chimney systems.
Longer reads if you want the detail.
Call and ask. We would rather answer it now than have you guess — and if you are ready to book, have your postcode, the type of fire, and roughly when it was last swept to hand.
