More and more households are looking for alternative heating options. One of them is a wood stove. But there are pitfalls to avoid.
Erfurt (dpa/th) - In Thuringia, in view of constantly rising energy prices, many homeowners are currently buying a stove for heating with firewood. "Inquiries from the population regarding the use of fireplaces for solid fuels have risen sharply and continue to rise," said master chimney sweep Matthias Jensch, head of technology at the chimney sweep Thuringia, the dpa. After the installation and connection of the stove, however, trouble often starts: "The required documents are often inadequate."
In principle, the new owners can set up and connect their stove to the chimney themselves. However, in order to be able to put the stove into operation, the suitability and safe usability of the flue gas system must be certified by the authorized district master chimney sweep. According to Jensch, there is usually an appointment for this within one or two days of the week. When accepting the furnace, all the necessary documents must be available, particularly with regard to compliance with the strict provisions of the first ordinance for the implementation of the Federal Immission Control Act.
Problem with the whole thing: many interested parties order such an oven over the Internet. "Then the customer stands there and has a certificate in Chinese in his hand that we can't do anything with, or the derivation conditions have not been met," said Jensch. However, the chimney sweep must be able to check whether the stove or the firing system complies with the relevant regulations. Otherwise the device cannot be released for use.
If the documents are checked positively, the connection to the chimney is checked and finally use is approved. According to the master chimney sweep, the fee for the test is less than 150 euros in the private home sector. However, there are always cases in which the homeowner does not have the acceptance of use carried out at all. "Not a good idea," says Jensch. Because it is very common for a neighbor to complain about the smoke, for example. If there is "use without permission", this can be punished with a fine.
But what is much more important: Improperly installed stoves pose an extreme fire hazard. Even if no people or entire buildings are damaged as a result, the fire brigade alone can quickly add up to a four-digit amount.
