Chimney inspection in Vecdaugava - chimneys of 1950s and 1960s cottages

Cottages from the 1950s and 1960s

The Vecdaugava cottages were built in a single period. In a house of this age the chimney is usually built of brick, and it may have several channels: for a stove, a cooker and ventilation. According to the map, Vecdaugava is not included in the district heating zone of AS “Rīgas siltums” (map data as of 01.01.2019), so each house sorts out its own heating.

Over the decades many houses of this age have had a boiler put in instead of a stove, the cooker removed but the channel left, or a fireplace added. As a result, the chimney serves different appliances from the ones it was built for. So first you need to find out which channel goes where and what is connected to it.

What a masonry chimney goes through over the decades

• The mortar joints crumble, especially above the roof, where rain and frost wash over the chimney.
• Inside the channel the bricks become crumbly from moisture and condensation, and fallen pieces build up at the bottom of the channel.
• The chimney head and crown slab crack, and water runs into the channel.
• In the attic there are dark patches on the chimney showing that smoke is pushing through the joints.

You cannot see this damage from the room. So once every five years a solid-fuel flue needs a technical condition inspection on the form in Annex 8 of the regulations, and photos or video are attached to the certificate. We often look at the channel with a camera, because it sees cracks that you cannot feel with a brush: camera inspection.

A boiler instead of a stove: is the old channel suitable

When a stove is replaced with a boiler, you need a certificate on whether the new appliance may be connected to the existing flue before the new boiler is used. The cottage channels were built for a stove, which lets out hot smoke. A modern boiler, especially a condensing gas or pellet boiler, lets out cooler smoke, and it condenses in the old brick channel. The water, together with acids, slowly eats away the mortar.

The solution is usually a liner: a stainless steel or ceramic pipe in the channel, with the right diameter for the particular boiler. If the channel is narrow or bent, we see this with the camera and offer options. More: chimney lining, condensation in a chimney and ceramic or stainless steel liner.

The Riga rules for replacing an appliance

In all zones the Riga heat supply rules allow an existing appliance in a private house to be replaced with a new ecodesign appliance of up to 50 kW, if the fuel does not change. If you change the fuel, for example from wood to gas, the requirements depend on the zone, and you need approval from the municipal Heat Supply Commission. New appliances are registered with the Riga Energy Agency. You can find your zone on the zoning map published on the commission's page.

Cleaning every year

A masonry stove is cleaned once a year, by 1 November. A boiler and a metal stove are cleaned once more between 1 November and 1 March. The owner of a house may clean their own solid-fuel flue themselves, and then no certificate is needed. But in an old cottage where the channel is crumbly, a brush can break off loose bricks, and that is easier to spot for someone who cleans it every year. About private houses: chimney sweep for a private house.

Keep ashes in a non-combustible container outside the house. This also matters because the neighbourhood borders the Vecdaugava nature reserve and wetlands.

Access and price

In Vecdaugava the roads are linear: the main one is Vecāķu prospekts, then local streets. If the roof is low and the covering is sturdy, the chimney can be reached with a ladder, otherwise we clean the channel from below. In your request, tell us what the roof is (slate, sheet metal, tiles) and whether there is an attic hatch.

Chimney cleaning with a certificate costs from €100 per flue, usually €100–130, with the call-out included. A technical condition report, a camera inspection, chimney lining and chimney head repairs have no single price: the price depends on the number of channels, the height, roof access and materials. We quote the price before the work starts. All prices: prices.