Why Santa won’t Climb down YOUR Chimney this Christmas

It’s been a hot one this year, for sure. But you’ve probably already run into it - either by Social Media or in passing casual conversation - but you, as much as you don’t want to think about it.

Christmas is just-over 120 days away. We’ve already blitzed through two-thirds of the year!

But let’s not put a downer on it - Christmas and the festive season are great fun, especially if you’ve got a young family eagerly awaiting Santa and his gifts.

Do you have a chimney that Santa would climb down? Look and see.

Imagine jolly-old Santa trying to squeeze through all that soot and build-up - heaving presents behind him. You don’t want him to get stuck, do you?

In all seriousness, though, the winter months are a time where using a wood-fired fireplace can both be an enjoyable novelty as well as a pleasant addition to heat your home.

But you don’t want to fire up the kindling only to smoke-out your entire house. CSL have some advice to avoid that.

To get the Best Chimney Relining Dorking Residents call for - CSL Chimneys can provide!

 

Firstly, we highly suggest you get the chimney swept if build is not to severe. Usually homes closer to contemporary, the fireplaces weren’t used as much as older era homes so on average they are easier to clear if they done regularly.

But if that isn’t the case, and you’re either looking to renew your fireplace or bring one up-to usable standard; you’ll probably encounter varying degrees of soot, dirt and dust build-up - even if the chimney has stainless steel lining.

Now cleaning your chimney liner is something you can do yourself - with an extendable brush of appropriate size, an additional, smaller brush; a ladder and an outdoor vacuum it’s quite manageable. But if the build-up is off several years - even over decades - then you’ll need more intensive care that a professional chimney specialist can provide.

Looking for Stove Installations? Esher locals highly-rate CSL Chimneys for theirs

 

Now understandable this will cost money - considering it’s a difficult job when it’s this severe - but it’ll pay for itself in the long run. Experts usually will employ special cleaning agents to breakdown creosote - which is a byproduct of wood-or-coal burning that occurs as a brown oily substance - which effectively binds a lot of soot and dust together.

Not only is clearing this arduous its also a health hazard that needs to be dealt with carefully. This ultimate prevents Creosote Fires that can cause significant house fires.

But lets not bring things down - these solutions are readily available and, if you choose to use them then you won’t have a care in the world when it comes to sparking up a warm fire this winter.

Along with that added benefit - Santa won’t have to stain his red suit visiting you this Christmas. Click here for more detail.

Birds Nesting in the Chimney? Here’s how to (Nicely) Stop them Coming back

With Spring-sprung and Summer upon us, we always find out quickly - we had several emergency call outs for cowl-fittings in just 24 hours at the turn of the season!

If you have birds actually nesting in your chimney - and leaving chicks in a nest, there’s not a lot you can do until they decide to leave. Once they have left though, you can swing into action.

If the birds are nesting in an unused chimney, double-check and make sure they’ve left (along with any newborns), then cap-off the chimney (adding a vent, to prevent damp problems).

If however, the birds are nesting at the top of a chimney you do use (a live chimney), then the first thing you need to do is get a good chimney sweep. Some birds such as Rooks can use an massive amount of twigs, and practically close-up an entire chimney. It can take hours to clear, but if it’s not all taken out, it can create a major fire risk. Click here for stone installations Esher.

Once the chimney is clear, you need to put on a bird-proof cowl. We use stainless steel bird cowls, as we’ve seen birds rip off chicken wire in about three minutes flat.

If your chimney is lined with a metal liner, it is unlikely that birds will be nesting in it, as they don’t seem to like the hanging pot cowl used to secure the liner. If you do have a bird go down your liner, however, we recommend you have a smoke pressure test to check the liner is intact.

We charge a single, fixed fee for supplying and the fitting of cowls, so get in touch with us for a pricing on 01372 459 932.

If you are also seeking Chimney Relining Esher-way, then CSL Chimneys also supply tat amongst many other services.