Dublin City Council to introduce heavy charges for chimney fires - €600+

HOUSEHOLDERS IN the capital could be hit with hundreds of euro in charges for fire brigade call-outs if a proposal from Dublin City Council is approved.
The council is proposing to introduce domestic fire service charges next year, including a first-hour rate fee of €500 for call-outs to domestic fires and €610 for vehicle fires; and a €610 charge to attend a chimney fire. It also includes a first-hour fee of €610 for road traffic incidents.
The first-hour rate will be fixed and following hours are charged per tender attending. The council will discuss the plan at its annual budget meeting.
But Dublin Fire Brigade Siptu convenor Gerry Harris said the charges could cost lives. “A person who cannot afford to pay a charge might attempt to put out the fire themselves and that could put their lives at risk and put fire fighters’ lives at risk, as the fire would be more developed when they got there.”
Mr Harris said there were other ways to fund the fire service that would not compromise safety.
“A change of legislation is needed to allow the 1.5 per cent fire levy, as part of all householders’ insurance, to be given directly to the fire service.”
Dublin Central TD Maureen O’Sullivan said an abuse of the fire service should incur a fine but not legitimate call-outs.
Dublin City Council confirmed the fire service charge proposal but would not comment further.

CCL- Chimney Cleaning Log

If you are burning wood in a stove or a open fire, it might be a good idea to buy a CCL Chimney Cleaning log in the fire before having the chimney swept as it will allow your certfied sweep to do a better job when sweeping. The CCL Chimney Cleaning log changes the creosote or tar into a more brushable form. The log is available from www.chimneycowlsireland.com. This is how it works!

Why have your chimney capped !

When a disused chimney is left uncapped, it is open to the Irish weather. This can lead to damp stains appearing internally and over time it contributes to steady internal deterioration of the fabric of the stack.

If you leave the chimney completely open, birds will eventually nest blocking the chimneys, this will stop the ventilation in the chimney, leading to it own set of problems. Not to mention the dreadful unhygienic mess that nesting birds can cause and the difficulty of removing the nest. Damage caused by bird intrusions
is not covered by insurance.

By capping you are also reducing the ammount of heat that escapes up disused chimneys.

Chimney Sweep in Westmeath

If you are looking for a chimney sweep in Co. Westmeath. Check out www.meathchimneycleaning.com. They are insured, certified and members of the chimney sweep association of Ireland. They also do Oil Boiler Servicing. Ciaran is a friendly guy who does a good job. We have been referring customer to them for the last few months and all have been delighted with the quality of the work carried out and the level of service.

If you have your home insurace with AA Home Insurances, they are now recommending that you have only a CSAI registered sweep, inspect and sweep your chimney.

Chimney Fire: A danger to your home and family

The latest statistics that are available from the department of environment show that in 2006 the Irish Fire Service attended 9,394 domestic fires an increase of 2.5% on 2005. Of these 9,394 fires 5,695 were chimney fires an increase of more than 2.8% on the 2005 figure. In 2006 there were 3 fatalities resulting form chimney/solid fuel appliance fires. This accounts for 7% of all fatalities in all fires attended by the Irish Fire Services.

The picture above shows creosote starting to form in the flue.

In Dublin in 2006 there were 317-chimney fire attended by the fire brigade.

In Kildare in 2006 there were 281-chimney fire attended by the fire brigade.

In Meath in 2006 there were 126-chimney fire attended by the fire brigade.

In Wicklow in 2006 there were 33-chimney fire attended by the fire brigade

The content below is taken form a public safety bulletin from the Chimney Safety Institute of America.

Creosote & Chimney Fires: What You Must Know

Fireplaces and wood stoves are designed to safely contain wood-fuel fires, while providing heat for a home. The chimneys that serve them have the job of expelling the byproducts of combustion – the substances produced when wood burns. These include smoke, water vapor, gases, unburned wood particles, hydrocarbon volatile, tar fog and assorted minerals. As these substances exit the fireplace or wood stove, and flow up into the relatively cooler chimney, condensation occurs. The resulting residue that sticks to the inner walls of the chimney is called creosote. Creosote is black or brown in appearance. It can be crusty and flaky…tar-like, drippy and sticky…or shiny and hardened. Often, all forms will occur in one chimney system. Whatever form it takes, creosote is highly combustible. If it builds up in sufficient quantities – and catches fire inside the chimney flue instead of the firebox of the fireplace or wood stove – the result will be a chimney fire. Although any amount of creosote can burn, sweeps are concerned when creosote builds up in sufficient quantities to sustain a long, hot, destructive chimney fire. Certain conditions encourage the buildup of creosote. Simply put, restricted air supply, unseasoned wood and cooler-than normal chimney temperatures are all factors that can accelerate the buildup of creosote on chimney flue walls. Air supplies on fireplaces may be restricted by closed glass doors or by failure to open the damper wide enough to move heated smoke up the chimney rapidly (the longer the smoke’s "residence time" in the flue, the more likely is it that creosote will form). A wood stove’s air supply can be limited by closing down the stove damper or air inlets too soon and too much, and by improperly using the stovepipe damper to restrict air movement. Burning unseasoned wood – because so much energy is used initially just to drive off the water trapped in the cells of the logs– keeps the resulting smoke cooler, as it moves through the system, than if dried seasoned wood is used. In the case of wood stoves, fully packed loads of wood (that give large cool fires and 8 or 10 hour burn times) also contribute to creosote buildup. Cool flue temperatures speed creosote production, too. Condensation of the unburned byproducts of combustion occurs more rapidly in an exterior chimney, for example, than in a chimney that runs through the center of a house and exposes only the upper reaches of the flue to the elements.

How Chimney Fires Hurt Chimneys

Masonry Chimneys. When chimney fires occur in masonry chimneys – whether the flues are an older, unlined type or are tile lined to meet current safety codes – the high temperatures at which they burn (around 2000°F) can "melt mortar, crack tiles, cause liners to collapse and damage the outer masonry material". Most often, tiles crack and mortar is displaced, which provides a pathway for flames to reach the combustible wood frame of the house. One chimney fire may not harm a home. A second can burn it down.

How often should I get my chimney swept/inspected?

One of the most frequent questions I am asked by my customers when I am inspecting and sweeping is how often should it be done.

I have listed below the sweeping frequency for the various types of fuel used as recommend by the Department of the Environment.

Wood burning fires - Four times a year
Solid fuel fires - Once a year if using smokeless fuel
Solid fuel fires - Twice a year if using coal
Oil fires - Once a year
Gas fires - Once a year if designed for sweeping

http://www.environ.ie/en/LocalGovernment/FireSafety/Preventation/LivingRoom/

Regards

Karl