Articles
The chimney sweep's history: from soot boy to modern fire technicianHistory · 9 minThe chimney sweep is one of the city's oldest and most recognizable figures. Here you follow the profession from the time when fire was the city's greatest fear, through mandatory inspections to today's chimney sweep, who both cleans, fire-proofs and works with modern heating systems. You get an overview of how the profession has developed.A day as a chimney sweep: cleaning, inspection and adviceWeekday · 8 minHere you get a picture of the chimney sweep's everyday life — from the legally required cleaning of chimneys and fireplaces to the fire prevention inspections and customer advice. You learn how the work is structured and why meeting people is a large part of the trade.Tools, heating equipment and combustionMaterials and tools · 8 minA review of the chimney sweep's tools and the firing systems you work with. You learn about brooms scrapers and inspection equipment about different hearths and what good combustion requires — and why understanding combustion is the core of the trade.Fire safety, regulations and workplace environmentSafety and quality · 8 minThe chimney sweep's work is closely linked to fire safety and regulations, and it also contains its own workplace health risks — work at height, soot and confined spaces. Here we review why the profession is regulated, what fire prevention inspections mean, and how you work safely.Career and future as chimney sweepCareer · 8 minThe chimney sweep education leads to a profession with stable demand, because much of the work is legally required. Here we look at where you can work, how you can specialize, and which path the profession can develop as we heat our homes in new ways.How you deal with diversity at workThe education's structure · 9 minA review of the full path to becoming a chimney sweep: basic courses 1 and 2 main course with four school periods how school and practice alternate total duration and what entry requirements you must meet to get in.Løn og ansættelsesvilkår som skorstensfejerelevLøn og vilkår · 8 minHow apprentice wages work in the chimney sweep trade: that you get paid throughout the entire main course, that the rate increases the further you get, which collective agreement covers the trade, and what conditions await when you are a trained journeyman.Rules, legislation and the statutory chimney sweep workRules and legislation · 9 minAn introduction to the regulations surrounding the chimney sweep trade: the legally required cleaning and fire prevention inspection, the role of the municipality, the chimney sweep ordinance, and why the legally required work can only be performed by a trained chimney sweep.Work environment safety and ergonomics in the chimney sweep tradeWork environment and safety · 10 minA thorough review of the work environment in the trade: fall risk when working at height exposure to soot and combustion products smoke and carbon monoxide physical strain and ergonomics plus the protective equipment and habits that keep you healthy throughout a full working life.The industry today — jobs, demand and futureThe industry and job opportunities · 8 minA look at the chimney sweep industry today: where you typically work why demand is stable thanks to mandatory work what the good employment figures show and how the trade is developing with energy environment and new heating forms.Further and continuing education for chimney sweepsFurther and continuing education · 8 minAn overview of how you can develop after the journeyman exam: short AMU courses for ongoing updates the path toward chimney sweep master and your own business and the opportunities to study further at technician and academy level within energy environment and construction.Chimney types and materials: from bricks to steelMaterials and design · 8 minChimneys come in several versions, and as a chimney sweep you should be able to recognize and assess them all. Here you get the difference between the brick chimney, the element chimney and the steel chimney, and you learn why the European standard DS/EN 1443 is important when you check or approve a chimney.Ecodesign 2022 and the wood stove order.Rules and environment · 8 minSiden 2022 stiller EU's Ecodesign-krav og den danske brændeovnsbekendtgørelse strammere krav til nye brændeovnes energieffektivitet og partikeludledning. Her får du overblikket over reglerne, og hvorfor de har direkte betydning for din rådgivning som skorstensfejer.Creosote and chimney fire — when combustion makes the chimney dangerousSafety and technology · 9 minCreosote is one of the most insidious dangers in a chimney — a hard, nearly ceramic coating that develops at too low a combustion temperature and can trigger a chimney fire. Here you learn how creosote forms, how a chimney fire starts and is prevented, and what must be done if disaster strikes.Carbon monoxide — the invisible danger in heating systemsSafety and work environment · 8 minCarbon monoxide is an odourless and dangerous gas that can arise from incomplete combustion in heating systems. Here we review why the gas is so insidious, what the Occupational Safety and Health Authority recommends for carbon monoxide alarms, and how you as a chimney sweep advise customers on preventing carbon monoxide poisoning.The Chimney Sweepers Guild's history and traditionsHistory and craft culture · 9 minThe chimney sweep profession carries one of Denmark's oldest and most living guild traditions. Here we follow the path from Copenhagen's great fire in 1728 through the guild articles of 1778 to the black uniform and tall hat that still make the chimney sweep recognizable — and to the journeyman acceptance that is the only one of its kind preserved in Denmark.The journeyman's exam and schooling at EUC SydEducation and schooling · 9 minAll school teaching in the chimney sweep trade takes place in one place in Denmark: at EUC Syd in Tønder. Here you get an overview of what you learn at school, how the course is structured, and what the journeyman test requires of you before you can call yourself a trained chimney sweep.Cleaning frequency for different heating systemsRules and technology · 8 minHow often a chimney and a heating system should be cleaned depends on what type of system it is. Here you get the main rule about annual cleaning, the exception for larger oil furnaces, and why the cadence differs from system to system.