Hey All - new home owner here. Recently got this slip in the mail stating this scheduled cleaning is mandatory, etc etc. I have oil heating but do not have a chimney as such.

My question is in regards to the cost, we are being told this will be 450, and needs to be done once a year but seems they have a bit of a monopoly on this per the other thread I read here.

450 seems, about 200 more than everyone else is paying, especially considering we have no chimney.

If you have oil heating then you have a chimney (of sorts). Where do you think the burnt gases go?

As Tom said. And in most countries this is mandatory and you can be fined heavily if you do not adhere. They could in principle even switch off your heating system ........

Yes, its vent, not a chimney. There is no soot produced from this as its not like burning coal or wood.

Still, you are obliged to have it checked on a regular basis.

Your price isn't much higher than what I think we pay. It used to be less expensive, but for some reason the price took a jump sometime in the last 5 years.

Out here, the Kaminfeger not only cleans the furnace thingamajig once per year, but also does some sort of control and reports to the Gemeinde.

IIRC, fireplaces also require a control visit once every 5 years. If you have both a furnance and a fireplace, schedule the controls together and save yourself a few Rappen.

Which countries is that exactly? Coming from the US I know this not to be true, in the UK not a requirement either. Germany requires this however.

My problem isnt with the cost or the control, its the fact that its a monopoly by definition, are you familiar with the term? In the US we refer to this as a "racket" or a "sham", whoever plays the most golf with the local government gets the contract.

Which countries is that exactly? Coming from the US I know this not to be true, in the UK not a requirement either. Germany requires this as well.

My problem isnt with the cost or the control, its the fact that its a monopoly by definition, are you familiar with the term? In the US we refer to this as a "racket" or a "sham", whoever plays the most golf with the local government gets the contract. Only one option for this inspection. Thats like only being able to vote for one political party, or being able to purchase one type of car.

Not seeing your problem here.

Everything to do with a chimney sweep is regulated in the Kaminkehrerverordnung.
Although part of the Handwerk it is a quasi governmental orginization and they have a government mandate to make sure that your equipment is in working order.

Think of them on the same lines as when you take your car to the MFK to check it´s roadworthyness, only for heating.
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The requirement to have your furnace inspected is a matter of law (in Canton Zurich: Gesetz über die Feuerpolizei und das Feuerwehrwesen), so democratically legitimized and all that.

Furthermore, in the Canton Zurich you have a free choice of chimney sweeps which have been accredited by the Cantonal Housing Insurance (Gebäudeversicherung Zürich): https://www.gvz.ch/hauptnavigation/b...aminfegerwesen

So while you need to have an accredited chimney sweep do the job, that is justified as a quality assurance measure. Not really a monopoly.

Is it a free choice really though? When we needed to get ours done I contacted a sweep because I'd seen his van out and about. But he passed me on to another one as they seem to have specific areas they cover here; my village wasn't in his area of work. Been very happy with the guy I got though, he does a good job.

And yes, a chimney sweep's word is sort of law when it comes to your heating system. If they're not happy about something it has to be fixed/changed. We had a new boiler put in a couple of years ago and the firm who did it had to come out and re-arrange some of the pipework because the sweep said he wasn't able to get inside it to clean properly.

Which of course you will with the usual and mandatory service contract.

Chimney sweeps are Switzerland's con men - search EF for my experience...

Here: https://www.englishforum.ch/344547-post5.html

TIS

You are less likely to die in a house fire but there is a cost.

We have a never-used fireplace that is inspected every two years, not only inspected but cleaned well. He even pointed out some mortar problems that we were able to fix with some goo from the migros (that he suggested).

In Vaud, I believe we can choose the company that we use, but they need to be certified and there isn’t much choice.

The chimney (also your "vent" is technically a chimeny) might have other obstructions then soot, might have cracks and other damages. In addition CO level and soot production is checked.

We are speaking about Canton Zurich, Switzerland. So it is the Gesetz über die Feuerpolizei und das Feuerwehrwesen, the Verordnung über den vorbeugenden Brandschutz, and the GVZ Weissung Reinigung von Feuerungsanlagen und periodische Kontrollen von Gasapparaten und Installationen.

GVZ is mandatory building insurance which covers fire and natural hazards. Considering they have to pay when the building burns down the have a big say that a furnace is properly maintained and in good condition.

In Canton Zurich chimney sweeping is a free market. You can hire any chimney sweep with cantonal approval: https://www.kaminfeger-zh.ch/informa...reinigung.html

On the other hand fire place inspection can be either depending on commune, free market (Modell 2) or local regulated/monopolized (Modell 1). http://www.vzf-zh.ch/feuerungskontro...nach-gemeinden
The price is around CHF 120 to 130.
https://www.preisueberwacher.admin.c...nereroel-u.pdf

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"Okay, I just hope we don't wake up on Mars or something surrounded by millions of little squashy guys."

Weisung. No need to clean/paint the chimney.