bil

Saw on the news today, two dead in Ronda, cause believed poor combustion in a stove.

This usually happens because people don't get their chimneys swept.

The real danger signs are when the inside of the stove tars up, and smoke comes back into the room.



You ignore that at your peril.



Physical signs are a bit less obvious, as mild CO poisoning gives the same persistant symptoms as mild flu, but if you get savage headaches, start to worry unless you fancy observing a body bag from the inside.

fionamw

Just thought rather too many people might ignore this...

anonimouse

I would say any one either with, or contemplating having a stove installation do some research for them selves and don't trust what any body, even the so called professional tell you.

Fitting it the same way as everybody else does NOT make it right or safe.

This really is serious, these stoves are a red hot furnace standing in your lounge, they also give off fumes that can and do kill as reported here.

It's your families life at stake.

bil

The sad thing is, it is quite easy to spot when you have a problem. You open the door, and smoke comes into the room. I don't mean a puff of smoke as you open it, but sustained smoking into the room.

If there is something amiss with the installation, a good sweep should be able to advise you as to what is wrong, and probably a way of rectifying the problem.

I was once involved in the CO safety group in the UK, but the trouble was that every professional group involved bar the sweeps focussed on ventilation, servicing of the appliance and monoxide detectors.

Silly to ignore sweeping like they did, because no matter what else you do, if the flue is obstructed, where are the fumes going to go?

big wheels

The problem is in finding a chimney sweep.
I've been trying to find one for months.
Nobody I have spoken to has ever had their chimney swept, so sweeps don't exist is the feeling I get.
Everyone just uses the stuff you sprinkle on to the fire.
Searching around on google.es does not throw any results up within around 300kms,
and there is none listed in the yellow pages.

If anyone knows of one within the Seville province, please let me know.

bil

Sorry, I'm a bit far away from you, and the call out might make your eyes water.

If you want the gear, and you have a stove, my suggestion would be order some from the UK. For a stove, I'd use Wakefield spindizzy brushes, 6" diameter ask for them as short as poss, and the best rods would be the 3/4" diam 3' blue Bailey's rods. You'd need to get a universal adaptor to connect the rod to the brush, and check to see whether or not 6" is the right diam.

That wouldn't cost a lot.

Another alternative would be to drop a weighted line down from the top, tie a small light ball of chicken mesh to it, and pull it up. Tie a line to it before pulling up so that you can pull it down if there's a problem.

That's pretty crude, but it will work, just make sure that the wire mesh ball is very loose and won't jam.

big wheels

Thanks for the advice bil

I found this kit. What do you reckon, any good?



http://www.itrisa.com/ACCESORIOS/acc....asp?IDPROD=53

Sweeper

I am a chimney sweep from Switzerland I living in Denia
(SNIP)
regards
Moses

bil

No probs. I can't tell what diam the rods are, all that matters there is that they aren't too stiff to go round any bends.

The brush is a bit harsh, as in the profession we don't like wire brushes as they wear the inside of the flue. Generally we prefer polyprop bristle. Also, for a 6 inc flue (which most stoves have) you want an 8 inch diam brush. 8 is far too big, will not clean as well and can cause damage.

Finally, if you can, take the throat plate out, shut down the stove and cover it with a sheet before sweeping down from the top. If you have to sweep from the bottom, progress gradually, keep the sheet over the whole appliance to minimise soot escape.

Leave the soot in the stove and burn it off with the next fire. Don't ever hoover the stuff up unless you have a good quality paper filter in there that you bin straight after.

jimenato

It's the chimneys' families I feel sorry for.

Mitzyboy

And if I'm not mistaken I have used you myself :-)

big wheels

They do a nylon brush that is a couple of euros cheaper.
I'll go for that one then.

scampicat

Thanks for all this important advice, I will ask my husband to sweep it. Our flue pipe will disconnect quite easily as it is just straight up through a hole in the roof so he can take it apart, sweep it and put it back together again.

We do have a CO detector as well.

britishexpatlady

I am a chimney sweep but I am in Bulgaria!

bil

Are the Bulgarian sweeps members of the European Federation of Master Sweeps?