Heating season: chimney sweep thoroughly inspected, must be dirty

Heating season: chimney sweep thoroughly inspected, must be dirty

Flue gas inspection is prescribed by the relevant law and decree (No. 34/2016 Coll. According to § 101 letter a) of Act No. 133/1985 Coll.) And should be done for all appliances at least once a year, except for gas condensing boilers, where inspection every two years. In the case of a solid fuel appliance with an output of more than 50 kW, two inspections are required each year.

The inspection of the flue gas path can be performed only by an employee who has an apprenticeship certificate in the field of a chimney sweep or is employed by a chimney sweep company, where he has a guarantor for these tasks.

8 photos

The ideal time to check the chimney is before the start of the heating season, ie before you discharge the first flue gases into the chimney. A common mistake people make before inspecting chimneys is that they do not choose a reliable chimney sweep.

This is mainly because the chimneys in the autumn are extremely busy and the order needs to be made well in advance (we wrote here six months ago).

"A chimney sweep who works responsibly arrives properly equipped - among other things, he has an endoscope or a special chimney camera. And checking the chimney rarely takes less than 30 minutes, ”says Pavel Ulrich of Almeva.

Deadlines for inspection and cleaning of the flue gas path for heaters up to 50 kW
Kind of work Fixed Liquid Gaseous
Year-round operation Seasonal operation
Flue gas cleaning 3 times a year Twice a year 3 times a year Once a year
Flue gas path control Once a year Once a year Once a year
Selection of solid (solid) contaminants and condensate Once a year Once a year Once a year

And as the chimney sweeps say, their work is black - the chimney sweep must be dirty, otherwise he will not do his job properly.

Topná sezona: kominík důkladně provádějící kontrolu, musí být špinavý

The basic inspection will cost you approximately 500 to 700 crowns, depending on the region in which the chimney is inspected. The overhaul costs from 1,500 to 2,500 crowns and is carried out before the appliance and chimney are first put into operation or after various modifications. In addition to cleaning the chimney, the flue and the flue of the connected appliance are also checked.

Fine and loss of insurance indemnity

If the deadlines for inspections are not met, property owners risk a fine of up to 10,000 crowns, and in the case of legal entities up to 100,000 crowns. In practice, however, these inspections take place only at larger companies, and after the stamp from the chimney sweep, the insurance company usually asks in the event of a fire.

"In the event of a fire from a chimney, which the injured party claims from his insurance company, the causal link between the flue defect and the damage, or its extent, is always examined. However, the insurance indemnity is reduced for the client only in cases where this cause of damage is evident, and it is found out at the same time that he has seriously violated his obligations of regular maintenance and inspections. If the injured party in the building is rented, the owner of the house (landlord) must prove the fulfillment of his obligations, “points out Eva Svobodová from the Uniqa insurance company.

Fuel quality is also important

What can be done to keep the chimney as long as possible? In addition to regular inspections and cleaning of the flue gas path, their quality also plays a major role in heating with solid fuels (coal, wood, briquettes).

"When heating with wood, it is essential that it is as dry as possible, otherwise a lot of energy is used to remove moisture," points out Pavel Ulrich.

"In the case of pellets, it is necessary to use only those that are designed for a specific appliance and not to use alternative substitutes such as cereals," adds the expert. The specific type of pellets is always specified by the manufacturer of the boiler.

When heating with black or brown coal, the amount of sulfur plays a role. Flue gas ducts made of steel and stainless steel are destroyed more when heated with high-sulfur coal. Each supplier declares the amount of sulfur in the coal and the customer can easily check this on the delivery note.

"It is necessary to choose coal that has the lowest sulfur content. Usually the amount is in the range of 0.5-2%. With a higher sulfur content, the customer should pay attention, ”adds Ulrich.

This is because sulfuric acid condenses around 160 ° C, which has devastating effects on steel and stainless steel chimneys. If the flue gas temperature at the mouth of the chimney is above this value, there is nothing to worry about.

During the heating itself, it is necessary to have the boiler set to the output in the range specified by the manufacturer and to regulate it depending on the heating system or hot water heating. Higher output could damage the boiler.

January 22, 2015

Tags: