Chimney sweep in Mangaļi - boiler flues in low-rise houses by the port

Low-rise houses, apartment buildings and the port next door

The description of the area characterises Mangaļi as low-rise housing, apartment buildings and nearby industrial sites. Mangaļi has no page of its own on the neighbourhoods portal, so there is no exact data on heating house by house. Riga's air quality programme does say, however, that the share of buildings with individual heating is highest in the northern part of Riga and on the outskirts, where district heating networks are not available.

In a low-rise house this usually means its own boiler: wood, pellets or gas. Apartment buildings more often have district heating, and there the chimney sweep mainly checks the ventilation ducts.

Neighbouring Vecmīlgrāvis has one of Riga's five small district heating zones: the Vecmīlgrāvis heat plant, which burns biomass, supplies Vecmīlgrāvis, Rinūži and Ziemeļblāzma. If your apartment building is connected to this network, there is no flue in the flat, and a chimney sweep is needed only for ventilation.

Boiler flue: the fuel sets the schedule

• Wood or briquette boiler: cleaning by 1 November and once more between 1 November and 1 March, because the boiler is a long-burn appliance.
• Pellet boiler: the same two deadlines; fine ash builds up in the flue, and loss of draught causes boiler errors. More: pellet boiler flue cleaning.
• Gas boiler: a brick flue once a year, a lined or metal one once every two years; the appliance itself must be serviced once a year.
• All solid and liquid-fuel flues: a technical condition inspection once every five years, with photos or video attached.

Damp by the water and condensation in the chimney

Mangaļi lies between the lower Daugava, Mīlgrāvis and the port, and the description of the area mentions the damp that comes with being close to water. Damp air does not harm a chimney in itself, but it makes another problem worse. If an old brick chimney that once served a stove now serves a modern boiler, the flue gases are cool, condensation forms in the channel and the masonry gets soaked from the inside. The signs are brown stains on the chimney in the attic or a room and crumbling joints in the chimney head.

The answer is a liner: a stainless steel or ceramic pipe in the channel that resists condensation. For a gas condensing boiler a liner is practically compulsory. More: condensation in the chimney and liner for a gas boiler.

Replacing a boiler in Mangaļi: Riga's regulations

In Riga, the choice of boiler is governed by Riga binding regulations No. RD-24-260-sn on heat supply. The city is divided into three heat supply zones; in zone I new solid-fuel and gas appliances are banned, and in zone II new solid-fuel appliances are banned. In a private house, in all zones, an existing appliance may be replaced with a new ecodesign appliance of up to 50 kW if the type of fuel does not change. Before the replacement you need a certificate on whether the new appliance may be connected to the existing flue.

The zoning map on the Heat Supply Commission's page shows which zone a given address is in. The appliance must be registered with the Riga Energy Agency. If you are planning a replacement, first request a chimney sweep's condition report, so you will know whether the flue needs a liner.

Access and apartment buildings

In Mangaļi the way in is along Mīlgrāvja iela and the port roads, with the railway alongside. On low-rise houses the roof can usually be reached with a ladder, but if the roof is steep or the chimney is in the middle of the roof, write that in the request. In apartment buildings, access to the attic is agreed with the building manager, and a certificate is drawn up for the ventilation ducts: once every 10 years, with gas appliances once every five.

What a chimney sweep costs in Mangaļi

Cleaning a boiler, stove or fireplace flue with a certificate costs from €100, usually €100–130, and the call-out is included. For lining we quote the price after looking at the chimney: it depends on the channel length and cross-section, the fuel, the liner material and roof access. All prices: prices.