Thank you !
Please could someone give me the name and number of a chimney sweep in Aargau that they have used and were happy with.
I believe you must use a specific company which covers your area. Call up the gemeinde where you live or look on the website for Kaminfeger.
As Mrs Doolittle mentions, there is a Kaminfeger responsible for your town. By clicking on the name of your town at the Aargauischer Kaminfegermeisterverband's website, you can determine who is responsible with contact details for the Kaminfegermeister:
Be sure that you actually need one. Swiss chimney sweeps will try and convince you that you should spend CHF200 have you gas heating flue swept...
[Chimney Sweep...[Fireplace Chimney Check]](http://www.englishforum.ch/housing-general/35816-chimney-sweep-fireplace-chimney-check.html)
Resurrecting an old thread, as I just moved to Aargau... and within days got an orange slip. Weird as I haven't even registered with the amt yet... it appears they got our name off the mailbox which I put up 4-5 days ago.
Does anyone know what the average price of a chimney sweeping is (oils system)? How often it needs doing?
The company in question seems to have the monopoly for Dottikon/Lenzburg... and have no prices anywhere on their site... I'll call them on Monday...
Central heating flues/chimneys never need sweeping. Not a single home in the UK has their central heating flue swept - there‘s nothing to sweep. Your service contract for your heating will cover any problems.
I had a long argument with the fire police about this and in the end they agreed as long as it was my responsibility that I could avoid the chimney sweep.
It‘s a complete con and Swiss sweeps should have been retrained years ago. It‘s like a carbon paper or typewriter repair man. You‘ll pay Swiss prices for nothing - at least CHF250 - oh and if they ask if it‘s OK to bring their apprentice along that‘ll be another CHF50!!
That made me think about what a chimney-sweep might actually do.
This link seems to mean that they check the whole combustion heating system for defects.
https://ratgeber.immowelt.ch/a/heizu...gsvertrag.html
Die regelmässige Überprüfung von Feuerungsanlagen ist in allen Kantonen vorgeschrieben. Berechtigt dazu sind Kaminfeger. Während in einigen Kantonen die Anlagenbesitzer frei wählen können, wer die Prüfung durchführt, ist es in anderen je nach Region vorgeschrieben, welcher Kaminfeger das übernimmt. Die Überprüfung muss die Kontrolle der allgemeinen Betriebssicherheit sowie im Speziellen des Brennstofflagers und der Leitungen umfassen. Der Prüfer dokumentiert dabei Abgasverluste, Emissionen und Wirkungsgrad. Stellt er einen Mangel fest, muss dieser innerhalb gewisser gesetzlich vorgegebener Fristen behoben werden.
The regular inspection of combustion plants is mandatory in all cantons. Authorized to do this are chimney sweeps. While in some cantons plant owners are free to choose who performs the test, in others depending on the region, it is mandatory which chimney sweep will do the job. The inspection must include the inspection of general operational safety and, in particular, of the fuel storage and piping. The auditor documents exhaust emissions, emissions and efficiency. If he detects a defect, it must be remedied within certain statutory deadlines.
Yes, that’s certainly what my chimney sweep does doropfiz for our oil central heating system.
AbFab - also oil/diesel flues? I know a gas one would only have Co2 and water... but my heater is diesel powered...
Spinal, it’s done once a year unless you have major work done on it or change the system/boiler in which case they’d probably need to do another inspection. And yes, they do seem to have areas that one chimney sweep will cover. When we bought our house and I was getting the first inspection arranged I contacted one I found from local.ch, but he passed me on to another one.
When we had our new oil central heating boiler put in, the company had to come back and change some of the routing for the various pipes because the chimney sweep couldn’t gain the access he needed to inspect it properly. Their word is pretty much law with regard to oil central heating systems at least.
And AbFab, I think he did clean our flue once with the old system, but it was very old and probably needed it.
Am sure there are some who will take advantage - but the local guy in Hausen am Albis in Zurich canton is wonderful. He came out to clean our chimney & fire place last Winter. It was our first ‘sweep’ since we moved into our new place and not knowing when it was last swept wanted to be safe. He spent 90 mins with me and explained a few things - cleaned and swept everything. The chimney was so clean I could have eaten my lunch off it!
When he was finished he said I come back in 5 years for the next service. Naturally he now has a customer for life and the bill was CHF150
In the last 48 hours he has also helped me rescue a bird stuck in our chimney despite being on holiday at no cost.
Ask your neighbors etc for a recommendation and hopefully you’ll get as lucky as us...
Can't speak for Aargau, but in VD, its generally once per year, unless they find something out of whack and may have to return earlier. Cost, as I recall between 100-200 chf if routine. There is a set organisation, as said in this and other threads, at least in VD, and you don't have a choice of supplier.
That's what we get every three years - costs less than 100CHF. He agreed that since we never use our fireplace for a fire, no inspection or cleaning of it would be necessary.
Based on online documentation, seems like I need to do it twice per year !
The chimney has been converted to be the flue for the oil-fired central heating, so I'm curious to see what they do....
The local sweeps are too busy to come around more than once every three years.
In a new-build house we received a post card after living there 7 years from a chimney sweep in the next village. This after the fire police had made and charged for an inspection of our gas boiler on its first commissioning and also supplied a list of approved companies which it was compulsory to have a service contract with, which we did at annual cost of approx CHF400/year.
Two very pushy sweeps arrived with collection of cable and brushes over their shoulders. I asked some questions:
1) What would this cost. The said they were not the accounts department and had no idea.
2) How much soot was produced when burning gas. They didn‘t know. I could inform them that there was none produced.
3) I asked them what kind of gas boiler we had and where it was located and what kind of „chimney“ it had that needed sweeping. They had no idea.
I advise that the gas burned/boiler was in the attic and has a balanced flue which takes air in and expels the exhaust through different tubes within the approx 1 metre long flue.
I told them to go away, they threatened to inform the fire police, which they did. They next day the fire police called and I asked him how many the millions of gas boilers in the UK had the chimneys/flues sweep. I told him none. He agreed it was an archaic practice and as long I took responsibility I could forgo any chimney sweeping...
Sadly, we have an oil/diesel burning heater... Judging by the exhaust pipe of the diesel generator I used to have, I reckon this one falls under the legal requirement to clean...
Looks like the chimney sweep mafia continues... I now got a letter stating that I need to do the exhaust fumes test... (according to them, due every 2 years)
It's the same company (of course), and I'm guessing I have no choice to use someone else.
Just annoyed that they did not do it 1-2 months ago when they came to do... whatever they did.
Just out of interest --- if you have a fire, might your insurance decline to pay out if they find out about you refusing inspection.
Secondly, I understand that you say there is no soot but what if something comes down the chimney during the year, such as a bird, or birds nest - isnt that a reason to check it?
Not trying to be confrontational - just curious about these two things.
Were there a fire it‘s possible the insurance could get iffy, but how many gas boiler chimney fires are there in the UK? The Swiss one I‘m referring to was a balanced flue - air down the outside, exhaust through the centre. The whole metre-long pipe was about 10cms diameter.
If a bird got passed the cap on the top, there is now saying that this could occur the day after it was swept, thus rendering sweeping pointless. I‘ve never heard of birds getting into balance flues of gas boilers.
Also I have never heard of oil fired boiler flues either being swept in the UK...