Showrooms & Advice
You're welcome to call into one of our Showrooms in Paddock Wood or Tenterden
You can see a range of stoves, ask questions and take away brochures and fact-sheets. We will do our best to provide guidance on a suitable size and type of stove or fire. Where possible, we will provide a broad estimate on likely costs for supply and installation. Detailed quotes will generally require a survey at your home. Estimates maybe possible by "Virtual survey"
Do have a look under the "Guides" heading on our menu for lots of information and guidance.
Surveys & Quotes
We generally carry out a survey before any installation to help you choose the most suitable stove and insure that the installation will meet all current building regulations.
The survey is free and without obligation. A charge may be made for distant surveys (usually over 25 miles from the showroom) but this will always be agreed in advance. Choose your nearest showroom:
Virtual Survey
This is where we can provide an estimate or provisional quote based on information you send us. We will nearly always require an actual on-site survey before committing to a final quote or installation, but this can be a quick way to get started.
Chimney Survey & Report
This is a service where one of our HETAS qualified operators will survey a chimney and provide a report on its condition and suitability for its proposed use. Based on this we can provide advice, recommendations and estimated costs. We are equipped with chimney CCTV equipment and have long experience of dealing with the many issues, and solutions, for all aspects of domestic chimneys and chimney systems, e.g. a twin-wall sectional chimney system.
The following are circumstances where this might be required:
Chimney problems and faults
Your chimney may not be performing properly, e.g. poor draw, smoking back into the room, smoke leakage into the building, water leakage into or from the chimney, blockages, bird and nesting problems to name a few.
With many years experience we have encountered just about every chimney problem out there and generally been very successful in finding and providing solutions.
Prevention
Prevention can be a lot cheaper than cure. A chimney survey can be a sound investment, picking up issues while they are still relatively minor and cheap to repair and preventing major cost at a later stage.
The image shows a badly "tarred" chimney lining, the perfect way to start a chimney fire. Revealed with a CCTV inspection
"Inherited Chimney" Report
You may have bought, or intend to buy a property with a chimney or chimney system and, for peace of mind or perhaps planned future use, need to know the condition of the chimney and its suitability for intended use.
This can forewarn of any inherent problems or faults and advise on solutions and potential costs. We will also advise where any existing installation does not meet with current building regulations.
Solid fuel or gas appliance installation companies are responsible for the whole installation, including the chimney system when they install and connect a new appliance to an existing chimney. They will therefore quite likely be reluctant to connect to any chimney or system where they don't know the provenance or condition of that system.
Insurance reports
Your chimney or flue may have suffered a chimney fire. The fire brigade will no doubt advise that the chimney should be checked before further use and, in the case of a lined chimney, that the liner should be replaced - at upwards of £1000 cost. Insurance companies will invariably want evidence of chimney damage before paying out for repairs. This we can provide with a written report.
It should be pointed out that the chimney fire may well have been prevented with a chimney survey, which may have indicated excessive tar build-up, the cause of many chimney fires.
What the survey involves
Before:
In preparation for a chimney survey we ask that the chimney be cold and ideally not used for at least 12 hours before our visit. The area around the fireplace or appliance should be clear. We will provide dust sheets and take every care but some dust will be unavoidable. An electric power point will be required.
During:
We'll check the chimney externally and report on the condition of the structure, pointing, flashing, flaunching, pot, cowl and, in the case of twin-wall systems, the external condition of the flue, joints, supports and anything else of relevance.
The chimney will be swept. This is so the CCTV inspection can get a close look at the condition of the interior of the chimney.
A full visual and internal chimney CCTV inspection will then be carried out with any defects photographed to be added to our report
An unsealed smoke test will be carried out to check for leakages.
After:
All findings will be included in our written report form. Any defects will be noted with comments and recommendations for any remedial works required. This will be emailed to you and any relevant photographs attached.
We will then contact you to discuss the contents of the report and answer any questions you may have.
PRICE:
The full chimney survey including External, Internal and CCTV inspection, Smoke test, Written report and follow-up Phone Call is £200 + VAT for the average chimney. Discount for multiple chimneys. Additional charges, to be agreed in advance, for particularly complex installations and further investigation works if required.