Preparing a home for the chimney sweep: what to ask
Cold fireplace, clear hearth, roof access, appliance type: what chimney sweeps can ask customers before the visit so each sweep starts on time and ends clean.
6 min read
Put a short preparation checklist in each service description, and ask for the appliance details in the booking note. The essentials: no fire for at least 12 hours before the visit so the appliance is cold, the hearth and the area in front of it cleared, access to the loft or roof if needed, and pets kept in another room. With the appliance type, the flue route and the last sweep date in the note, you arrive with the right brushes and rods, and the visit starts on time.
Why preparation matters for a sweep
A sweep that starts with a warm stove, a sofa pushed against the hearth or a dog barking at the sheets loses a quarter of an hour before any work begins. On a day of back-to-back visits, those quarters of an hour add up, and the last customer waits. A cold appliance is also a safety matter: you can't open a stove that's still hot or sweep a flue with embers at the bottom.
Customers don't know what you need unless you tell them. The service description is read before booking, and the confirmation email reminds them of the time, so putting the checklist there costs you nothing.
The checklist for the description
- Cold appliance: no fire for at least 12 hours before the visit; for a pellet stove, switched off the day before.
- Clear space: about two metres in front of the fireplace or stove, rugs and ornaments moved.
- Access: to the room, and to the loft or roof hatch if the flue is swept from above.
- Pets and children: in another room during the sweep.
- Ash: emptied the day before, if the customer can do it safely when cold.
- Payment: how you're paid on the day, since Book doesn't take payments.
What to ask in the booking note
On Book, the public booking form asks for first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note. You read the note in your new-booking email. Say in the description what you'd like to find there:
| Question | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Appliance type and make | Brushes, tools and time needed |
| Flue: masonry, liner, height, number of bends | Rods and access from below or above |
| Last sweep date | How much soot to expect |
| Fuel used: logs, pellets, coal | Deposits and service needed |
| Address, floor, parking | Arrive on time with the van close |
| Any smoke or draught problem | Plan an inspection if needed |
If the answers show a bigger job than the booked service, such as a stove that also needs servicing, call the customer and move the booking to a longer slot from your bookings list. You can move it to a slot of another service. Book doesn't email the customer about the change, so confirm it yourself.
For landlords and tenants
When a landlord books for a rented home, ask in the note who will be there to open the door and whether the tenant knows about the visit. Put the tenant's phone number in the note if they agree, so you can call on the day.
After the sweep
Explain what you found, hand over or send the sweeping certificate, and suggest when the next sweep is due. For regular customers, you can book next year's visit before you leave: create the slot and book them into it from your calendar; first and last name are required, email and phone optional, and with the email they get a confirmation and a calendar file. Customers can't move bookings online: they contact you, and you reschedule or cancel from your list.
Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.
How long before the sweep should the fire be out?
What should customers write in the note?
What if the job is bigger than booked?
Can I book next year's sweep on the spot?
Does Book send a reminder the day before?
- Online booking for chimney sweeps — €5/month | Book
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