I do mine - just bought a set from B&Q.

I have to do mine from the inside but stick up some plastic and not had a problem. I don't suppose I do it as well as a pro but I do it more often so guess it's OK.

I thought this was going to be a euphemism for something dodgy...

Did mine when I had one. Pretty easy even from the inside. Just keep turning as you push - and always turn the right way so the rods don't unscrew! If they do, a hook made from a coat hanger saved my day 20 years ago.

I don't understand why you have your chimney swept three times a year. Ours is done once whether it needs it or not. Its a woodburner too.

The sweep reckons we could get away with doing it less frequently.

Are you burning wet wood by any chance?

The quick way drop a live chicken down job done

@ Donald:

Chimney in question is currently an open fire that gets cleaned once a year, but in the process of fitting a stove. Will be burning dry (hopefully) wood only but read that it's best to sweep more often than with an open fire due to lower flue temperatures = more creosote - especially as the flue is unlined.
My theory is if it's easy to do myself then I'm likely to do it more often.

do the cubs do bob a job still? Bet one of them would fit up quite nicely.

Yep, I did mine once - only the once! 😉

How hard can it be, going off the sweep that did mine you have to do months helping a sweep out or go to sweep school. Once you've done that you sweep the chimmney and tell the costumer there that's clean there's nothing coming down there and it's clear. The customer then has problems with the fire but hey it can't be the chimney it was swept well, apart from the huge ****ing clump of nests stuck 3/4 up. Piss useless ****er.

I've done it in the past by knotting a big bunch of Holly in the middle of a long rope. Weighting the rope and pulling back and forth from top to bottom. Worked a treat. 😀

My understanding is the opposite. Because the woodburner burns the gases and creosote so completely you are [i]less [/i]likely to get chimney deposits than from an open fire.

I may be wrong though.

That's what I thought as well, but I think that because the gasses coming out of the stove are cooler (because more heat has gone into the room) there's more potential for creosote deposits in the chimney.

This is a good site with plenty of advice: [url= http://www.stovesonline.co.uk/chimney-tar-soot.html ]Stoves Online[/url]

Anyway if I do it myself I don't mind doing it more often.

I know the official advice is different, but in my experience a well run wood stove needs far less cleaning. I started off doing our flue once a year, nothing ever came out so I stopped. 10 years later, no problems.
Got a coal fire now, needs doing three times a year.

We have to have ours done by a "proper" company or we can't get contents insurance. The joys of living in a wooden house (with an open fire)!!

we get round that by simply not having insurance

As above, our lined one generates about an egg-cup full of ash when cleaned every couple of years... my boss has one running into an unlined brick chimney which runs from ground to roof level in a four storey building and notes the same.....

However, it really is going to depend on the quaility of the wood you're burning and if you will be running the stove flat-out for the majority of the time. If you run it backed-off alot of the time the flue gases will be cooler and have more volatiles still in it which will lead to more ash and condensate in the chimney.