The Show Us Your Fireplace or Solid Fuel Stove Thread

[Drago]

As a related aside, how often do you get your chimneys cleaned and how much are you paying? Nobby the sweep - yes, that is how he is known - does mine once a year, typically August time, and because its straightforward 7 metre flue with no hassles and good access charges only £50. I get the certificate for that as well.

 

[welsh dragon]

As a related aside, how often do you get your chimneys cleaned and how much are you paying? Nobby the sweep - yes, that is how he is known - does mine once a year, typically August time, and because its straightforward 7 metre flue with no hassles and good access charges only £50. I get the certificate for that as well.

We have a twin walled flue pipe that goes from the fire, directly outside and up the wall of the house. It has a part at the bottom that can be opened up and a brush can be pushed up to the top to clean it out, so it cost's us nothing as Mr WD does it at the end of each winter. We get very little debris to be honest and of course its a lot cleaner having it on the outside of the house.

 

[Drago]

I've been tempted to DIY it but if I have a chimney fire my insurers won't cough if I don't have the certificate

It's a double pain because I have an f@#£%&g expensive H chimney pot so I also get very little debris. I'm basically paying £50 for a bit of paper.

 

[Proto]

 

[Supersuperleeds]

I can honestly say, I don't have a fireplace.

 

[Salty seadog]

I haven't got a fireplace.

Stick the tv on then.

 

[SpokeyDokey]

I have a heat pump. This is the 21st. Century.

Open fire here with a shaggy rug in front of it - much romantic fun can be had on said rug with the fire alight and a very accommodating wife!

The allure of a heat pump doesn't do it for me.

 

[Deleted User]

 

[Drago]

Loving the olde typewriter @shep

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

We had two fireplaces in our house originally. The flue in one cracked resulting in us burning one end of the house out, don’t try it, its not as much fun as it sounds...

Anyway, when they rebuilt the house we had them stick this nifty insert in the fireplace on the lower level. It has an automatic thermostat that kicks the heat on if the power goes out or the central heat fails, so its a good back up. Its also useful for the occasional late night winter snog.

The other fireplace wasn’t put back in, it makes for a larger living area on the main level without it.

 

[Drago]

Oh aye, you have to be careful with flues, liners and chimneys. I have mine inspected and swept annually. The bloke gives us a certificate, without which most insurers won't pay if there is a chimney fire or or the like. He shoves a giant endoscope up my pipe (oo-er matron!) and inspects it.

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

Mine was clean, it had just been checked for that, but they had only begun to do the camera down the flue type inspections that would have seen the crack that allowed to gasses to leak into the wall and start the fire.

The guy next door had a camera inspection after our fire and a crack was found in his flue as well.

The fire marshal told me they had many similars calls to this area over the years as the builders used mixed and damaged bricks from previously finished houses to build the chimneys in this area. So shoddy workmanship then...

 

[welsh dragon]

I'm glad my double skinned flue is on the outside of my house. Makes it a lot easier and cleaner to clean it.

 

[Drago]

What do you good folks do for fuel?

My nephew owns a new cinema and landscaping firm and I get several tonnes of offcuts a year from him. I cycle them a year in the greenhouse and a year in the wood store to get them properly dried out before burning.

We have a half dozen or so bags of coal left from the previous owner but in these environmentally sensitive times I'm reluctant to use it.

 

[fritz katzenjammer]

As previously mentioned, I did use my house for fuel that one time...