18 June 2026

When should you have your chimney swept?

The smart moment lies outside the rush: the sweeping calendar for your flue, and the signs you're too late.

The rule of thumb is simple: a used wood-burning flue at least once a year, and with intensive use — the stove lit every evening — twice. Gas and pellet flues soil more slowly, but they too need periodic checks. Many insurers also ask for an annual sweep on a used chimney and for a sweeping certificate in case of damage: check your own policy terms and keep the proof of every sweep.

The smart moment is spring. The sweep's phone rings mostly between September and December, just before and during the heating season — diaries fill up and waiting times grow. Book between March and June and you have the widest choice, you're ready well before the first cold evening, and you don't leave a full season's soot sitting in the flue. A sweeping subscription solves this structurally: the professional schedules you automatically, in the same period every year.

Signs you're too late: smoke entering the room, soot particles falling down, a lingering smoky smell or black deposits around the damper. Take them seriously — caked-on soot and creosote are flammable, and a blocked flue pushes fumes into the house. If you hear birds in the flue or find twigs in the fireplace, don't light a fire and have the nest removed.

We advise against sweeping yourself: without the right brush, rods and dust sheets you're more likely to pack soot tight than get it out, and climbing the roof without protection does not weigh up against what it saves you. If you doubt the flue's condition, add a camera inspection; what a visit costs is in the price index.