A trawl of the internet found BG Wright, Master Sweep Services, based in Orpington and sweep to SE London & Kent. Turns out there is quite a lot of business, so it took us a little while to sort a good date. Ideal for us though, they work Saturdays.The Saturday arrived and at the end of the allotted time slot, Martin and his partner arrived (Martin is a chatter - I have no idea how he makes it through all of his calls in a day - but good fun - I just wouldn't be surprised if he is running late). Very smartly dressed in freshly laundered black overalls, they set to work taking out a gas fire and getting us ready for a proper fire.
Martin cleaned the chimney, tested the flue with orange pellets and advised that we needed a different cap on the chimney. As luck would have it, Mick & Paul his friendly roofers were nearby and able to do the job. Quite handy, and to be fair, the sweep effectively suggested them for a quick job, but suggested you look around for a bigger job. So in a matter of just over an hour we were ready and set with good instructions. Set a small fire and check that the smoke goes up the chimney but also doesn't seep back into any of the other rooms - there should be separate flues, but over the years, they may have leaks.
Sunday saw us buy all the accoutrements and start our proper fire. Slightly more proper than we bargained for. Black smoke poured into the living room and went nowhere near the chimney, the down draft from the chimney pushing the smoke into the room.
So a disappointing start, but we not to be deterred, we will be going back to Martin for the next stage of advice. In the meantime I should buy shares in Fabreze...
