TERMS AND CONDITIONS

All quotations and contracts of sale/installation/sweep made by us Embers Chimney Sweep shall be deemed to incorporate the following terms and conditions, in any purchase and or installation / sweep or service made by us. No other agreement, reservation, promise, undertaking or understanding of any kind verbal or otherwise shall form part of or alter, vary, supersede or operate as a waiver to the stated terms of business unless expressly made or accepted by Embers Chimney Sweep in writing.

Estimates are valid for 30 days from the date of issue and must be accepted in writing (email). Our estimates are not fixed price quotations but reflect a realistic expectation of final cost based on our experience. It is generally not possible to give a fixed price as unexpected problems can occur which cannot be foreseen before the installation is underway. We therefore reserve the right to charge for any additional materials and labour incurred due to unforeseen problems or due to difficulties in obtaining sufficient information prior to estimating.

We will require a booking deposit of 50% of the estimated cost to cover the stove and materials to be ordered. Payment of the balance of the installation cost will be due on the day of completion of the installation. If the order is cancelled prior to installation, the deposit paid will be refunded less an administration charge of £100 and where applicable any restocking charge levied by the manufacturers to return the stove and materials. The administration fee and re-stocking charge will be deducted from any refund due and a duly receipted invoice will be forwarded with the refund payment. All goods remain the property of Embers Chimney Sweep until payment is received in full. Payment is accepted by cash or bank transfer.

We will generally only install stoves that are supplied by ourselves. The stoves are covered by the respective manufacturers’ guarantee and this may vary depending on the manufacturer. Glass and door seals are not generally covered under the manufacturers’ guarantees and therefore care should be taken in using the doors. Stoves should be used in accordance with the manufacturers’ recommendations and general mis-use will not be covered under any guarantees.

We are HETAS registered installers and where relevant, following completion of the installation we shall issue a certificate to cover the work undertaken together with a data plate which should generally be fixed near to your electricity consumer unit (fuse box) or fireplace recess.

Please note that planning permission may be required with respect to some installations as well as listed buildings consent and it is the customers’ responsibility to obtain any requisite permissions prior to the installation. We accept no liability for any rectification work required by a planning authority where permission has not been granted prior to the installation.

Whilst reasonable care will be taken to ensure that property and furniture are not damaged during the installation / Sweep / Service (we will cover carpets and furniture in the room with dust sheets), we cannot guarantee that all soot, dust and debris can be contained. We advise that any valuable or easily damaged items be removed from the room prior to the commencement of the installation. Where disruption is caused by us to walls during the installation we undertake to make good but liability for re-decoration is excluded. We do not accept any liability for any cracking to plaster work, wood surrounds or decorations caused by heat from the stove.

We recommend that a chimney flue is lined with a stainless steel flexible liner in order to ensure that the stove performs efficiently and any risk of flue gasses escaping are eliminated. The liner will also aid sweeping to ensure that the flue is kept free of soot and tar build up. If a flue liner is not installed, you may experience problems with the operation of the appliance for which we cannot be held responsible. Wood burned on a stove must be properly seasoned and have a moisture content of less than 20%. We recommend that if a multi fuel stove is installed and you intend to burn approved smokeless coals, that we install the highest 904 grade stainless steel which has greater resistance to the corrosive emissions from the fuel.

Where the estimate includes the cost of a liner and during the installation it becomes evident that a liner will not pass down the chimney flue due to obstructions, any additional work undertaken to clear the obstructions may be charged for as an additional cost.

Where construction work is undertaken to enlarge a fireplace, the removal of a chair fire brick and mortar benching can allow rain water which would previously have been absorbed by the mortar to trickle into the fireplace. This problem may not have been previously evident. Water ingress is possible if the chimney does not contain a lead tray or if the mortar joints in the stack or the flaunching are degraded. Additionally, brickwork itself can become porous and allow water to pass through with constant heavy rain. We accept no liability for this type of problem becoming evident after our work is completed.

Where we install a twin wall chimney system through an outside wall, this is done at a 45 degree pitch. A rope and mastic seal will be applied externally and a mortar finish applied. Due to the expansion and contraction of the pipe we cannot guarantee against all water ingress through cracks appearing in the mortar due to expansion.

We reserve the right to pass on any increases in materials prices between the date of estimate and completion of the work.

If we have been contracted to perform a chimney sweep: There is the possibility that a soot fall may occur if your chimney / flue has had excessive use / wrong fuels burned and/or the chimney flue hasn’t been swept regularly. By contracting us to perform a sweep knowing this we can not be held responsible for the soot that we cannot contain. We highly recommend that you prepare your property for this by using sheets and / or plastics to protect any furniture. Any items of high value are recommended to be completely removed from the room where the appliance / chimney / flue is located.

Embers Chimney Sweep reserve the right to refuse to sweep any chimney / flue.