Chimney cleaning in Aplokciems - private houses by Ķīšezers

How houses are heated in Aplokciems

In a detached housing area each house usually has its own heating: a wood or pellet boiler, a gas boiler, a masonry stove or a fireplace in the living room. One house often has two or three flues, and each has its own deadline. A boiler or metal stove flue is cleaned by 1 November and once more by 1 March, while a masonry stove flue or a fireplace with masonry mass needs cleaning only once, by 1 November.

So in autumn all flues are cleaned, but in winter only the boiler and sauna flues. More on boilers: heating boiler flue cleaning and pellet boiler flue cleaning.

Damp by the lake and the chimney head

Aplokciems lies by Ķīšezers and the Jaunciems forests, and part of the area is lower-lying. This does not mean every chimney has problems, but in a damp setting the chimney head above the roof has a harder time: brick joints crumble, the crown slab cracks, and water runs down into the channel. During cleaning the specialist also inspects the head, the crown slab and the cap.

If a gas or pellet boiler is connected to an old brick chimney, moisture also comes from inside. The cool flue gases condense, and damp stains or brown streaks appear on the walls in the attic. The usual solution then is a liner: condensation in the chimney. Restoring the head and fitting a cap are separate jobs, and we price them for your situation.

Two-storey buildings: a certificate every time

The regulations treat a two-storey house with several flats as an apartment building. There a certificate must be drawn up after every cleaning, and it must state the name and number of the cleaner's qualification document. The owner or manager is responsible for the shared flues and ventilation ducts. In such a building ventilation ducts are cleaned and checked once every 10 years, but in rooms with gas appliances once every five years.

Newer houses with metal flues

Among the older detached houses in Aplokciems there are also newer residential buildings. These more often have a modular stainless steel chimney or a condensing gas boiler with a coaxial flue through the wall. A metal or lined gas flue needs cleaning and checking only once every two years, but the gas boiler itself needs servicing every year. A solid fuel boiler and its flue need a technical condition inspection with a certificate every five years, with photos or video attached.

If the house is still being finished, a certificate on the compliance of the new flue is needed before the first firing: flue inspection for building acceptance. These jobs are priced for your situation.

Allotment cabins and saunas

In an allotment cabin or a sauna the stove is often metal, with a pipe flue through the wall or roof. In such buildings you need to check that the pipe is not too close to a wooden wall or ceiling and that the outlet through the roof is insulated. A sauna stove is a long-burn appliance, so its flue is cleaned twice a season if the sauna is also used in winter. On this: sauna stove cleaning and chimney sweep for a summer house.

Can you clean it yourself

Yes. The owner of a private house may clean a solid fuel flue themselves, and then no certificate is needed. A certificate must be drawn up if someone else cleans it, if the boiler runs on gas or liquid fuel, or if it is an apartment building. Many people still bring in a chimney sweep because of insurance and because climbing onto a roof without safety equipment is dangerous. More: can you clean your own chimney.

Access and price

We reach Aplokciems along Jaunciema gatve and then local streets. In the request it helps to say whether a car can be parked by the house and whether there is a ladder to the roof. Cleaning one flue costs from €100, usually €100–130, with the certificate and call-out. Prices: prices.

Nearby we work in Jaunciems, Suži, Trīsciems and Bukulti. All Riga neighbourhoods: chimney sweep in Riga.