Condensing boilers - new rules

[Malc]

Hi,

A working draft of the new rules on condensing boilers are out here

http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_buildreg/documents/page/odpm_breg_032807.hcsp
http://www.odpm.gov.uk/stellent/groups/odpm_buildreg/documents/page/odpm_breg_032806.hcsp

For gas boilers the date is 1 April 2005 and for oil 1 April 2007.

It is interesting what they rule out as not being feasible. Any room except kitchen or utility for oil boiler, AND; Flue <2.5m from facing wall, fence, building, or the property boundary; directed across a patio, path, etc.

The last would seem to rule out the usual balanced flue in most cases I would have thought. The height limit for these restriction is 2.1m so most new boilers (condensing) are going to need vertical flues.

This is also a change in tack from previous where it was implied condensing boiler could be fitted in the same way as conventional ones.

 

[wonderdust]

just looked at it, you corgi boys will have more paper work than the police soon

but im sure the time involved in filling it in will be reflected in the price!

 

[wonderdust]

what do points make................money

 

[PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN]

What a total ballache, I thought were led to beleive it was just as easy to fit a condenser as it was an ordinary one, I bl**dy Knew we would end end up with more bolllocks to contend with

 

[kevplumb]

somebody has to keep prescott in pies

 

[croydoncorgi]

The really worrying thing about the whole ODPM approach is that the 'experts' seem so ignorant about the realities of the real world and (especially) condensing boilers. These people seem to believe that the stroke of a pen in some regulation or other will IMMEDIATELY deliver a result. NO IT WON'T! There has to be training, product development, etc., and ultimately enforcement, over MANY YEARS, before anything at all is acheivable.

I have two HE boilers - they're great and VERY reliable. But they are on a system which is carefully tuned to allow them to condense, and operated by someone (ie. me!) who knows that running a condensing boiler at max output will mean in most cases that any condensing that occurs will be in the flue, not the heat exchanger, and therefore efficient performance will NOT be achieved except when the boiler is below its 'normal' operating temperature. And many of the less-well-designed HE boilers need servicing ANNUALLY AT LEAST if they are to continue to work at all. I wonder if the ODPM people actually looked at the real statistics for boiler servicing - I bet more than 50 percent only get serviced when they break down!

Also, the proposed changes completely ignore back-boilers. There are THOUSANDS of these installed and (AFAIK) NO practical, cost-effective options to put in a HE alternative without major re-plumbing. And if you have no available alternative location for the boiler (many smaller houses have none) there is NO way forward!

 

[PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN]

Well said sir, the back boiler issue is a joke, perhaps as I have said before, we can run the condensate pipe under the carpet and step ove the lump, at least prescotts wife is used to getting over a lump.

 

[brumylad]

What about all my patio heaters and my LPG V8 Range Rover, will I have to change them to condensing now

 

[bripl]

now people the issue of backboilers is being addressed by some manufacturers. i would not worry too much about the condense as they may have pumps to discharge i would be more concerned about reliabilty and gas supply/ventilation as a lot of corgis have a problem reading the instructions let alone commisioning correctly and what about the consumer having it serviced the goverment have not thought this though or the enviromental issues pumping acidic water vapour into our lungs ,but they will look nice!

 

[ChrisR]

Don't be daft, instructions are obviously only for DIY. If you're Corgi resitered you can let the condensate soak in tho the ground under the living room, because it isn't a gas safety issue.

 

[PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN]

Good point chris.

 

[COG]

The condensate pipe is a gas safety issu as it is an integral part of the gas appliance, if you thik about it its the bottom of the flue, if the syphon leaks and it looses its seal then product of combustion will pass down the pipe ,thats why some commisioning instructions tell you to fill the syphon before starting the boiler

 

[kevplumb]

so the pipe discharges over a gully (open air) or in the stack (vented )
pppllllleeeaaassse

 

[COG]

Your point ! !