Cleaning of Chimneys and Flue Pipes
Tuesday 02 November 2010
There is no smoke without fire, and no safe fire without regular cleaning of your chimney. We go through the regulations and costs.
The main law for chimneys and ventilation pipes in France is set out in Article 31 of Règlement Sanitaire Départemental (RSD).
The rules are only stated in general terms. For more specific regulations you need to refer to local council regulations, if any are in existence in your commune.
The national regulations require that your chimney flue pipes or ventilation pipes are cleaned once a year.
Local regulations in urban areas may provide for more regular cleaning. Thus, in Lyon all chimneys are required to be swept twice a year.
Where a chimney or flue for the evacuation of smoke fumes is in constant use throughout the year, and the flue also serves a business premises, then it should be swept twice a year, including at least once during a period of utilisation.
If you use a ventilation flue from a cooker, then you are obliged to have the flue swept at least once every three years.
In general terms, there are no regulations stating what you can burn in your chimney, although in Paris the burning of wood is only permitted on the double condition that it does not cause a nuisance to neighbours, and that it is not the principal means of heating the property.
If the flue is not used, then there are no regulations that require they are swept.
There are separate national regulations for copropriété not covered here.
Professional Chimney Sweep
In all cases the regulations require that a professional chimney sweep is used, and that a certificat de ramonage be provided by the professional on completion of the work. You cannot sweep your own chimney and comply with the regulations, despite the number of French who do clean it themselves!
Do not simply use any sweep that turns up at the door and offers to do the job. Make sure they are business registered and professionally qualified by an accredited organisation, such as l’Organisme professionnel de qualification et de classification du bâtiment (OPQCB).
The cost will vary by the precise nature of the work, the area in which you live, and the chimney sweep you choose. Expect to pay anything from €40 to €70 per flue, including travelling time to the property. If the sweep is seeking more, then get another quote.
You may well find chemical based products (bûches ramoneuses) in stores that claim to clean your chimney without the need for mechanical cleaning. Whilst the law does not prevent the use of such products, they can only be used on a complementary basis to a sweep of your chimney. There is also the risk they may cause rusting of the flue pipe.
Responsibility for chimney sweeping in a rented property belongs to the tenant, although a landlord is obliged to ensure the chimney is in a good state of maintenance before a new tenant moves in. Within a copropriété it belongs to the Syndicat.
Insurance Companies
Insurance companies differ in their approach to fires caused by a lack of chimney cleaning.
Whilst the fear about breaching your insurance policy should be taken seriously, you do need to read the policy for the provisions.
If a fire occurred you may be required by the terms of your policy to produce a cleaning certificate; in other cases no such requirement is stipulated.
However, whether or not stipulated, the insurance company could refuse to pay out in the event of the fire if they considered it was caused by your own failure to undertake regular cleaning of the chimney. Ultimately, if challenged, they would need to prove you had been negligent.
Whatever the terms of your policy, and the difficulty of proving negligence, the greater risk may well be to your own personal safety, not only from the risk of fire, but also from gas fire carbon monoxide poisoning.
If the fire causes injury or death to third parties, then you could well face civil or even criminal proceedings.
This article was featured in our Newsletter dated 17/03/2009, 02/11/2010
