Our health and health of our relatives directly depend on the proper operation of chimneys and ventilation ducts, because the greatest number of carbon monoxide poisonings is caused by a draft violation. Users of gas appliances with combustion products in chimneys – boilers and water heaters – should be especially vigilant. Be sure to check draft before each use of gas appliances.

Chimneys should be periodically inspected and, if necessary, cleaned or repaired.

With faulty chimneys and vent ducts, harmful combustion products instead of being excreted, accumulate in the premises. Therefore, the chimneys and vent ducts system must always be intact. To do this, it must be periodically inspected, and if necessary, cleaned and repaired.

PERIODICITY OF CHIMNEYS AND VENT DUCTS INSPECTION

Chimney flues of heating furnaces, calorifiers for heating, heating boilers, which operate seasonally, are checked once a year, before the start of the heating season. If such devices work all year round – twice a year (in spring and in autumn).

Chimney flues of heating and cooking furnaces – at least once every 6 months (in spring and in autumn).

Chimneys with a cross-section less than the cross-section of the fume-collecting duct of the gas appliance must be serviced at least every 2 months.

Ventilation ducts are serviced simultaneously with chimney flue. If there are no chimney flues, the ducts must be inspected once a year.

CHIMNEYS: MATERIAL SPECIFICATION

The frequency of chimneys and vent ducts maintenance is influenced by the material from which the chimneys are made: 

INSPECTION AND CLEANING OF CHIMNEYS AND VENT DUCTS

To check the serviceability of chimneys and ventilation ducts, you need to contact a specialized organization that has a permit to perform these works from the Chief State Labor Department of Ukraine, trained staff and necessary equipment. Such specialists are also called chimney sweeps. Their job is to check that there are no clogs in the chimneys and ventilation ducts. If necessary, specialists of a specialized organization clean or repair chimneys and vent ducts, check the tightness, separation, serviceability of the heads and the presence of normal draft with a special device. The results of the inspection are made in a report. 

HOW TO CHECK THE CHIMNEYS AND VENT DUCTS

Periodic inspections of chimneys and vent ducts of apartment buildings, specialized organizations agree in advance with the balance holder – it can be Housing and Utility Management Unit or Condominium, and in the villages – with the local authorities. Residents are informed about the visit of the chimney sweeps in advance through the announcements, posted on the information boards near the entrances. At the request of the homeowner, chimney sweeps must present a certificate, when visiting households.

If the representative of the organization that carried out the inspection detects malfunction of the channels, he must warn of the danger of using gas appliances, and the inspection report to be passed to the gas office to take appropriate measures. Information on organizations that carry out maintenance of chimneys and ventilation ducts can be found on the website of the Chief State Labor Department in Ternopil Region.

In winter, at least once a month, homeowners should inspect the chimney heads to prevent them from icing and clogging in a timely manner.

WHO IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THE CHIMNEYS AND VENT DUCTS CONDITION

According to the Gas Supply Systems Safety Rules, responsibility for condition of chimney and ventilation ducts in residential buildings is assigned to the heads of Housing and Utility Management Units, in Condominium – to the head, in private houses – to the owners. The owner also takes care that the inspection reports are submitted to the gas office in a timely manner.

Control over the inspection of chimney and ventilation ducts should be provided by Housing and Utility Management Units and heads (owners) of buildings.

The costs of cleaning the chimney and ventilation ducts in the structure of the tariff for the natural gas distribution are not provided, so they are paid by the consumer personally in accordance with the price of a specialized organization.

The PrJSC “Ternopilgaz” warns:

In case of absence of the reports or receipt of a report with a negative conclusion, the gas office may initiate disconnection of the consumer from the gas supply. Malfunctions of chimney and ventilation ducts threaten the emergence of an emergency situation and danger of residents poisoning.