How long do I need?
It usually takes between 45 – 50 minutes to sweep each chimney, then the paperwork needs completing. On the odd occasion we might experience a problem with the chimney or encounter a blockage. Bird nests take longer to clear because of the amount of material that has to be removed. Where we know, or our customer suspects, there is a bird nest we try to arrange this as the last appointment of the day.
Why can’t you give me an exact time for my appointment?
When you book an appointment, we give you a time slot of one hour. This covers any delays we may encounter earlier in the day or if we are held up in traffic. If we are delayed we always contact you to keep you aware of the situation.
Do I need to be at home when the sweep calls?
In an ideal world we would like you to be present when we arrive. The information we need to assess your fireplace, stove and chimney is vital and any problems you have experienced will help in how we sweep the chimney. We can, if you are happy, collect they key from a neighbour or they can stay with us while we complete the job.
Will I need to cover the furniture?
We take every precaution to make sure your house is left in a condition as we found it, often when we leave it is cleaner. We use disposable dust sheets to ensure the dust sheets are always clean when the go down on your carpets. The vacuum cleaner we use is filtered down to asbestos levels and with twin motors it makes sure all mess is cleared away on completion. We would ask if the mantelpiece and surrounding area is cleared before we start.
What happens if you make a mess?
We carry £2,000,000 in Public Liability Insurance, if anything went wrong then we are covered and you can be rest assured that our work practices makes this extremely unlikely.
I’ve just lit my fire and it is smoking – does it need to be cleaned?
If you are experiencing smoke coming back into your room then you may have a blockage. We would strongly recommend that the fire is not lit again until it has been checked. In some instances environmental conditions may also affect the dynamics of how a chimney works. This can be discussed on a visit.
Can I pay by Credit / Debit card ?
Payments can be made using your credit or debit card. I do make a small charge of £1 towards the admin fees. Payments by cash or cheque are also accepted.
