Chimney sweep in Old Riga (Vecrīga) - historic brick buildings, hotels and offices

What an Old Riga building's chimney hides

In Old Riga buildings the chimneys originally served stoves and cookers on every storey. Over time many buildings switched to other heating, and channels were bricked up, used for ventilation or connected to a fireplace. Which buildings in Old Riga still have their own heating has not been compiled publicly, so we assess each building separately.

So first you need to find out which channel runs from which storey, what it is connected to and whether it is open to the top; in the technical condition certificate the channel positions are shown in a drawing. Old buildings often have bricked-up channels with old soot or a ventilation duct with a smoke-producing appliance connected to it. Discharging flue gases into ventilation ducts is forbidden, and we mark such a connection in the certificate.

Fireplaces in hotels, restaurants and flats

If a building has a fireplace, its flue must be cleaned at least once a year before the heating season. A fireplace with a metal firebox that stores heat for a short time is a long-burn appliance, and it is cleaned once more between 1 November and 1 March. In a hotel or restaurant the fireplace is lit much more often than at home, so the second cleaning is not a formality.

Apartment buildings, hotels and offices dominate in Old Riga, and there a certificate is needed for every cleaning. The work is done by a qualified chimney sweep, and the certificate states their qualification document. More: fireplace cleaning and chimney sweep for a business.

Ventilation in old walls

Natural ventilation ducts are cleaned and inspected at least once every 10 years, and in rooms with gas appliances at least once every five years. In old buildings they are often the same brick channels that were once flues, and they contain soot residue and crumbled mortar. Mechanical ventilation, for example in restaurant kitchens, is a separate system with its own inspection procedure once every five years.

More about natural ventilation: ventilation duct cleaning.

Access in the pedestrian zone

In Old Riga entry for vehicles and deliveries is regulated, the streets are mainly pedestrian, and there is little parking. So in your request we ask you to say whether the building has an entry permit or a courtyard, where tools can be unloaded, and who will open the attic and the roof hatch.

In narrow streets and courtyards it is often impossible to get onto the roof with extension ladders. We work through attic hatches and roof exits, and if there are none, we clean the channels from below, through the cleaning doors and the fireplace firebox. How it works: chimney cleaning from below.

Historic buildings and repairs

In Old Riga the protection of historic buildings determines how work on the facade and roof is organised. Cleaning and inspection do not change the look of the building. If the inspection finds a damaged chimney head or a new flue is needed on the outside of the building, we describe in the certificate what needs to be done. The building owner or manager finds out what has to be approved in line with the building's protection status. We quote repairs separately: chimney repair.

In old channels with cracks and crumbled mortar a liner often helps, and it does not require changing the outside of the chimney. We offer it if the inspection shows that the channel is not sound inside: chimney lining.

The Riga heating rules in the centre

The city is divided into three heating zones: in zone I new solid-fuel and gas appliances may not be installed, and in zone II new solid-fuel appliances may not be installed. An existing appliance in a flat or private house may be replaced with a new ecodesign appliance of up to 50 kW using the same fuel. Check which zone your building is in on the zoning map on the page of the municipal Heat Supply Commission. When an appliance in a flat is replaced, the application needs a certificate on the condition of the appliance, flues and ventilation ducts, and we prepare it.

How much it costs

Cleaning one flue or fireplace flue channel with a certificate costs from €100, usually €100–130, with the call-out included. In Old Riga the total is affected most by the number of channels, the height of the building and roof access. Ventilation inspection, a camera inspection and repairs are priced for your situation, and we quote the price before the work starts. All prices: prices.