Chimney cleaning in Ķīpsala - historic wooden houses and villas

Wooden houses opposite Old Riga

Writing about Ķīpsala's history, the neighbourhoods portal says that small two-storey wooden rental houses and even grand detached houses were built on the island. The Latvian Cultural Canon names Ķīpsala as a former fishing village whose wooden buildings mostly date from the 19th century, and part of Riga's wooden building collection included in the canon is on the island. In recent years new apartment buildings have gone up in the western part of the island, and much of the area is taken up by university and exhibition complexes.

The old houses have tiled stoves, wood-burning cookers and fireplaces in restored villas. The new buildings usually have no stoves, and the main job is ventilation; if a flat has a fireplace or a gas boiler, it has its own flue with its own cleaning intervals.

Why a chimney in a wooden house needs extra attention

In a wooden house a chimney (soot) fire is more dangerous than in a masonry building, because a crack in the chimney in the attic sits right next to the timber rafters. So during cleaning the specialist inspects the chimney in the attic: whether the masonry is sound, whether there are soot traces in the joints and whether it is whitewashed so that cracks can be seen. If the chimney cannot be inspected from the attic, a camera helps.

If soot does catch fire in the chimney, first call 112. After that, the flue must not be used until it has been checked. Burning out soot on purpose is forbidden. More: chimney soot fire.

A fireplace in a villa and a liner in an old chimney

When a villa is restored, the owners often want to keep the old chimney and connect a new fireplace or boiler to it. The old channel may be cracked, uneven or too wide. Then a liner is pulled into the channel, and the outside of the chimney stays the same. The choice between a ceramic and a stainless steel liner depends on the appliance and the channel; comparison: ceramic or stainless steel liner.

Before a new appliance is connected, you need a certificate on whether it may be connected to the flue. If the house is a rental building with two or more flats and the appliance is replaced in a flat, Riga's regulations require the application to include an inspection certificate on the technical condition of the appliance, the flues and the ventilation ducts. On the 2025 zoning map, the central part of the city is covered by heat supply zones I and II, with stricter limits on new appliances, so check the zone for your address on the municipal map.

A historic chimney head

In an old wooden house, the chimney head is part of the building's appearance. If it has crumbled, we recommend rebuilding it in the same shape and with similar bricks rather than replacing it with a metal pipe. If the building is a protected cultural heritage site, find out before any external changes whether they need approval. We assess repairs such as chimney head rebuilding separately and quote the price before the work starts.

The Daugava bank, the low-lying spots and the wind on the island mean the chimney head takes in a lot of moisture. A crown slab and a cap that keep water out of the channel are more valuable here than in many other places.

New buildings, the university and exhibition halls

In the new apartment buildings, natural ventilation ducts are cleaned and checked once every 10 years, in rooms with gas appliances once every five years, and mechanical ventilation once every five years. Exhibition, office and hospitality buildings with their own boiler or fireplace need a certificate after every cleaning; more: chimney sweep for businesses.

Getting to the island

You reach Ķīpsala via the Vanšu Bridge and Ķīpsalas iela: the route is short, but traffic is concentrated, and on exhibition days there are often many cars on the island. The old wooden houses stand on narrow streets where parking a car with a ladder is not always easy. In the request, say whether we can park by the house and whether the attic can be reached.