Flue and ventilation inspection in Teika - apartment blocks and 1930s detached houses

Apartment blocks usually have no chimney

In Riga 82.2% of households get their heat from an outside supplier (Central Statistical Bureau (CSP), 2025), and the apartment blocks of Teika are usually connected to the city heating network. So a flat has neither a stove nor a boiler flue. That does not mean there is nothing to inspect in the building. The kitchen, bathroom and toilet have natural ventilation ducts, and they must be cleaned and inspected at least once every 10 years.

If the flat has a gas cooker or a gas water heater, the ventilation duct is inspected more often, at least once every five years. A gas water heater or boiler also has its own flue, which is inspected once a year if it is brick, or once every two years if it is lined or metal. In an apartment building a certificate is drawn up for every cleaning.

The building's owners are responsible for shared systems, or the building manager if the management contract says so. More: ventilation check in an apartment building.

Replacing a gas boiler in a flat

The Riga heat supply rules state that before an existing appliance in a flat in an apartment building is replaced, approval must be obtained from the municipal Heat Supply Commission. A certificate on the technical condition of the existing appliance, flues and natural ventilation ducts is attached to the application. We prepare this certificate: we inspect the flue and ventilation, attach photos or video to the certificate and describe whether the new appliance can be connected.

If the old boiler was connected to a brick channel but the new one is a condensing boiler, a liner usually has to be fitted in the channel. More: chimney check for a gas boiler and liner for a gas boiler.

The 1930s detached house district

The detached house part of Teika is different. The houses were built with masonry chimneys for stoves and cookers, and many later had a boiler, a fireplace or both put in. The Riga air quality action programme 2026–2030 names Teika among the neighbourhoods where individual heating solutions are used, which affect particulate air pollution.

In a chimney almost a hundred years old we check whether the channels have cracked, whether the mortar joints in the attic are sound and whether combustible structures are closer than 300 mm. A common mistake is a fireplace and a gas boiler on one channel. Stoves and fireplaces must not be connected to flue channels that gas appliances are connected to, so we mark such a connection in the certificate as non-compliant.

What must be cleaned in a detached house and how often

• Masonry stove or tiled stove: once a year, by 1 November.
• Wood or pellet boiler, metal stove: by 1 November and once more between 1 November and 1 March.
• Gas boiler: servicing once a year, the flue once a year or once every two years depending on the material.
• Solid-fuel flues: a technical condition inspection once every five years.

The owner of a detached house may clean their own solid-fuel flue themselves, without a certificate. If the house is divided into two or more flats, it counts as an apartment building, and then a certificate is always needed. About private houses: chimney sweep for a private house.

Access near Brīvības gatve

In Teika traffic is shaped by Brīvības gatve and Gustava Zemgala gatve, and in the dense quarters there is little parking. In your request, tell us whether we can drive into the yard, where the roof or attic hatch is and who will open it. In an apartment block the roof keys and a notice to residents have to be agreed with the building manager.

The neighbourhood also has office complexes and technology companies. Buildings with their own boiler house or fireplace need a certificate after every cleaning: chimney sweep for a business.

How much it costs

Chimney or flue cleaning with a certificate costs from €100 per flue, usually €100–130, and the call-out is included. Ventilation duct inspection has no single price: it depends on the number of ducts, the height of the building, roof access and whether the ducts need cleaning. A technical condition certificate for replacing an appliance and chimney lining are also priced for your situation, and we quote the price before the work starts. All prices: prices.