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Is it Possible to Clean a Chimney Yourself?
Anyone can clean a chimney, but it will take an entire day for someone who doesn't know what they are doing.  You will also need the correct equipment, including a vacuum cleaner, which are now available for hire from larger DIY stores.  As it is a very messy job you will probably need to cover your entire room with dust sheets and not just around the fireplace.

How a Fireplace Works and the Dangers it can Cause:
As a fire burns in a fireplace, air from the room is sucked through the grate to fuel the fire.  The gases created by the fire move through the chimney leaving deposits of soot and creosote.  Over a period of time these deposits build up and can block the chimney which could lead to a fire as the creosote is highly flammable.  Blockages also mean the build up of gas has no where to go other than back down the chimney into the house.

Cause of Decline in the Chimney Sweeping Trade and its Recovery
Chimney sweeping and sweepers have been a around for a very long time, but the profession saw a decline when modern conveniences such as central heating started to replace coal and wood burning fires to heat homes from the late 1970s. 

However, people still enjoyed open fires so chimney sweeping never completely went away. 

As Britain has seen a sharp increase in fuel bills over recent years, people are returning to open fires and wood burning stoves to heat their homes, which are often felt to be more cost effective than burning gas.

Why you Should Leave it to a Professional.
As you can see above, having a working chimney can cause poisonous gases to build up in your home.  A professional chimney sweep should have gone through enough training to know what they are looking for and how to clear dangers.

Before a home owner installs an open fire or wood burning stove they should also have the integrity of their chimney checked and have it swept to make sure the chimney is safe and in good working order.

If you are not able to see far enough up your chimney to know whether you have cleared all blockages, or whether there are cracks, it is best to get a professional chimney sweeper in. 

If you can't manage this task yourself or don't even what to start trying, call Dave on for a no obligation quote.  Dave covers the majority of Essex, North Kent and East London.

The Chimney Sweeper