The French term for chimney cleaning is 'ramonage'.
Insurance companies and other vested interests are fond of stating that the law requires a chimney must be cleaned at least twice a year, but this is not a national legal requirement, only a recommendation.
Under Article L2213-26 of the Code général des collectivités territoriales it is the local council who determine the cleaning frequency, which must not be less than once a year, with the clause stating:
'Le maire prescrit que le ramonage des fours, fourneaux et cheminées des maisons, usines, etc., doit être effectué au moins une fois chaque année.'
Local departmental regulations in metropolitan areas do, however, sometimes provide for more regular cleaning, which will be set out in Article 31 of Règlement Sanitaire Départemental (RSD), a proforma regulation that local authorities adapt to their local circumstances. Most local RSDs will state once a year, as follows:
'Les appareils de chauffage, de production d'eau chaude ou de cuisine individuels, ainsi que leurs tuyaux de raccordement doivent être, à l'initiative des utilisateurs, vérifiés, nettoyés et réglés au moins une fois par an et plus souvent si nécessaire en fonction des conditions et de la durée d'utilisation.'
However, particularly in more northern areas, it may stipulate twice a year and it can even differ between communes (urban/rural) within the same department, arising from an arrêté préfectoral or municipal.
You can normally find the regulation for your area by searching on-line for 'Article 31 Règlement Sanitaire Départemental', and then the name of the department. Consider also contacting your local mairie, although in rural areas do not be surprised to find that they do not know the rule that applies!
Flues from a wood burner are going to require more regular cleaning than flues from oil or gas appliances. If you use a ventilation flue from a cooker, then you are obliged to have the flue swept at least once every three years. Gas flues should be cleaned at least once 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 must be swept twice a year, including at least once during a period of utilisation.
In short, good practice requires that the frequency of chimney cleaning will depend on:
the rules in your commune;
the policy requirements of your insurer;
the type of heating source;
the intensity of utilisation.
A good local sweep will be able to provide you with advice.
In metropolitan areas, notably in Paris, there are also more stringent controls on the use of a wood burner and, as we indicate on the link below, on a national level stronger energy efficiency standards have been introduced on new wood burners.
In a property rented on an annual basis, responsibility for chimney sweeping sits with the tenant, although a landlord is obliged to ensure the chimney is in a good state before a new tenant moves in. If the landlord arranges and pays for the cleaning during the course of the tenancy, they are entitled to charge the tenant, provided it is included in the tenancy agreement.
Within an apartment block (co-propriété) the responsibility for communal chimneys and flues is generally that of the Syndicat. Article 31 of the RSD normally states: 'Dans le cas des appareils collectifs, ces opérations seront effectuées à l'initiative du propriétaire ou du syndic. Les conduits de fumée habituellement en fonctionnement et desservant des locaux d'habitation et des locaux professionnels annexes doivent être ramonés deux fois par an dont une fois pendant la période d'utilisation.'
If the flue is not used, then there are no regulations that require they are swept.
Professional Chimney Sweep
In all cases the regulations require that a professional chimney sweep is used, and that a certificat de ramonage is issued after completion of the work. Entry into the profession is regulated, so that only a qualified chimney sweep (ramoneur) can be registered as a business. There are many unauthorised sweeps around who may well turn up on your door offering to do the job. You can check their business registration on-line at Infogreffe, by making a search on the site using their business registration number - called a SIRET - which should be on their business card. In addition, the local council or prefecture may have a list of authorised sweeps in the locality.
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 €50 to €90 per flue. If the sweep is seeking a higher sum or payment only in cash, 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.
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. The policy may specify a requirement for the frequency of chimney cleaning, although more often not it will refer to the local regulations.
If a fire occurred you would normally be required by the terms of your policy to produce a cleaning certificate.
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, however, 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 of course be to your own personal safety and to your home.
If the fire causes injury or death to third parties, then you could well face civil or even criminal proceedings.
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