WIBU to not get my chimney swept?

[keepyertrapshut]

(Not a euphemism!)

We have an open fire in the living room. Last had it swept in December 2020. Only used it 10 - 15 times since then. We can’t get the chimney swept until late January due to us being disorganised and availability. Would it be very dangerous to use the chimney a few times over Christmas? It’s hard to tell how serious this would be online as we use our chimney so rarely.

You MUST get it swept each year before you start to use it, regardless of how often you have used it.

It's incase there is something like a birds nest in there which could catch fire if you light your fire. The whole house could go up in smoke.

You can buy rods and brushes in Screwfix and do it yourself. Just ensure you can see the brush out of the top of the chimney!

Friend thought the same, 4 hours later the fire brigade informed her she was wrong......

Is there also a risk on carbon monoxide poisoning if it’s not 100% working?

YABVVU. It’s a major fire risk. Get it swept or don’t use it ever.

If you have a house fire and havent had the chimney swept you might find your insurance is invalid. Our chimney sweep provides us with a certificate every year.

Just not worth the risk!

You need an annual certificate from a registered chimney sweep however little you use it.

Please don't use it before cleaning. There were many more house fires back in the day before gas fires and central heating.

It's risky, I did this once and I didn't know there was a bird's nest or some kind of bird-dropped debris further up (there had been no indication of birds). It fell down on the baffle plate a few hours after I had lit the stove and smoke came into the room, I had to be treated at A&E for smoke inhalation.

Obviously that's a worst-case scenario.

I used to be a chimney sweep. Don't do this. Honestly, it could end badly. It probably wouldn't and you might get away with it, but it simply isn't worth the risk.

That's not a worst case scenario. It is a bad but could have been worse one.

The worst case is a house fire and dead family.

OP please don't take the risk. Our neighbour had to get the fire brigade out last week to a chimney fire. Luckily no one was hurt, just smoke damage to the house but it isn't worth the risk.

You don't need a house fire even, an unswept chimney can cause a build up of carbon monoxide. There's a fairly clear explanation of the risks here;

apexchimneysweeps.co.uk/can-unswept-chimneys-cause-carbon-monoxide-risk/

If something goes wrong your insurance won’t cover it. Not worth the risk.

My house insurance requires annual chimney sweep by a qualified chimney sweep. Check your insurance, you don’t want to invalidate it, let alone the fire/ smoking risks

With a wood burning or multi fuel stove it’s a bit different, as it burns within its flue if anything lights, so doesn’t spread so easily as an open chimney fire.

<whispers> we’ve never had a chimney swept in decades.

My dad sweeps their own - as PP said you can buy the rods from screw fix but make sure you put dust sheets down as it makes a bit of a mess

It was a woodburning stove.

On all honesty probably mine gets swept every other year. But we use it year round (obviously not July/August).

We use the chimney cleaning granules regularly though

I've lived with an open fire & wood burner for much of the last 25 years and never received a certificate from any of the (registered) sweeps we've used. Neither had any insurance company asked for one.

@BloodyHellKen I don't have an open fire now, but was always given a certificate by my sweep following the annual clean. It was for the insurance company if I had to claim. I thought it was routine. I'm surprised that you haven't had one. At least get proof that you've had it swept.

HETAS encourage having your chimney swept at least twice a year when burning wood or bituminous house coal and at least once a year when burning smokeless fuels.

Get mine swept every September ready for winter.

@BloodyHellKen

well, they're not going to ask for it unless you put a claim in!!

The chimney sweep would have to supply paperwork if asked by the insurer.

In addition to what others have said, failure to get your chimney professionally swept each year could invalidate your home insurance

Do they check your carbon monoxide detector? That’s one of the things they mark on the certificate.

As PP say, without an annual clean by a qualified chimney sweep, your house insurance would almost certainly be invalid if you or the sweep couldn’t produce a certificate.

So if the chimney did catch fire, and the worst happened (and the Christmas period is depressingly quite busy for the fire service) then you’d be left with no money to fix the damage.

Only you can decide if you think rolling the dice is worth it. I wouldn’t, though.

@RoachPussy I can't remember, but I check that regularly anyway.

We've always had our chimney and wood burner swept every other year unless there's been particularly heavy use. Our chimneys are absolutely massive though and draw very, very well so maybe that helps?