01
Your insurer has asked for evidence
Most thatch policies require documented regular sweeping. The certificate is emailed on the day.
Service 04
Chimney sweeping for 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.
Thatch changes the stakes. In a tiled house a spark that escapes a defective flue usually goes nowhere; in a thatched one it lands on the most combustible roof covering in the country. The sweeping itself is not fundamentally different — the care taken around it is.
We sweep thatched properties from below rather than working off the roof, because walking a thatched roof damages it and because the flue is best assessed from the appliance upward. The stack, ridge and pot are then inspected externally from ground level or from a ladder set against sound masonry, never against the thatch.
What we are looking for is anything that lets heat or sparks out where they should not be — cracked flaunching, open joints in the stack, a pot that has shifted, a spark arrestor that has clogged. Insurers of thatched properties usually ask for evidence of regular sweeping, and the certificate is emailed the same day for exactly that reason.
What the visit covers
Every one of these, every time.
Swept from below
Worked from the appliance upward. We do not walk on thatch.
External stack and ridge inspection
Pointing, flaunching, pot condition and the junction with the thatch, checked where access allows.
Spark arrestor checked
Where one is fitted. An arrestor clogged with soot is a blockage, not a safeguard.
Certificate emailed the same day
The document thatch insurers generally ask to see.
When to book it
Any one of these is reason enough.
02
It has been a full season
Thatched properties are not a case for stretching the interval. Annual at minimum, twice for heavy use.
03
Mortar or grit appearing at the hearth
A stack losing its pointing above a thatched roof is worth looking at sooner rather than later.
04
You have just bought the property
Sweep and inspect before the first fire, whatever the previous owner told you.
Questions
The ones we actually get asked.
Do you need to get on the roof?
No, and we would rather not. Thatched properties are swept from below, and the stack is inspected externally from ground level or from a ladder set against sound masonry — never against the thatch itself.
How often should a thatched property be swept?
At least annually, and twice a year where the fire or stove is in regular use. Thatch is the one case where we would not encourage anyone to stretch the interval.
Do I need a spark arrestor?
It depends on the property, the appliance and what your insurer requires. Arrestors need regular cleaning to work — a clogged one is a blockage. We will tell you what is fitted and what condition it is in.
Will my insurer accept the certificate?
It records what was swept, when, and the condition of the flue and stack — which is what policies generally ask for. If your insurer wants something specific, tell us before the visit and we will make sure it is covered.
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.
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.
06
Smoke-draw & 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.
Get a slot before the season fills.
Monday to Saturday, 7am–7pm. Voicemail answered same day.