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FreshDuct sweeps and services Scandia wood heaters across Melbourne, and checks the flue kit and clearances on installations that were put in by the owner or a general trade rather than a heating specialist.
Bought the heater and the flue kit separately? That is the installation we most often find problems in.
Scandia is an Australian owned brand making wood heaters and electric fires, and its wood fire range is sold exclusively through Bunnings Warehouse. That retail channel is not a criticism of the appliance — the Edge 50 is built specifically for Australian conditions — but it does change the population of installations we see, and it changes what we look at first.
When a heater is bought over a trade counter with a flue kit beside it, a meaningful share end up installed by the homeowner, a handyman or a general builder rather than a heating specialist. The appliance is usually fine. The installation is where we find the problems: flue sections not fully engaged, a ceiling penetration without the correct guard, insufficient clearance to a timber mantel or plasterboard wall, a hearth that is too small for the appliance footprint, or a flue terminated too low against a roof line.
Wood heater installation in Australia is covered by AS/NZS 2918, which sets out clearances to combustible surfaces, hearth requirements, ceiling and roof penetration detailing and flue termination height. We are not a certifier and we do not issue compliance certificates, but on every Scandia we service we look at those points and photograph anything that concerns us, because a swept flue on a badly installed heater is a false sense of security.
The service itself is straightforward and we do it properly: sweep the flue, strip the firebox, pull the baffle, check the bricks, clear the air paths and test the door seal. What you also get is an honest read on whether the installation around the appliance is sound.
Manufacturer and retailer published facts only. No model specifications we could not source.
The service, plus the installation points that matter most on owner-installed units.
The distance from the appliance body and the flue to timber, plasterboard, a mantel or a built-in unit is the single most important number in the installation. We measure what is actually there and photograph anything that looks tight. Heat damage to a wall lining behind or beside a heater is a warning sign we take seriously and always report.
Where the flue passes through the ceiling it needs the correct guard and air gap, and where it exits the roof it needs to terminate high enough to clear the roof line and any nearby obstruction. A flue that stops too low is the classic cause of persistent downdraft and a room that smokes on windy days. We assess both from the roof where access is safe.
Sectional flue systems rely on each length being fully seated and fixed. On self-installed jobs we periodically find joints that were never pushed home, or a section that has worked loose with thermal cycling. That is a flue-gas leak into the roof space, and it is not something you can see from inside the room.
The hearth needs to extend far enough in front of and around the appliance to catch embers and protect the floor. A heater sitting on an undersized tile square over a timber floor is something we see and something we say out loud. It is cheap to fix and expensive to ignore.
The service work itself is unchanged: baffle out, firebricks inspected, ash and clinker cleared, air channels cleaned, door rope tested. A heater that has run a full Melbourne winter on mixed firewood will usually need at least the rope seal attended to.
FreshDuct recommends an annual sweep and service before the season. On a heater used as the primary heat source through a cold Melbourne winter, once a year is a floor rather than a ceiling, and we will tell you if what comes out of your flue suggests a shorter interval.
Real FreshDuct chimney and flue photos, documented before and after. These images are not presented as any particular brand of appliance.
On a Scandia, FreshDuct sweeps the flue, strips and cleans the firebox, inspects the baffle and firebricks, clears the primary and secondary air paths, tests and replaces the door rope seal, and inspects the flue system and its terminal. Everything gets photographed and handed to you the same day.
We also give you a written note on the installation itself — clearances, hearth, ceiling penetration and termination. That note is our professional observation, not a compliance certificate. If something needs rectifying to meet the installation standard, that is work for a suitably qualified installer, and we will say so plainly rather than quietly sweeping around a problem.
Book a Scandia ServiceWe service Scandia heaters across metropolitan Melbourne and out through the growth corridors where they are most common — Craigieburn, Melton, Pakenham, Berwick, Cranbourne and the newer estates around Ringwood and Croydon, where a heater has often been added to a home that was built without a chimney.
Those homes are the ones where the flue is a complete sectional system rather than an existing masonry shaft, which is why the installation detail matters so much. We also work through the Dandenong Ranges, the Yarra Valley, Eltham and the Macedon Ranges, where heaters run harder and the flue loads faster.
Appliance service plus a genuine look at the installation around it.
Flue route, clearances, hearth and termination noted first.
Floor and furnishings protected, extraction set up before we open it.
Full length swept mechanically, joints checked as we go.
Baffle out, bricks inspected, air channels cleared.
Door rope tested, glass and retainers checked and replaced if needed.
Photos plus a plain-English note on anything that concerned us.
Verified 5-star reviews from across FreshDuct’s chimney, fireplace, duct, heating and insulation services. These are company-wide reviews from our Melbourne customer base — not reviews of any particular appliance brand.
“Allen provided exceptional service — friendly, professional and went above and beyond.”
“Highly impressed with the professionalism and efficiency. On time, and no mess left behind.”
“Exceeded my expectations. Knowledgeable, meticulous and respectful of our home.”
“So glad I chose FreshDuct. Knowledgeable team and the whole process was smooth from start to finish.”
“Quick, efficient and professional — we could immediately feel the difference.”
“The technician arrived on time and was incredibly thorough — the difference at home is obvious.”
What a Scandia service commonly leads to.
Yes. We service the appliance regardless of who installed it, and we will give you an honest written observation on the installation while we are there. What we will not do is sweep a flue, say nothing, and leave you with a clearance or termination problem you did not know about.
No. FreshDuct is an independent chimney and fireplace service company. We have no affiliation with Scandia, its manufacturer or its retailer, and we do not act as anyone’s service agent. For warranty issues, go back to the retailer you purchased from.
No. We are a service and cleaning company, not a certifier, and we do not issue installation compliance certificates. We inspect, photograph and report on what we find against the general requirements of the installation standard, and we will refer you to a suitably qualified installer where rectification work is needed.
The full length, from the appliance spigot to the terminal. On a sectional flue that means working the brush the whole run and inspecting the joints, then checking the cowl or terminal from the roof where access is safe. A partial sweep of the first metre is not a service and we do not sell it as one.
We tell you straight away, in writing and with photographs, and we explain exactly what the problem is. Depending on what it is, that may mean not using the appliance until it is rectified. We would far rather have that conversation than clean a flue and walk away from something dangerous.
Full sweep and firebox service, plus a genuine look at the installation. Photographed and reported the same day.
Tell us the model and roughly when it was installed.
