Chimney Sweeping | Stove Installation & Servicing | Brighton & Hove | Sussex
Maintaining Your Stove
Regular preventive maintenance is essential to ensure safe and efficient operation of your appliance. It is also a requirement of any stove warranty.
Before the start of each heating season strip, inspect and clean the appliance. This is also important especially in periods of heavy use such as the winter. Please ensure that you allow your appliance to cool thoroughly before undertaking any maintenance to avoid the risk of burns.
Below are some tips to consider on caring and maintaining your solid fuel appliance:
1. Ash and Soot removal
Before you begin using your stove more regularly, ensure that you clean any remaining ash, soot and debris from the inside of your heating appliance (also good practice when you stop using your stove to prevent ash becoming damp and rusting your stove).
2. Check internal parts
Check the internal parts of your stove for damage and obvious build up of soot, ash or debris, paying particular attention to the firebricks, glass and rope seals. Replace any damaged components using genuine replacement parts before re-using the appliance. It is important that you have your appliance’s brand, model and serial number available which will help you to identify the specific model and which suitable parts you may require.
3. Check debris above the flue baffle(s)
Remove and clear any debris above the flue baffle(s) (found in the upper part of the firebox, use a torch if necessary – you can find details of how to remove and inspect the baffle system in your product instructions).
4. Arrange for the chimney to be swept. The best time to have your chimney swept is before you start using your heating appliance (often before the start of the autumn/winter period) and during the latter half of the burning season.
To maintain safe and efficient use of the appliance, the chimney/flue must be inspected and swept at least once a year by a qualified chimney sweep. If the appliance is used continuously through the year, or it is used solely to burn wood, more frequent sweeping is recommended.