Today is the first day of Spring and the perfect time to give your stove a spring clean! Unfortunately, it is coming to the time of year where your stove needs putting to bed. Your stove has been working hard to keep you warm and cosy throughout the Winter and now its time to show it some love and care. Spring is the perfect time to carry out the essential maintenance to keep your working at its full capacity. Performing this regular maintenance will help to ensure longevity of your stove.
We would maybe recommend a qualified HETAS installer to come and do a service on your stove but here are some handy tips and tricks to help you spring clean your stove.
Exterior
The aesthetics of your stove is just as important as the internal working parts as even when your stove is not in use it is still providing a focal point in your room all year round. To keep the exterior of your stove clean, use a lint-free cloth or a clean shoe brush to wipe away dust that may be lurking. If the stove is years old, the paint might want touching up. If paint is needed, ensure you use masking tape and cover everything around to avoid any black stains. Then after, leave to dry for around 8 hours before firing up again.
Interior
The inside of a stove is the one that is taking the hit when using your stove, so it is very important to give it some TLC. To start with, give everywhere a good brush with a small wire brush and then vacuum any remaining ashes or soot to avoid anything getting clogged up.
Glass
Even though the majority of our stoves have the airwash system already which helps to keep the glass clean, there may be some stubborn marks that you need to remove. There are two methods that will work for this, either dipping a damp cloth into the ashes and wipe glass clean or get a stove glass cleaner and wipe down with a damp cloth.
Chimney
We recommend that you get your chimney cleaned at least once a year to avoid any build up of soot, bird nests, etc. as these can be a massive fire hazard. Spring/Summer is the perfect time to get this done as your stove will not be in use as much (hopefully, dependent on our lovely UK weather).
Ongoing Maintenance
Throughout the year it is always important to check on your door and glass seal, check over your grate/grate bars to ensure there is no warping or they are moving freely, check for any cracks in your glass and ensure there is no cracks in your fire bricks. Keeping an eye on these throughout the year will avoid any massive bills when coming to service it.
If you find you need to replace any parts, we would be more than happy to help! We can supply the majority of the well known brands.