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On an Eltham bush block the terminal is where embers leave and where bark, leaves and possums get in. FreshDuct fits spark arrestors and guarded cowls sized so the heater still draws, and tests them with the fire going.
Bush block with no spark arrestor on the flue? It is the single most useful thing to fit before the next fire season.
The top of a flue matters more on an Eltham bush block than almost anywhere. The homes sit among tall gums on large bush blocks, the heating is wood, and every heater throws sparks up the flue when the door opens or a log is added. Where the terminal is a plain open cowl those sparks leave the flue and land wherever the wind takes them. A spark arrestor, a cowl with fine mesh around the outlet, keeps them inside until they go out.
The mesh has to be chosen with the heater in mind. Too coarse and it does nothing; too fine and it blocks with soot in a few weeks of hard burning and the heater starts smoking into the room. We fit arrestors sized to the flue and the appliance, and we say plainly that an arrestor needs cleaning every sweep, which is part of why we do both on the same visit.
The traffic goes the other way as well. Bark strips, leaves, nesting birds and possums all find an open flue on a treed block, and a blocked terminal is the usual reason a heater that was fine last winter will not draw this one. Guarded cowls keep the bush out, and where the canopy sends wind down the flue, a wind-resistant cowl or extra height is added and tested with the fire lit.
Spark arrestors, guarded cowls and wind-resistant terminals for Eltham wood heaters and open fires, sized to the flue, fitted from the roof and tested with the fire going.
An arrestor is a compromise between catching sparks and letting smoke out. We size the mesh to the flue and heater so it keeps embers in through a bush summer without choking the fire in winter, and we test the draw with it fitted.
An open flue under gums is a chute for bark and a den for possums by the end of summer. A guarded cowl closes it off, and we clear whatever has already gone in before the new terminal goes on.
Tall trees around a hills roof push wind down as well as across a terminal, so some Eltham heaters smoke back on gusty nights. A wind-resistant cowl, or a little extra height above the canopy line, usually settles it.
Real photos from Melbourne jobs — not stock, not staged.
We measure the flue and the existing terminal, look at what is above and around it, and fit the arrestor or cowl that suits the heater and the block. Where an old cowl has rusted or seized, it comes off and the new one is sealed properly.
Every terminal is tested with the heater running and photographed from the roof, so you know the mesh is clear, the cowl is square and the fire still draws, without going up a ladder among the gums.
Documented end to end — every job, every suburb.
Flue size, terminal type and roof access checked.
The right cap or cowl for the appliance and the problem.
Firm price before any work.
Fixed and sealed from the roof, safely.
Draw checked with the cap on.
A photo of the finished cap from the roof.
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The same local team covers the suburbs around Eltham. Explore nearby areas and related FreshDuct chimney services.
Not if it is sized correctly and kept clean. We match the mesh to the flue and heater and test the draw with it on. The one thing to plan for is cleaning it at every sweep, because the mesh that catches embers also catches soot.
Yes. We clear the nest or the bark that has built up, check the flue is open its full length, and fit a guarded cowl so birds and possums cannot get back in. The fitted terminal is photographed from the roof.
An open flue lets rain, leaves and birds straight in. A cap keeps the flue dry, keeps nests out and, on a wood heater, a spark arrestor stops embers leaving the flue.
Usually a downdraught — wind pushing back down the flue. An anti-downdraught cowl is the normal fix; we confirm the draw with a test before and after.
Yes. If we are on the roof for a sweep and the flue needs a cap, we can quote it on the spot and fit it the same visit where we have the right size.
Send your details and the office confirms a window for Eltham. No call-out fee, before and after photos, and honest advice on what your chimney needs and what it does not.
