Installing a boiler in the loft

[plumbdoctor]

Can someone please tell me if the regs have changed ? I thought to install a boiler in the loft it had tobe boarded fixed light a loft ladder and a guard rail ? Now I'm being told it has to me a min distance away from the hatch ? Can't find thus info anywhere

 

[Dotty]

There was a thread about this a while ago....

 

[Dotty]

Ahhhh here it is!

http://www.ukplumbersforums.co.uk/g...ngineers-forum/51622-rules-boilers-lofts.html

 

[plumbdoctor]

Thanks that really helps, some boiler manufac round there under warranty refused to work on it cos of no hand rail not a problem I can sort that but was telling the customer it should be at least a metre from the hatch and reckons they should be asking for compensation ! I'm not happy any advice is welcomed, the guy I installed it for was gonna do the rail but he has now sold it and new owner is making a fuss

 

[Alpha man]

Do like what a lot of installers have done in the past, that I have had the pleasure to repair in the past!!!!!!

Dont bother with a loft ladder,
Dont bother with a light,
Dont bother with a walkway or handrail around loft opening,

ETC ETC

And best of all, stick the boiler in the loft, without all of the above for a pensioner who can't get into loft in the 1st place!!

 

[AWheating]

new owner is making a fuss? your customer was the old owner, its there problem tbh.

 

[Mrs Tara Plumbi]

As far as i remember there is no minimum distance required in the british standard so was there a minimum distance specified in the MI?

You say you are being told that who by? the customer? And if so where did they get that info?

 

[plumbdoctor]

Spoke to gas safe today and all the above is correct the 1m from hatch dimension seems to have been totally made up by either the custard or the lazy arse engineer from the manufac who obviously could not be bothered to fix the fault !

 

[lame plumber]

its building regs you are referring to and not gas regs. As such it was the original custards responsibility to see they were adhered to, and if you signed off a ticket to gas safe then you signed to say building regs were iaw the rules. As such you should have made sure it all complied, but your contract was with the old custard, the new lad was sold a seen and hasnt a leg to stand on, as long as the boiler meets all gsr requirements. All in all do you want to work for him any way, if not , stop answering your phone

 

[plumbdoctor]

Haha at the last post top notch ! Yeah I installed it and signed it off all to correct regs apart from a rail around hatch that custard didn't want ! Must admit I work on boilers all the time in lofts and am yet to see a rail round any loft hatch, this includes fixing boilers that major companies have Installed ! After all your help I'm no longer bothered what the new custard is kicking and screaming about and won't be installing that brand of boiler again if they are gonna cause agg with my custards !

 

[Derek Hardman]

So which manufacturer was it?, I had a recent one where the Manufacturers engineer said he cant work more than 2 steps high on a ladder! That was Worcester, so keep your Worcester boilers below 2 steps lads! ha

 

[Mrs Tara Plumbi]

So which manufacturer was it?, I had a recent one where the Manufacturers engineer said he cant work more than 2 steps high on a ladder! That was Worcester, so keep your Worcester boilers below 2 steps lads! ha

There was a story about someone who fell off the bottom rung and died - I can't remember more! It was on some health and safety working with ladders site.

 

[leethegasman]

There was a story about someone who fell off the bottom rung and died - I can't remember more! It was on some health and safety working with ladders site.

I worked on a site any thing above two steps had to have hand rail no working off ladders.it was a scaffolders dream.

 

[lame plumber]

I worked on a site any thing above two steps had to have hand rail no working off ladders.it was a scaffolders dream.

life on the job as it should be today, best thing I ever saw was a roofer trotting backwards, tape in hand, straight off the flat roof!! Luckily for him he landed in some of that prickly cotoneaster (cant do plants) bush and really winded himself. His face looked a mess, but once we realised he'd live we all cracked up.

 

[plumbdoctor]

It was potterton I suppose if you install a budget boiler you get a budget engineer !

 

[AlexGas]

Can someone please tell me if the regs have changed ? I thought to install a boiler in the loft it had tobe boarded fixed light a loft ladder and a guard rail ? Now I'm being told it has to me a min distance away from the hatch ? Can't find thus info anywhere

Here it is:
From current BS 6798:2009
Specification for installation and maintenance of gas-fired boilers of rated input not exceeding 70 kW net

5.3 Installation and location

5.3.8 Roof space installation

5.3.8.1 Roof spaces incorporating boiler installations shall conform to the requirements listed below.

a) For an open system, vertical clearances shall be provided so that the static head requirement of 5.7.2.1 is met.

b) Flooring area sufficient to allow access for normal use and servicing shall be provided under and around the boiler. The boiler support shall be capable of supporting the load of the water-filled boiler, associated pipework and equipment.

COMMENTARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON 5.3.8.1b)
Where the floor is of combustible material and supports the boiler, a non-combustible insulating base at least 12 mm thick should be provided directly under the boiler.

c) A purpose-designed means of access to the boiler installation shall be provided.

COMMENTARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON 5.3.8.1c)
A permanently fixed retractable roof ladder is considered to satisfy the requirement for a purpose-designed means of access. A safety guard should be provided around the roof space access opening.

d) Fixed lighting for the boiler installation and the access shall be provided.

e) A guard shall be provided to prevent contact between stored articles and the boiler, its associated pipework and chimney.

5.3.8.2 When a boiler is connected to an existing brick chimney at a level higher than the connection for a previous installation, the lower section of the chimney shall not be used. The unused lower portion of the chimney shall be
sealed from the used portion by means of a plate inserted below the boiler connection to the chimney but ensuring that other flues in the same chimney stack are not sealed off. Where the chimney is unlined, the plate shall be inserted to form a void extending approximately 250 mm below the boiler connection to the chimney.

COMMENTARY AND RECOMMENDATIONS ON 5.3.8.2
Consideration should be given to providing access to the void immediately below the boiler connection to the chimney. Any openings into the lower portion of an internal flue, i.e. the sealed-off section, should be permanently closed off. For a chimney with at least one external face, the lower disused section should be ventilated to the external air at high and low level to prevent damp penetration.

That's all it is to it. Hope it helps.

 

[plumbdoctor]

Am I reading it wrong but other than the flooring the rest say recommendations ? Does that mean there not a must ? Just a thought

 

[plumber0808]

How the hell can you fall off the first rung and die, that is one unlucky chap, or lady.

Wonder why they never just stepped off it?

 

[AlexGas]

Am I reading it wrong but other than the flooring the rest say recommendations ? Does that mean there not a must ? Just a thought

From the same BS:

Foreword

Presentational conventions

The provisions of this standard are presented in roman (i.e. upright)type. Its requirements are expressed in sentences in which the principal auxiliary verb is “shall”.

Commentary, explanation and general informative material is presented in smaller italic type, and does not constitute a normative element.

 

[deandive]

I would have thought a loft hatch is a purpose designed means of access, flooring to the boiler from the hatch and a light in the attic, and have installed as such, the rest of it is just recomendations, Im not a chippy so im not installing a ladder or a guard rail.

 

[Reg Man]

Get the customer to get the roof space work done before you fit the boiler. You need a ladder, light and floor to work with to install the boiler in the first place, or am I idealistic?

 

[tamz]

or am I idealistic?

well.....:lol:

 

[Mrs Tara Plumbi]

Am I reading it wrong but other than the flooring the rest say recommendations ? Does that mean there not a must ? Just a thought

I think you are reading it wrong!

 

[Mrs Tara Plumbi]

From current BS 6798:2009
Specification for installation and maintenance of gas-fired boilers of rated input not exceeding 70 kW net

5.3 Installation and location

5.3.8 Roof space installation

5.3.8.1 Roof spaces incorporating boiler installations shall conform to the requirements listed below.

a) For an open system, vertical clearances shall be provided so that the static head requirement of 5.7.2.1 is met.

b) Flooring area sufficient to allow access for normal use and servicing shall be provided under and around the boiler. The boiler support shall be capable of supporting the load of the water-filled boiler, associated pipework and equipment.

c) A purpose-designed means of access to the boiler installation shall be provided.

d) Fixed lighting for the boiler installation and the access shall be provided.

e) A guard shall be provided to prevent contact between stored articles and the boiler, its associated pipework and chimney.

5.3.8.2 When a boiler is connected to an existing brick chimney at a level higher than the connection for a previous installation, the lower section of the chimney shall not be used. The unused lower portion of the chimney shall be
sealed from the used portion by means of a plate inserted below the boiler connection to the chimney but ensuring that other flues in the same chimney stack are not sealed off. Where the chimney is unlined, the plate shall be inserted to form a void extending approximately 250 mm below the boiler connection to the chimney.

The above are required. the comments and recommendations are how you meet the requirements.
But you might meet these requirement using different methods.

 

[lame plumber]

I would have thought a loft hatch is a purpose designed means of access, flooring to the boiler from the hatch and a light in the attic, and have installed as such, the rest of it is just recomendations, Im not a chippy so im not installing a ladder or a guard rail.

just see if buildings control would accept that, give them a call to find out, as if you sign off the boiler and complete the self certification you might just get a call back in the future to remedy some work if your on a new build or notifiable extension.