There are many ways an unlined stove can be swept…

Up until fairly recently, most chimneys were not fitted with a liner. For open fires, that wasn’t a problem as they were still fairly easy to sweep. You’d clean the chimney and soot would fall into the fireplace.

But that’s not always the case with multi fuel stoves and woodburners. This is because the chimney is sealed off by use of either a register plate or a closure plate, and the soot falls on top of it.

Therefore the most common way of collecting soot from an unlined flue serving a stove or woodburner is via hatches.

Sometimes, the hatches will appear on the chimney breast itself (as above). Other times it may appear on the outside wall.

More often than not though, hatches will be placed on the register plate itself, as shown below.

Why Are The Hatches Even Necessary?

In order to sweep a chimney properly, all soot and debris must be cleared from the flue. If a plate is in the way, that very same soot and debris will remain trapped on the plate, and by default remains in the flue (albeit at the bottom).

The problem with this is that soot is actually very flammable, and when it’s sitting at one of the hottest parts of the installation (around the stove pipe and on the plate) it can actually catch fire. So the soot needs removing.

I Can’t See Any Hatches Anywhere On My Installation – Is It A Risk?

Not necessarily. Some installations do not require hatches. For instance, if the chimney is lined with a flexible, stainless steel flue, then all soot and debris should fall into, close to, the stove and therefore be retrievable.

And even if the chimney is not lined, some installations are designed in such a way – by using mortar on top of a closure plate – that they ‘direct’ the soot and debris into an area where it can be collected (this process is usually called ‘benching in’).

I’m Not Quite Sure About My Installation – How Can I Get Some Peace of Mind?

The best way is to get in a registered, professional chimney sweep technician to inspect your installation. They will be able to advise whether you chimney is lined or not, and whether there is adequate provision for soot and debris collection.

What If There Should Be Hatches – But The Sweep Says There Aren’t Any On My Installation?

There are a few options. Usually, the easiest way to achieve compliance is to have the chimney lined. Not only will this mean you’re not relying on very old brickwork to take fumes out of your property, but they can make stoves run more efficiently. And of course any soot will usually fall into the stove, making it a more straightforward job for your sweep!