Chimney sweeping is more than just waggling a brush up a flue
WHAT do you think about your chimney sweep being a member of the Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps?
Perhaps it means nothing to you. All that matters is finding a local sweep who is cheapest and then calling him or her to do the work promptly. After all, a chimney sweep’s work is just waggling a brush up the chimney to keep it clean. Right?
Let’s have a reality check about this. Chimney sweeping isn’t the same as hoovering dusty carpets or cleaning the loo. Breadcrumbs on the floor won’t kill you but if you use an indoor fire and have an unclean chimney – you risk your life, your children’s lives and anyone else in your household.
In fact, the sweeping itself is just part of the work of a ‘chimney sweep’. And we need to recognise that. A Guild sweep is professionally trained to study your indoor fire and chimney and check for any risk factors that could lead to a chimney fire or carbon monoxide poisoning. If you follow their advice on how to get the most efficient and clean use from your fire and your fuel, you may well save the entire cost of their visit over the course of a single burning season.
That’s also why your sweep’s membership of the Guild of Master Chimney Sweeps really does matter. He or she is part of a larger community of experts who are on-hand pretty much 24/7 to provide advice and support, as needed, for any aspect of chimney care.
It could be that your local Guild sweep is the cheapest sweep in your area. Perhaps not. Please don’t let that be the deciding factor, for the sake of a few pounds. What really matters is that your sweep is efficient in what he or she is doing. That’s why it makes sense – perfect sense – to only employ the services of a Guild sweep. You are in safe hands when you call on a Guild sweep for help.
It’s easy to contact him or her too. Just look your local Guild sweep up on the Find a Chimney Sweep directory.
