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When is a brandskyddskontroll needed in Sweden?
Brandskyddskontroll (fire safety inspection) every 3 years. The commonly recommended range is every 3 years for solid fuel, every 6 for oil or gas. A damaged flue or chimney is a fire and carbon monoxide risk, and the check is a legal duty for the owner. This is a safety-critical task, so do not let it slip.
In Sweden the kommun is responsible for brandskyddskontroll, a fire safety inspection of fireplaces, stoves, boilers and their flues. It is separate from sotning, the sweeping, and happens every three years for solid fuel installations and every six years for oil or gas.
Why does a brandskyddskontroll matter?
A damaged flue or chimney is a fire and carbon monoxide risk, and the check is a legal duty for the owner.
What happens if you skip a brandskyddskontroll?
Cracks in a flue or a missing seal are found here long before they show up as a chimney fire or smoke in the house. Refusing access is not an option: the owner is obliged to let the inspection take place.
What does the professional actually do?
- Inspects the flue from top to bottom, often with a camera
- Checks the chimney’s condition, roof access and safety equipment
- Checks distances to combustible materials around the appliance
- Leaves a protocol listing any faults and the deadline to fix them
How do you choose someone qualified?
The kommun or its contracted chimney sweep company contacts you with a time. Ask the kommun if you want to sweep your own chimney: many allow it after an application.
What does it take?
How do you know a brandskyddskontroll is overdue?
- A notice from the kommun’s sweep contractor
- Three years since the last protocol for a wood stove or fireplace
What do people get wrong?
- Not keeping the protocol, which insurers and buyers ask for
- Leaving roof ladders and walkways in poor repair, which can stop the inspection
When should you stop and call someone?
Always. The kommun’s appointed sweep carries it out.
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Get the free appDoes this differ in the US, UK, Australia or Canada?
United States
There is no equivalent legal inspection. The NFPA recommends a yearly chimney inspection.
United Kingdom
There is no equivalent inspection for owner-occupiers; insurers commonly expect a yearly sweep for solid fuel.
Australia
There is no national equivalent. Sweep wood heaters yearly before winter.
Canada
There is no national equivalent. Insurers often require a WETT inspection.
What about in Europe?
Sweden
Brandskyddskontroll: every 3 years for solid fuel and every 6 years for oil or gas. Sotning intervals are set separately by your kommun.
Common questions
Why does a brandskyddskontroll matter?
A damaged flue or chimney is a fire and carbon monoxide risk, and the check is a legal duty for the owner.
What happens if you skip a brandskyddskontroll?
A damaged flue or chimney is a fire and carbon monoxide risk, and the check is a legal duty for the owner. Skipping it does not usually fail immediately, which is exactly why it gets forgotten: the consequence arrives months later as a repair bill rather than as an obvious fault.
Does a brandskyddskontroll differ by country?
Sweden: the kommun arranges brandskyddskontroll of fireplaces, stoves and flues, every 3 years for solid fuel and every 6 for oil or gas. Sotning (sweeping) intervals are also set by your kommun. Keep the protocol from each visit.
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