Ventilation duct cleaning in Pļavnieki - multi-storey buildings between Deglava iela and Lubānas iela

A large multi-storey district: what it means for a chimney sweep

The neighbourhoods portal describes Pļavnieki as a large multi-storey residential district where residential buildings take up 42.5% of the area. Such buildings usually have district heating, so there is no flue in the flat. But every kitchen, bathroom and toilet has a natural ventilation duct, and it needs looking after just like a chimney.

If your flat has district heating and an electric cooker, you do not need to call a chimney sweep yourself. The check of the building's ventilation ducts once every 10 years is organised by the building manager or the flat owners' association, and you only need to let the inspector into your flat.

Intervals and the certificate

In an apartment building, natural ventilation ducts must be cleaned and checked at least once every 10 years. In rooms with a gas appliance, such as a gas cooker or water heater, the interval is once every five years. A certificate is drawn up for every cleaning and check, and it must state the name and number of the sweep's qualification document.

For building managers: how the check works

1. List The building manager sends the addresses and the number of stairwells and flats, and states which buildings or flats have gas appliances, because the interval is shorter there.
2. Roof From the roof or attic we check each duct with a weight or camera and remove nests and debris at the outlets.
3. Flats In the flats we check the draught at the grilles. Flats that could not be accessed are noted in the certificate.
4. Documents A certificate is drawn up for each building: which ducts are in order, which are blocked and which flats were not checked.

There are few parking spaces in the inner courtyards, and parked cars often get in the way of reaching a particular stairwell. More about working with apartment buildings: ventilation check in an apartment building.

For flat owners: replacing a gas appliance

If a flat has a gas water heater or boiler that you want to replace, Riga binding regulations No. RD-24-260-sn on heat supply allow replacement with a new ecodesign appliance of up to 50 kW without changing the type of fuel. The application to the Heat Supply Commission must include a certificate on the technical condition of the existing appliance, the flue and the natural ventilation ducts. The new appliance must be registered with the Riga Energy Agency.

From 1 January 2031, installing new appliances that burn fossil fuel, including gas, will be banned in Riga in all zones. If you are planning a replacement, order the certificate in good time, because in 2026 the commission meets once a month. About gas appliance flues: chimney check for a gas boiler.

By our reading of the zoning map, Pļavnieki is in zone III. This does not mean there is no district heating here: zone III only means less strict limits on choosing new heating, and Pļavnieki does have district heating. For a flat where a gas water heater needs replacing, the zone determines which options the commission will consider.

When the ventilation does not draw

If the bathroom mirror takes a long time to clear, mould appears in the corners or smells from the neighbours reach the kitchen, first check that there is an air inlet. With fully closed plastic windows no air comes in, and the duct does not draw even if it is clean. If there is an inlet but no draught, the duct may be blocked or a neighbour's fan may be connected to it. A check from the roof and on several floors will show which.

What it costs

There are no fixed prices for cleaning and checking ventilation ducts. The price depends on the number of ducts and flats, the number of storeys and roof access, on whether a camera inspection is needed, and on whether several buildings are checked in one visit. We quote the price once we have your request. If a building in Pļavnieki does have a flue, cleaning it with a certificate costs from €100. All prices: prices.