After a Chimney Fire: What to Check Before You Light It Again
After a chimney fire, do not light the fire again until the flue has been swept and checked with a camera. A chimney fire burns the tar lining the flue at a far higher heat than the chimney was built for. It cracks clay liners, loosens old parging and can split the pots, and the damage is hidden. If the flue is damaged, a new liner costs €800 to €2,500 fitted.
What a chimney fire does, what to check, and how it's put right.
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- Don't light ituntil a camera has been down
- €800 to €2,500to reline a damaged flue
- Once a yearsweep at least; twice for turf or wood
During a chimney fire
A roar in the chimney, sparks or flame from the pot, a hot chimney breast. Ring 999 or 112. Get everyone out. If it is safe, close the stove door and vents or put a fireguard up, and move furniture back from the breast. Don't pour water on the fire.
What it damages
| Part | What the heat does | How it's found |
|---|---|---|
| Clay flue liners | Cracks them, opens the joints between them | A camera down the flue |
| Old parging in an unlined flue | Loosens it, so it falls and blocks the flue | Rubble in the grate, a camera |
| A steel liner | Distorts or splits it | A camera, and a smoke test |
| Pots and flaunching | Cracks them | From the scaffold, or with binoculars |
| Timber near the stack | Chars joists or rafters built too close | From the attic and under the floor |
The order of work
- The flue is left to cool, then swept.
- A camera goes down it, top to bottom, and the footage is kept.
- The attic is checked where the stack passes through.
- A damaged flue is relined: €800 to €2,500 supplied and fitted.
- Cracked pots and flaunching are renewed.
- A smoke test before the first fire.
Why they happen
Tar. It builds when fuel burns cool and damp: wet wood, turf, a stove shut right down overnight. 163,182 Irish households heat mainly with coal, turf or wood (Census 2022), 67,891 of them with turf. Sweep at least once a year, and twice where turf or wood is burned every day.
Insurance
Most home policies cover fire damage, and many cover the fire brigade's charge where a council makes one. Tell your insurer before repairs start. Keep the camera footage and the sweep's report: they are the evidence.
Putting it right, priced
| Job | Typical cost | What moves the price |
|---|---|---|
| A flue liner supplied and fitted | €800 to €2,500 | The height of the flue, the liner grade, bends |
| A chimney pot replaced | €150 to €500 | Matching an old clay pot costs more |
| Flaunching renewed, pots re-bedded | €200 to €1,200 | How many pots, and whether any are cracked |
| Scaffolding for a chimney | €350 to €1,200 | Two storeys or three, a stack at the ridge or the eaves |
Repair work on a house is at the reduced 13.5% VAT rate. Ask for a written price that includes it, and says whether scaffolding is in it.
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More on chimney repairs
Costs, leaks, mortar, flues and rebuilds.
What chimney repairs costEvery job, priced. Repointing is €300 to €1,500.
A leaking chimneyWhere the damp shows tells you where the water gets in.
Repointing a stackWhen new mortar is enough, and when it isn't.
Lining a flueFor stoves, tar and cracked flues. €800 to €2,500 fitted.
Rebuilding a stackA lean, bulging or loose bricks. €800 to €2,000 above the roofline.
Capping and cowlsAn unused flue capped with a vent is €300 to €900.Chimney repair in every county
- Carlow3,372 homes built before 1946
- Cavan4,152 homes built before 1946
- Clare6,309 homes built before 1946
- Cork37,465 homes built before 1946
- Donegal6,974 homes built before 1946
- Dublin79,150 homes built before 1946
- Galway10,117 homes built before 1946
- Kerry7,666 homes built before 1946
- Kildare5,606 homes built before 1946
- Kilkenny6,287 homes built before 1946
- Laois4,323 homes built before 1946
- Leitrim2,466 homes built before 1946
- Limerick11,830 homes built before 1946
- Longford2,224 homes built before 1946
- Louth6,764 homes built before 1946
- Mayo7,592 homes built before 1946
- Meath6,839 homes built before 1946
- Monaghan3,868 homes built before 1946
- Offaly4,608 homes built before 1946
- Roscommon4,227 homes built before 1946
- Sligo4,130 homes built before 1946
- Tipperary12,246 homes built before 1946
- Waterford7,755 homes built before 1946
- Westmeath4,684 homes built before 1946
- Wexford8,936 homes built before 1946
- Wicklow8,488 homes built before 1946
Check your chimney
Four taps: what's wrong, the height of the house, what the stack is built of and what it's used for. You see the likely job and our price for it. Your number is only asked for at the end, if you want one chimney repair company that covers your county to ring you.
Questions people ask
Can I use the fire if it seems fine?
No. Cracks in a flue let smoke and carbon monoxide into the house and heat into the timbers. Have it checked first.
Will the fire brigade charge me?
Some councils charge for a call-out and some don't. Home insurance often covers it. Ring anyway.
Does a chimney fire clean the chimney?
No. It burns some tar and leaves the flue damaged and the rest of the tar baked on.
Do I need a liner afterwards?
Only if the camera shows damage. In an old unlined flue, it usually does.
How do I stop it happening again?
Dry fuel, a hot fire, and a sweep every year.
Get a price for your chimney repair
One chimney repair company that covers your county. Free, no obligation. Nothing is booked until you say yes.