But creosote can also block your chimney.
When a liner’s diameter becomes narrowed, you’ll notice a poor draw.
We can successfully clean blockages from liners, but it does come with some risk.
It’s absolutely imperative to have your liner and chimney cleaned annually.
This allows us to remove the buildup from the season’s burns.
If it’s missed, the creosote becomes hardened and sticks to the liner.
Over time, it can become as hard as concrete and extremely flammable.
We can remove all blockages, but proactive maintenance is key.
If we do need to remove a blockage, we have all the equipment to do it safely and cleanly making sure your home is left in excellent condition.
We sometimes use an air scrubbing unit while we tackle larger nests.
This keeps the air pure at all times keeping the working environment clean.
The unit purifies any smells and neutralizes any fine dust.
A full range of different cameras are used to tackle anything we come across.
This allows us to view blockages in great detail and full HD.
Lined or unlined, we can remove blockages little by little with no mess.
You can't just remove any old blockage.
We first use the camera to identify the type of tools and heads we need.
Blockages can be tough to get through.
Liners can rip very easily and needs specialized equipment.
We recently attended a call where a chimney was suffering from poor draw. The top of the pot had a bird protection basket fitted, so we sent a CCTV camera up the flue. At rod 9, we discovered a bird’s nest completely blocking the liner. We extracted the nest and tested the chimney with a smoke bomb. The smoke cleared perfectly from the top no more poor draw.
To be certain, we sent the camera back up the flue. This time, we could see bright daylight. You might assume the job was finished but this is exactly why we never stop there. Continuing further up, we found another large blockage. The daylight had been reflecting, creating the illusion of a fully cleared flue. In reality, smoke could escape, but within a few weeks of burning, the flue would have become clogged again forcing dangerous carbon monoxide back into the room.
We removed the second blockage and continued until the camera reached inside the basket. Only then could we confirm the chimney was truly clear.
This case proves why experience matters—it’s not just about clearing what you first see, but ensuring the entire system is safe and fully functional.
We make sure that we carry all the latest technology and equipment to deal with all blockages no matter how big or small they are.
Blockages can range from dead animals to balls of soot.
We can deal with just about anything!
If you suspect you have a nest or your chimney may be blocked then please do not hesitate to get in contact with us as soon as possible.
X Smell of dampness
X No draw
X Smoke coming back into room
Checkmark Removed the nest
Checkmark Checked with CCTV
Checkmark Smoke tested and tested fire
X Builder suspected ruined and unusable
X Builder said it looks like its all ripped.
X Builder quoted £2000 for new liner
Checkmark Checked flu with CCTV
Checkmark Removed a nest
Checkmark Liner in perfect condition
X Smell of soot and dampness
X Smoke coming back into room
X Hasn't been swept since they moved in
Checkmark Damper blocked solid with dirt
Checkmark Power cleaned flue
Checkmark Performed a smoke draw test
Here is an example of a successful extraction of a birds nest while using our camera equipment.
After locating the exact spot we spun the nest down rather that using a nest hook.
We made this decision based on a few factors, such as height, size and strength.
Removing nests while using a camera gives us a huge advantage, so we can see exactly what is going on inside the chimney or liner.
We have this at our disposal on all our jobs should we require it.
This nest was removed after nesting season and the top of the nest was examined on the roof before removing it.
Everytime we remove blockages and sweep chimneys its vital the dirt and smells are contained behind the plastic sheet.
Between September and December is a very busy time for removing blockages of dead animals, nests and creosote and really can smell disgusting.
This is why we have plastic soot covers, Industrial vacuums, soot separators and air scrubbing equipment to completely eliminate dust and smells.
Any competent person can begin to tackle a nest!
However, once the smell gets out, there is no stopping it from going everywhere.
We completely eliminate all smells with our DefendAir scrubbing equipment.
Smells can come from dead animals, soot, nests and worse, fermented birds eggs.
Everything we do is by camera and is kept behind plastic at all times!
We can remove all types of blockages within the flue the same day.
Give us a call today to find out more..
