Stuff falling down chimney
Updated at 2023-07-04 14:08:00 Posted in (Primary)Frequently Asked Questions,
HETAS Engineer
Do you find debris in your fireplace?
There can be a few things going on here. If you have an open fire it is most likely to be parging which is the old dry cement that used to line the chimney originally. This does not indicate anything is wrong structurally and happens a lot. The parging will land in your fireplace ready to swept away.
If your chimney flue is properly lined by a HETAS installer then any falling debris is safely contained within the flexible liner or clay liner blocks. It will be sooty/ crystalised tar and will be landing on the top of the throat plate of the stove, ready to be re-burnt. This is fairly normal and nothing to worry about unless it happens a lot, in which case could indicate that you are burning the fuels too low and not achieving full combustion.
A stove thermometer would help with this (if you don’t already have one).
If there isn't a liner there then the debris would fall on the register plate, along with other debris waiting for a spark to set it alight again. This could cause a chimney fire which could set fire to your house.
This is why it is important to have your chimney sweep check that your woodburner or multifuel stove has a physical connection from the appliance to the top of the chimney. If it hasn't then give us a call if you are local and we can quote for fixing the problem.
If the chimney isn't swept often enough and / or the fuel being burnt isn't seasoned properly, the tar and soot can build up and completely block a liner as in the photo above.
A blocked liner will reduce the draw of the stove and it will not burn as well as it used to, lots of smoke my also come back into room when the door is open.
This is likely to contain carbon monoxide and thus should set off the alarm.
Here's some of the great things our customers said about us in 2022
Thanks for all your work, we are very happy with the woodburner, we will send some photos across.
– Darryl in Baldock
I wanted to thank you all for what has been a complicated process because of supply chain issues. Your willingness to help with a temporary stove was brilliant and was above and beyond. So pleased with the installation and the guys have done a great job. Love my burner!!
– Caroline in Herts
Many thanks for the seamless installation yesterday. As I said on the phone Jack did an excellent job. You could not tell that anything essentially dirty had been undertaken. We found Jack to be a very pleasant young man as well.
– Mrs C in Breachwood Green
Gareth and his team offer a very professional service. From start to finish the whole process was managed very well and the two gentlemen who completed the work and installation were very friendly and completed my installation to a high standard, cleaning up thoroughly after each visit.
– ROSEMARY IN BEDFORD
Posts in Category
-
Testimonials 2023
Updated on 2023-08-03 10:45:24
-
Stuff falling down chimney
Updated on 2023-07-04 14:08:00
-
Do I need planning permission
Updated on 2023-06-21 14:11:36
-
Which stoves are the best?
Updated on 2023-06-19 14:27:02
-
Do I need a flexible liner
Updated on 2023-06-19 13:00:34

We couldn’t recommend Gareth and his team enough! They fitted a wonderful log burner and oak mantle piece for us which we’re very pleased with. The old fire place was removed and the new one put in very efficiently. The aftercare was very good too!
Lou – Hitchin
Highly recommend GTD. Gareth and the team just fitted one new stove and moved our existing stove to another room. We also needed a register plate fitted into an inglenook fireplace. The service has been superb. The office provided a clear quotation with options for us. There were supply issues with the stove we’d selected so Gareth and Heather helpfully tracked down an alternative. The installation team were brilliant – friendly, professional and did a great tidy up.
– Fiona in Offley