How best to store your logs?

Log Storage

The logs should be stored off the ground and under a roof with sides that allow air to pass through the wood. A sunny and windy location would be best. Logs will lose around 10-25% of its moisture a year, depending on the type of tree.

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: Five reasons to book Jim as your Dorset chimney sweep?

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

What size logs should you burn in your chimney or woodburner?

Log Size

The logs should be no more than 4” (10cm) thick and chopped to a good length for the stove / grate. Logs with a diameter of more than 6” (150mm) should be split before storage to ensure enough air can get in to season it.

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: Five reasons to book Jim as your Dorset chimney sweep?

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

What wood gives off the best heat? - Wood in order of Heat content per Kg

Wood in order of . . .

Heat content per Kg

Wood Species	Heat Content kWh/kg	Density kg/m3	% of Moisture when green	Years to season
Oak	4.5	770	50	2-3
Beech	4.3	690	45	1-2
Ash	4.1	674	35	1
Birch	4.1	662	45	1
Elm	3.6	540	60	2-3
Poplar	2.6	465	65	1
Pine/fir	2.6	410	60	1

Above you will find a table that shows oak has the best heat output per kg but it also takes the longest time to season taking up to 3 years to fully season.

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: Five reasons to book Jim as your Dorset chimney sweep?

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

Woodwork Off-cuts - Bournemouth Chimney Sweep Advise

Off-cuts to burn:

Joinery off-cuts should be clean, have no nails and must not be treated or painted in any way.

Woodwork off-cuts - chimney sweep advise

It's worth noting “tanalised” timber contains arsenic and should not be burnt.

Wood not to burn:

Plywood, chipboard and MDF should not be burnt because they contain adhesives and chemical binders which negatively affect the surface of your flue.

Overview:

Do not burn checklist:

If any below gets ticked, then do not burn.

• Nails
• Glue
• Treated
• Paint
• Plywood
• Chipboard
• MDF

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: Five reasons to book Jim as your Dorset chimney sweep?

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

Wood Types - Poole Chimney Sweep Advise Dorset

Common wood available:

Alder, Apple, Ash, Beech, Birch, Blackthorn, Elm, Eucalyptus, Hawthorn, Hazel, Holly, Hornbeam, Maple, Oak, Pear, Rowan, Sycamore, Cherry,

Spitting wood for stoves:

Cedar, Douglas Fir, Horse Chestnut, Larch, Plane, Sweet Chestnut, Willow.

Softwoods are more likely to spit due to the pockets of moisture and sap within the wood. The risk will be reduced by effective seasoning the wood below a 20% moisture level.

Poisonous wood

Wood to keep clear of:

Laburnum and Yew are poisonous [do not use in cookers], although Yew does give off a good heat in stoves.

Elder – Produces a thick acrid smoke.

Lime – A low quality fuel.

Pine – Can form oily soot.

Poplar – Produces a lot of dark smoke

Spruce – A low quality fuel

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: Five reasons to book Jim as your Dorset chimney sweep?

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

Softwood vs Hardwood - Bournemouth Chimney Sweep Advise

Hardwood is denser than softwood and contains a higher amount of energy per log. The heat content of softwood is around half the amount of hardwood.

Softwood vs Hardwood

Typical heat content

Hardwood: 2300kWh/m3

Softwood: 1300kWh/m3

Generally speaking, it would take around double the amount of softwood to attain the same heat output as hardwood. The frequency of refuelling and the amount of logs required to gain the heat will also be a lot higher.

So what's the benefit of softwood?

It tends to set alight a lot more easily than hardwood and burns quicker because of its resin content. This provides better immediate heat therefore is good for

kindling and initial burning.

Overview:

Use Softwood for kindling and once the fire has started keep the fire going using Hardwood.

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: Five reasons to book Jim as your Dorset chimney sweep?

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

Trouble lighting fire with an exposed external chimney?

Exposed external chimneys

Exposed external chimneys, particularly solid steel flue systems, will now and again produce draught issues when lighting the stove. for instance, if the air temperature outside is colder then the air within the chimney stack it could be working at an equivalent temperature. this might make a cold ‘block’ that produces a chilly down-draught inside the room. However, there's is things you can try to change this: Within the area where the stove stands open an outside door or window against the wind to form a lower pressure. Then open the stove door for some minutes so the higher room pressure will ‘escape’ through the stove pipe and flue system … your chimney draught may now be operating in the right direction!

Heating the flue with a fan heater, blowtorch or newspaper can also help encourage an updraught before starting the fire.

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: Five reasons to book Jim as your Dorset chimney sweep?

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

Simple soot test to look at the fuel & quality of your fires.

Simple soot test to look at the fuel & wood quality of your burn

Investigating you quality of fuel and burning conditions is not just for chimney sweeps, its something you can do at home too.

The first signs to look out for are Carbon deposits in the fire chamber and Darkening of the glass in the door, if you notice these signs then its time to undertake a straightforward visual check.

What you will need:

• Camera - To log how your stove goes back together.
• Torch - To help you see up the chimney flue.
• Mirror - to help look up the flue
• Sheets - To cover carpet and hearth
• Gloves - As Soot is an irritant 

How to gain access to your flue:

Option 1 - No inspection hatch in the solid stove pipe.

1. Firstly, Photograph the inside of your stove and take note of how she goes back together. You may wish to refer to the manual.
2.  Remove your throat / baffel plate, this may require the removal of fire bricks first.
3. Use your torch & mirror to look in the fire box and up the flue.
4. Look at the soot that is sticking to the walls and inside of your flue.

Option 2 - Inspection hatch in the solid stove pipe.

1. Open up the inspection hatch on the pipework. this may be attached by a clip at the back or by screws or bolts.
2. Use your tourch to look in the flue
3. Look at the soot that is sticking to the walls and inside of your flue

What to look out for:

• If there is a build-up of flaky biscuity soot or shiny tar like particles, it is a likely sign that poor quality damp fuel has been burned or your fuel is not getting enough oxygen. These deposits may eventually ‘fur’ up the flue system, restricting the up-draught, or potentially cause a chimney fire.
• Its a good idea to call you chimney sweep to investigate further and try to catch the problem early, Your sweep will also be able to advise you on what changes can be made to stop this happening in the future.
• If you have a fine covering of dry ash powder which may simply be rubbed away with your finger, this is a sign that your your fuel quality and burning habits are workingwell.

Note from a chimney sweep:

If in any doubt when working with your wood burner, stove or appliance, always call in a professional chimney sweep or specialist. Chimneys require regular sweeping and maintenance to keep them safe throughout the burning season and an inspection without sweeping will not reduce the risk of fire.

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: Five reasons to book Jim as your Dorset chimney sweep?

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

How to check for up draught in your stove, woodburner or multi-fuel?

Safety Match Test - Home up-draught test for your chimney

If you would like to check the performance of the stove yourself, this is a simple wood burner, stove or multi-fuel up-draught performance test that you can do with just a match.

What you will need . . . 

• A safety match (Preferably Extra long) such as - Bryant & May Extra Long Matches

How to perform the updraught test?

1. When the stove is cold, open the stove door to make with a tiny gap.
2. Hold a burning match just outside of the gap (about fifty millimeter / 2"). 
3. Watch and record the flames movement.

How to read the flame.

1. If the flame is drawn into stoves fire chamber, the flue system has up-draught. 
2. If the flame isn't drawn in, or it is pushed outward into the room then the flue may not have a up-draught or you maybe a down-draught issue.
3.  If the match is drawn in to the woodburner or multi-fuel so powerfully that it goes out, then you most likely have a good up-draught.

A note from a Dorset Chimney Sweep:
"Although this test does not replace a No.2 Smoke Test (up-draught test), it can be a useful tool to check the up-draught in between your regular chimney sweeps."

For information about how often you should get a chimney swept visit - http://www.jimchimney.co/p/chimney-sweeping-service-why-do-you.html

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: Five reasons to book Jim as your Dorset chimney sweep?

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

Feedback on Jim's chimney sweep service

Jim loves to get feedback on his chimney sweep service. The latest review is from the fabulous Woolpack inn, Sopley Dorset.
This is a fine pub that has had her wood burner swept by Jim Chim-in-ey.

Best review of a chimney sweep service in Dorset

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: Five reasons to book Jim as your Dorset chimney sweep?

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!

Commercial Chimney Sweep for Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset

Commercial Chimney Sweep for Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset 01

Commercial Chimney Sweep for Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset 02

Commercial Chimney Sweep for Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset 03

Commercial Chimney Sweep for Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset 04

Jim loves sweeping commercial property's on his chimney sweep round, It can be very rewarding knowing you have helped ensure the efficiency of a chimney flue is good and the appliance is safe for their customers & staff.
Below is a proud shout-out for the company's who have had their chimney swept to keep on top of their fire safety.

1. Lush LTD, Poole Dorset- uk.lush.com
2. Shah of Persia, Poole, Dorset - shahofpersiapub.co.uk
3. The Woolpack Inn, Sopley, Dorset - woolpackinnsopley.co.uk
4. Shell Bay Seafood Restaurant, Studland, Dorset - shellbay.net
5. Thatched Cottage Hotel, Brockenhurst, Hampshire - Thatchedcottage.co.uk

Call Jim to book your Bournemouth, Poole & Dorset Chimney Sweep Today

Recommended article: How often should your open fire be swept by a chimney sweep

______________________________

This article was written by Jim Chim-in-ey, 

An insurance approved chimney sweep 

JC sweeps all open fires, wood burners and stoves.

Covering Bournemouth, Poole, Blandford Forum and Dorset.

Want to have your chimney swept?

Contact JC Today!