So that was the problem!

Our wood burner has struggled for a long time.

So having man ( and child ) handled it out of the fireplace, and dismantled part of the flu, I found it completely blocked.

Not only that but the blanking plate on the back had also fallen off.

So I've removed a ton of soot and other crap ( included way too much fire cement used on the inside of the flu ), and put the blanking plate back.


All resealed with fresh fire cement, and it's now working like a treat.