Chimney sweep in Kundziņsala - historic houses and port sites

A small residential area in the middle of the port

According to the neighbourhoods portal, industrial and port land takes up more than half of Kundziņsala, and the inhabited part has over 100 residential houses. It is a small historic residential area between port sites. Public data does not show how each house is heated, so it helps to state this in the request.

If the house has a masonry stove, a tiled stove or a wood-burning cooker, the job is the classic one: the flue must be cleaned by 1 November, the soot removed at the cleaning doors, and a technical condition inspection is needed every five years. If a boiler has been installed in place of an old stove, the old brick channel often needs a liner, because the boiler's flue gases are cooler and moisture starts to damage the masonry.

May a private house owner clean the chimney themselves

Yes. If the house is a single-dwelling property and the flue serves a solid-fuel stove or cooker, the owner may clean it themselves, and then no certificate is needed. A certificate is compulsory if someone else does the cleaning, if the heating is gas or liquid fuel, or if the house has two or more flats. If an old house has been divided into two or more flats, the regulations treat it as an apartment building (unless each flat has its own roof and separate entrance), and a certificate is needed every time. More: can you clean your own chimney.

Port terminals and warehouses

At port companies a flue usually serves a boiler house, an air heater in a hangar or an office building's boiler. A company needs a certificate for each flue that it can show at a fire safety inspection and to its insurer. Under the fire safety regulations, a solid-fuel boiler needs two cleanings: by 1 November and once more between 1 November and 1 March.

In port areas, access is governed by the security regime. Before a visit, a pass or an escort is needed, and sometimes a safety briefing as well. In the request, give a contact person who will arrange this. More about business sites: chimney sweep for businesses.

Wind from the Daugava and the chimney head

The island is exposed to wind from the Daugava and the port waters. On low houses this means smoke can be pushed back down if the chimney is too low relative to the roof ridge or a neighbouring building. Under the building code, a chimney must be at least 0.5 m above the roof covering, and a cap or deflector is allowed. If the stove smokes on windy days, start with the page chimney has no draught.

The certificate and insurance for an old house

For an old house with stoves, the insurance terms matter as much as the fire safety regulations. The BTA, Balta and ERGO terms require the chimney to be cleaned at least once a year, and ERGO may reduce the payout by up to 50% or refuse it if this has not been done. The Latvian Insurers Association advises keeping certificates and invoices as proof.

So even when a private house owner may clean the chimney themselves, a certificate from a chimney sweep is the simplest way to prove the work was done. More: chimney report for insurance.

Price in Kundziņsala

Cleaning a stove, cooker or boiler flue with a certificate costs from €100, and the call-out is included, to the island too. For a technical condition report, lining and repair, we quote the price after looking at the chimney, because it depends on the flue length, roof access and materials. All prices: prices.