I have not had my chimney swept for a few years, and it was
getting high time, so I was very pleased when I found a company who was happy
to send two sturdy sweeps out on a Saturday, for the reasonable sum of
£35. They were exactly on time and left
no mess at all!
Nowadays chimney sweeps don’t climb onto the roof to lower a
long-handled brush down the chimney (not do they send small children down the
flue, which is just as well, since the size of mine would require a two year
old toddler). Instead of this top down
approach they now use a bottom up method.
The two gentlemen taped a cloth over my open fire grate, and
inserted a brush as well as a vacuum cleaner hose up the chimney. The brush cleaned the chimney flue and the
vacuum cleaner hovered up all the soot and dirt the brush dislodged. When they were finished they vacuumed the
area all around the fireplace and left it cleaner than they found it.
I observed them with eagle eyes, obviously, ready to pounce
at the slightest infraction, but they were very good. I also went outside, to watch the brush
coming out on top of my chimney – doesn’t it look cool?
After that the chimney sweeps let off a smoke bomb in my
grate, to test whether the flue was fully functioning. I went outside again and watched the smoke
escape from the top of my chimney – tried to photograph this, but the weather
was too overcast for the smoke to show much.
Anyway, my chimney got a clean bill of health, and the
upcoming cold season holds no more fears for me. I have a stack of kindling and a large
rubbish bin full of smokeless coal, apples in the fridge and chestnuts in my
cupboard – long grim Winter here I come!
