DIY guideWood stove

Check the wood stove and its pipe before the first fire

With the stove cold, check the door seal, the glass, the firebrick and baffle, every pipe joint and the space round it. Sweeping stays a pro's.

8 steps

Tap a step to watch it again.

With the stove cold, scoop the old ash into a metal bucket with a lid.
Ash can stay hot for days: keep the bucket outside, away from the house.
Close the door on a strip of paper. If it slides out easily, the gasket needs replacing. Try all round.
Look for cracks or chips in the glass.
Look at the firebrick and the baffle board up top: whole, and sitting in place.
Follow the pipe from the stove to the wall or ceiling. Every joint tight and screwed, with no rust and no gaps.
Nothing that burns near the stove or its pipe: furniture, wood, paper, curtains. Its floor pad whole.
Test the smoke and CO alarms in the room and nearby.
A rusted, dented or loose pipe, cracked glass, or thick crust in the pipe: don't light it. Ask Handyman for a chimney sweep.

Handyman says: Pipe loose? I'll book a chimney sweep.

Free for every home. Handyman asks a few questions, then books a pro it trusts.