Wood Burning Stoves Servicing & Maintenance Frequently Asked Questions

Twice a year, if you use your stove 4 or more times a week during the burning season.
HETAS encourages having your chimney swept at least twice a year when burning wood and at least once a year when burning smokeless fuels.

Having your chimney swept during the summer months, especially after the heating season, is highly recommended. It is advisable to schedule the chimney sweeping before the start of the heating season to avoid the busy rush. Additionally, it is important to have the chimney swept after a prolonged period of stove inactivity to ensure proper maintenance.

An ideal option for your chimney sweeping needs would be a registered chimney sweep. In particular, it is worth considering if they are registered with a nationally approved body, such as the National Association of Chimney Sweeps (NACS) https://nacs.org.uk.

In general, you should expect to pay no less than £75 for a service for your log-burner. Additionally, there may be extra charges for specific requirements. These could include replacement firebricks, new stove door rope seals, replacement glass, or a chimney flue exceeding 10-12 meters.

We are proud to be registered NACS Master Chimney Sweeps and Hetas Registered Installers. As a result, you can rely on our expertise and professionalism for all your chimney sweeping needs.

Book your Wood Buring Stove Sweep & Service by selecting chimmey sweeping option on our Contact Form >

It is vitally important that your wood burning stove is regularly serviced once it is has been installed.
Regular chimney and flue maintenance are key to ensuring the safety of your family and home.
Having your chimney flue swept and cleaned, and your stove serviced on a regular basis by a registered chimney professional will ensure your wood burner continues to be an efficient, safe, heating appliance.
We Recommend having your Wood burning stove installation swept a bare minimum annually, twice a year during the burning season if you are a frequent user of your appliance.

After inspecting, sheeting up and preparing the work area we set up the equipment and begin the Service.

Our Complete service involves:

1. Prepare the working area.
2. Removal and cleaning of internal components.
3. Sweep Flue Liner from top to bottom.
4. Clean Flue Pipe / Breast Plate.
5. Check Door and Rope Seals.
6. Clean Stove, Glass, Hearth.
7. CO Monitor Check.
8. Smoke Evacuation Check.
9. Bag and dispose of Soot removed.
10. Provide a NACS Sweep Certificate.
11. Advise On Fuels.
12. Make Recommendations.
13. Leave Working Area Tidy.

A NACS Sweep Certificate is issued, detailing the work completed, with the results of all the checks we do and any recommendations for improvement or remedial work.
This document validates your stove warranty and house insurance.

Book your Wood Buring Stove Sweep & Service by selecting chimmey sweeping option on our Contact Form >

No!
We sheet up and protect the work and surrounding area. The preparation before sweeping is key in ensuring the process is clean, efficient and tidy.
We use professional equipment including a high-powered Hepa-filter vacuum in conjunction with rotary powered sweeping rods.
Dust and particle control is the name of the game!

Yes! Using your Defra Exempt, *Eco Design wood stove with Authorised Fuels with regular servicing and maintenance is permitted.

Despite all of the changes to the law and new emissions restrictions, you will be relieved to learn that if you have an existing wood burner or open fireplace, not much will actually change for you.
As long as you buy dry “Ready to Burn” wood or quality smokeless fuels and get your chimney swept regularly, you can continue to enjoy your existing stove.

Wood burning and multi-fuel stoves are not illegal and are not going to be banned.

We only install the latest, *Eco Design stoves, with metal flue liners in brick chimneys. When Sweeping and servicing existing older wood stoves, we encourage making the switch to the newer more efficient stoves. Not only are you doing your part in helping to reduce carbon emissions but there is the added benefit that comes with a more efficient appliance - less fuel means more savings. What is not to love?

*Eco Design stoves are more efficient and emit up to 90% fewer emissions than an open fire and up to 80% less than an old stove (pre 2010)

Like checking your car tyre pressure, lights, ad-blue and screen-wash, a wood-burning stove needs a bit of TLC to keep in tip top shape.

Here are a few maintenance pointers which should be checked on a regular basis:

Empty the ash from the ash-catcher or if a wood only stove, the fire-bed. If hot ashes start to pile up in the ashpan they come into contact with the lower side of the grate. Having the grate sitting in hot ashes can cause it to distort and lose shape.
Empty your ashes, when cool, every day to avoid these problems, or leaving just a small amount to help with lighting (Refer to instruction booklet from the manufacturer).

Clean the glass:

Most Defra, Eco Design Ready and ClearSkies Wood Burning Stoves are fitted with air wash systems to keep the glass clean.
The glass can pick up residue from incomplete combustion. Clean your glass regularly with a specialist cleaning product made for use on stoves such as; stove glass sponges or stove glass cleaner.

Do Not Use an abrasive product to clean the glass. This will cause permanent damage.

Clean the baffle / throat plate:

The area on and around the baffle plate is a favourite spot for soot and other deposits to gather. This not only makes your stove less efficient by blocking the flue, it is also potentially dangerous. These are flammable materials, after all.
Stop this from happening by cleaning the throat plate once a week.

Check rope seals:

You’ll find your stove has specialist fire-rope around the door. This heat resistant rope forms a seal around the door to ensure it closes properly and to prevent excess air from getting into the stove.
Over time the rope can become worn or squashed, letting in air and making your stove inefficient. You can check this every month or so, both visually and by trapping a thin piece of paper in the door. If the paper can be pulled out easily, the rope needs to be replaced.

Get chimney liner swept and stove serviced at least once a year or Ideally twice:

Using the services of a Chimney Sweep at least twice-a-year is a vital part of your stove maintenance. Failing to do so can lead to problems throughout the flue system.
It also reduces the efficiency of your stove, which can bring additional problems.

Leave the door ajar during extended periods of non-use:

If you’re not planning to use the stove for the summer or it’s going to be out of use for longer than a few days for any other reason, leave the door slightly open. This allows a flow of air through the system, which helps to stop corrosion.