01
A room smokes back persistently
Particularly when sweeping has not solved it. The cause is often not the thing people assume.
Service 06
Smoke-draw and flue integrity testing
Proving a flue is sound and venting where it should. Booked on its own when a room smokes back, before a purchase, or after a fire.
Every sweep we do finishes with a draw check — that is included and always has been. This is the separate, larger job: a proper smoke and integrity test, booked on its own, when the question is not whether the flue is clean but whether it is sound.
The flue is smoked and observed. What we are establishing is whether it draws as it should, and — just as importantly — whether smoke is escaping anywhere it should not. Leakage into an adjoining room, a bedroom above, or next door's flue is the failure mode that matters, because that is how combustion gases reach people who are not in front of the fire.
This is the test that gets asked for before a purchase, after a chimney fire, when a room persistently smokes back, or when an appliance is being changed and the flue's condition is unknown. It is a diagnostic, and it produces a clear answer rather than a suspicion.
What the visit covers
Every one of these, every time.
Smoke evacuation test
The flue smoked and observed to establish whether it draws properly along its full length.
Leakage check
Adjoining rooms, upper floors and neighbouring flues checked for smoke escaping where it should not.
Draw assessment
Whether the problem is the flue, the appliance, or the room's air supply — they are not the same fix.
Written result
A plain pass-or-fail with what was observed and what it means.
When to book it
Any one of these is reason enough.
02
After a chimney fire
Fire can open joints and crack liners without leaving any sign visible from the room.
03
Before buying, or before changing the appliance
Establishing the flue is sound before you commit — or before a new stove is connected to an old chimney.
04
Smells or fumes in another room
The classic sign of a flue leaking into somewhere it should not. Worth testing rather than living with.
Questions
The ones we actually get asked.
Is this not included in a normal sweep?
A routine draw check is, and always has been. This is the fuller diagnostic — a proper smoke and integrity test, booked on its own, when the question is whether the flue is structurally sound rather than whether it is clean.
What happens if it fails?
You get a clear account of what was observed and where. What it means in practice depends on the defect. We do not carry out relining or building work, so there is nothing riding on the result either way.
Should I have this or a camera survey?
They answer different questions. A camera shows you the physical condition. A smoke test proves whether the flue vents correctly and whether it leaks. If a room is smoking back and nobody knows why, a smoke test is usually the more direct answer.
How long does it take?
Longer than a sweep, and it varies with the property — a flue that has to be checked against several adjoining rooms takes more time than a simple single-storey one.
The other five jobs.
01
Open fires & inglenooks
Traditional brush-and-rod sweeping for open hearths, including wide inglenook throats and register plates that need lifting.
02
Wood burners & multi-fuel stoves
Baffle out, flue swept top to bottom, rope seals and glass checked. Stoves in constant use want sweeping twice a year, not once.
03
Bird nests & cowl fitting
Nest removal outside the March–August breeding season, followed by a bird guard or cowl so it does not happen again next spring.
04
Thatched properties
Swept from below, with a full external inspection of the stack and ridge. Thatch is unforgiving of a flue nobody has looked at.
05
CCTV flue inspection
A camera survey of the full flue when something is not drawing right, before a sale, or after a chimney fire. You get the footage.
Get a slot before the season fills.
Monday to Saturday, 7am–7pm. Voicemail answered same day.