Quote of the week

Life isn't about finding yourself, it is about creating yourself'

George Bernard Shaw
If you cannot mould yourself entirely as you would wish, how can you expect other people to be entirely to your liking?
Read more at: http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/wish.html

Saturday, September 6, 2014

Check your chimneys!



 Although we are having some good weather once again,  the evenings are drawing in and getting a bit chilly.   At this time of the year I look forward to the time when we light the stove, even though I know that by the end of the winter we will be tired of bringing in the fuel and stoking it up.  The prospect of enjoying the comfort of a real fire is one of the compensations of the approach of winter.
We had our annual visit from the chimney sweep a few weeks ago.  I have been much more diligent about arranging for him to come regularly in recent years since we had a chimney fire – a quite frightening experience.

The fire came to mind because today I had a notification that Chimney Fire Safety Week starts tomorrow. 

Apparently there are approximately 7000 chimney fires in the UK annually, around 200 of which are in Suffolk.  Most of these fires are preventable.

The most common causes of a chimney fire are
  • ·          The wrong sized wood burners or flues for the fire place
  • ·         Burning unseasoned wet wood
  • ·         Infrequent sweeping and cleaning
  • ·          Overnight burning or smouldering wood for long periods in wood stoves.
Regular chimney cleaning is important if you wish to avoid a chimney fire.  If you just burn wood a quarterly clean in the burning season is recommended, otherwise an annual sweep will do.  It is best to use a professionally qualified sweep, such as those registered by NACS (The National Association of Chimney Sweeps).  If you are in doubt visit www.checkatrade.com the online directory of local tradesmen who have been checked by Suffolk Trading Standards and who make a commitment to treat customers fairly.

Here are Suffolk Fire and Rescue Service’s top tips to make sure that you stay safe this winter:
·   
  • ·         Use a fire guard
  • Clean your chimney regularly
  • ·         Make sure the fire is out before going to bed, or leaving the house
  • ·         Use good quality fuel
  • ·         Never use petrol or paraffin to light your fire
  • ·         Do not overload your grate or stove
  • ·         Above all make sure that you have a working smoke alarm on every floor of your home.


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2 comments:

  1. MargaretSeptember 14, 2014 at 4:21 PM

    May I add to your chimney sweeping article to homeowners that it might be prudent to use a qualified chimney sweep who can also check the health of your chimney with camera equipment and make any necessary recommendations and repairs to hopefully prevent any escape of heat from the chimney other than where it is supposed to go; out of the top of the pot.

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  2. Electrician WimbledonJune 23, 2015 at 11:47 AM

    It's a very interesting blog. Thanks for sharing!

    ReplyDelete

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