Chimney cleaning in Berģi - new private houses and modular chimneys

What needs cleaning in Berģi private houses

• A stove fireplace with a glass door in the living room: it usually holds heat for less than three hours, so its flue is cleaned twice a season.
• A wood, pellet or gas boiler in the plant room: the boiler flue is cleaned by 1 November and again by 1 March, a gas flue with a liner once every two years.
• A sauna stove in the house or in a separate sauna building: also a long-burn appliance.
• A masonry stove in older houses: once, by 1 November.

More: fireplace cleaning and heating boiler flue cleaning.

Modular chimney: how it is cleaned

A modular chimney has a smooth ceramic or steel pipe inside, insulation around it and an outer casing. Soot clings less to a smooth surface than to brick, so cleaning is quicker. Still, the brush must be the right one: in a steel pipe a plastic or nylon brush is used so as not to scratch the surface, and in a ceramic flue a brush of the right size so as not to damage the joints.

A modular chimney has a cleaning door and a condensate pot at the bottom. During cleaning the soot is removed through the door, the condensate drain is checked and the roof crossing is inspected for signs of overheating on the wooden structures. Building code LBN 231-15 (point 54) requires combustible structures to be at least 300 mm from the outer surface of the flue.

New build: a certificate before the first firing

If you are building a new house in Berģi or connecting a new appliance, then before you first light it you need a certificate on whether the appliance may be connected to the flue. The chimney height above the roof, the distances to wooden structures, the cleaning doors and the draught are checked. This also helps for building acceptance: flue inspection for building acceptance.

If there is no chimney yet, we can build one: modular chimney installation. It is priced for your situation, because the price depends on the height, diameter, material and how many times the flue passes through floors and ceilings. Materials are charged separately.

A sauna building in the yard

On newer Berģi properties the sauna is often in a separate wooden building with a metal flue through the roof. A sauna stove is a long-burn appliance, and if the sauna is also used in winter, the flue is cleaned twice a season. During cleaning we check that the pipe is insulated at the ceiling and the roof crossing and that the wooden panelling around the pipe has not overheated or darkened. If the sauna is still being built, we can install the flue: sauna flue installation. This job is priced for your situation.

Technical inspection every five years

Solid fuel heating appliances and flues need a technical condition inspection every five years, with a certificate on the form given in the regulations and photos or video attached. If the house was built several years ago and has not had such an inspection yet, it is worth doing now. More: chimney sweep's condition report.

Insurance and certificates

The BTA, Balta and ERGO terms require the flue 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. The work is done by a qualified chimney sweep, and the certificate states their qualification document. More: chimney report for insurance.

Access and price

We reach Berģi along Brīvības gatve. In the request, write whether the chimney can be reached by a roof ladder and whether we can drive into the yard. If the roof is steep and has no roof ladder, a modular chimney can often be cleaned from below through the cleaning door. Cleaning one flue costs from €100, usually €100–130, with the certificate and call-out. Prices: prices.

Neighbouring areas: Jugla, Bukulti, Brekši and Suži. All of Riga: chimney sweep in Riga.