Frequent chimney fires.

Daisy M

Hi guys I would love any bit of advice ye can give me on this one please. As the title says we frequently have chimney fires, we even had one once a few weeks after having it cleaned. There was a period of around 5 years where we had none then in the last 4 years we have at least one a year and now its heading to one every 8 months. We try and get chimney cleaned every 6mths but in some cases the fire beats us to it and fire brigade end up doing the job. It has got to the stage where I am thinking of not bothering with an open fire anymore. We have a back boiler in fireplace, would putting in a stove make any difference? Would love any feedback, thanks in advance.

Carlow52

what are u burning?
how many hours a day is it used?
pls describe the chimney structure/height/flue diameter/ flue type/ chimney pot/cowl/etc

Soot is caused by incomplete combustion/flue gases that are not hot enough/rapid cooling in the flue/ poor draught
Thanks

Daisy M

Hi thanks for your reply, I am sorry to be a pain but have no idea of the chimney type ect, it is a bungalow house that doesnt have a dormer attic so chimney is not very long. The fire would be on up to 15 hrs a day in winter time, a lot less in spring and never in summer. We burn coal, some turf and wood also. I am beginning to think that we are the ones making the problem worse, after our first initial chimney fire we didnt have one for years got chimney swept regularly and was mainly using smokeless coal great heat no flame. A few years ago started burning turf and regular coal, the turf was not always the driest, and we have developed a fear of chimney fires so anytime we saw some sort of high flame we threw water on it to cool it down:o. I think this combined with a windy day when wind blows down chimney has made the problem worse. Sorry for been stupid when you ask about the draught the only thing I can say is when living room interior door is shut the chimney pulls in a draught. Thanks for replying.

rpmcs

Open fires burn fuel at aprox 30%,where as stoves burn at 75% + so to start less deposit in chimney, so with a stove you could drop a liner down and help to have no areas for soot to build up on and being a bungalow would not break the bank...
just my opinion
and with a stove you have more heat for less fuel!!

DoneDL

I cannot understand why there are so many chimney fires if the chimney is swept and in good condition, that said I would opt for a stove and insulated liner with a good cowl. Ask around friends and neighbours and work of recommendations.