Condensing boiler outlet pipe - distance from boundary?
 

Hello,
I can see from some general searches on Google that there are
regulations about this but find the overall package of 'guidance' quite
confusing.

Is it possible that someone with experience of the
regulations/guidelines could indicate what requirements exist for the
outlet of a gas condensing boiler which is about a metre above ground.
In particular, I'm interested in how far it should be from the property
boundary and if this is a regulation or a guideline. If the latter are
there exceptions?

Look forward to your help,
Regards, Colin
--
Colin Brook - Winchester (UK)

Fax:+44(0)8701641293 Mobile:07976258703

Do you mean the flue, condensate drain or the pressure relief pipe?

Either way IIRC, it only has to be on your side of the boundary.

But if the flue gas causes a nuisance to next door then it could be
classed as a trespass, or Statutory Nuisance. Condensate should go into
a proper drain, and relief pipe turned back to spray any hot water back
against the wall.

dg

In message . com on
Tue, 9 Aug 2005, dg wrote
Do you mean the flue
Sorry, should have made that clear - I'm talking about the flue outlet
pipe.

Colin
--
Colin Brook - Winchester (UK)

Fax:+44(0)8701641293 Mobile:07976258703

In article , Colin Brook
writes
Hello,
I can see from some general searches on Google that there are
regulations about this but find the overall package of 'guidance' quite
confusing.

Is it possible that someone with experience of the
regulations/guidelines could indicate what requirements exist for the
outlet of a gas condensing boiler which is about a metre above ground.
In particular, I'm interested in how far it should be from the property
boundary and if this is a regulation or a guideline. If the latter are
there exceptions?

Look forward to your help,
Regards, Colin

Courtesy of our resident gas fitter Ed Sirett's site:
http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html

BS 5440 Part 1.

600 mm from any surface, structure, fence or boundary facing the terminal
but note also:
1200 mm from another terminal facing directly opposite

--
fred

In message on Tue, 9 Aug 2005, fred
wrote
Courtesy of our resident gas fitter Ed Sirett's site:
http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html

BS 5440 Part 1.

600 mm from any surface, structure, fence or boundary facing the
terminal but note also: 1200 mm from another terminal facing directly
opposite
Thanks,
Colin
--
Colin Brook - Winchester (UK)

Fax:+44(0)8701641293 Mobile:07976258703

On Tue, 9 Aug 2005 21:18:22 +0100, Colin Brook
wrote:

Hello,
I can see from some general searches on Google that there are
regulations about this but find the overall package of 'guidance' quite
confusing.

Is it possible that someone with experience of the
regulations/guidelines could indicate what requirements exist for the
outlet of a gas condensing boiler which is about a metre above ground.
In particular, I'm interested in how far it should be from the property
boundary and if this is a regulation or a guideline. If the latter are
there exceptions?

Look forward to your help,
Regards, Colin

The boiler installation manual will often tell you this.

Mr F

dg wrote:
Do you mean the flue, condensate drain or the pressure relief pipe?

Either way IIRC, it only has to be on your side of the boundary.

But if the flue gas causes a nuisance to next door then it could be
classed as a trespass, or Statutory Nuisance. Condensate should go into
a proper drain, and relief pipe turned back to spray any hot water back
against the wall.

dg

I'm in this situation presently - the neighbours' fan-assisted flue
blows smelly exhaust into my backyard, entering the kitchen, dining
room and/or bedroom depending on which doors/windows are open and on
the prevailing wind. Boiler was fitted by plumbers employed by the
previous owner a year or so back, and the new owners aren't rich so I
wouldn't like to land them with a large bill. Is there a 'nice' way to
deal with this, other than slapping up a section of fence to break the
flow? I think the flue may contravene some of the regs stated at
http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html but not certain
without a more careful look.

Any suggestions?

Jon.

On Wed, 10 Aug 2005 09:58:53 +0100, Mr Fizzion wrote:

On Tue, 9 Aug 2005 21:18:22 +0100, Colin Brook
wrote:

Hello,
I can see from some general searches on Google that there are
regulations about this but find the overall package of 'guidance' quite
confusing.

Is it possible that someone with experience of the
regulations/guidelines could indicate what requirements exist for the
outlet of a gas condensing boiler which is about a metre above ground.
In particular, I'm interested in how far it should be from the property
boundary and if this is a regulation or a guideline. If the latter are
there exceptions?

Look forward to your help,
Regards, Colin

The boiler installation manual will often tell you this.

....and should be taken in preference to any other document.

--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html

Nottingham Jon wrote:
dg wrote:
Do you mean the flue, condensate drain or the pressure relief pipe?

Either way IIRC, it only has to be on your side of the boundary.

But if the flue gas causes a nuisance to next door then it could be
classed as a trespass, or Statutory Nuisance. Condensate should go into
a proper drain, and relief pipe turned back to spray any hot water back
against the wall.

dg

I'm in this situation presently - the neighbours' fan-assisted flue
blows smelly exhaust into my backyard, entering the kitchen, dining
room and/or bedroom depending on which doors/windows are open and on
the prevailing wind. Boiler was fitted by plumbers employed by the
previous owner a year or so back, and the new owners aren't rich so I
wouldn't like to land them with a large bill. Is there a 'nice' way to
deal with this, other than slapping up a section of fence to break the
flow? I think the flue may contravene some of the regs stated at
http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html but not certain
without a more careful look.

Any suggestions?

Jon.


If talking to them does not help, then your only redress is via a civil
action or getting the local council EHO involved. The latter may be
better and at no cost to you.

Do the neighbours know of your concerns?

It is not possible to contravene a British Standard, as these are
guidance only and are only one method. And unless your neighbour
invites a suitably qualified person into his house and this person then
condems the installation on safety grounds, then no one else can get
involved.

dg

fred wrote:
In article , Colin Brook
writes

Is it possible that someone with experience of the
regulations/guidelines could indicate what requirements exist for the
outlet of a gas condensing boiler which is about a metre above ground.
In particular, I'm interested in how far it should be from the property
boundary and if this is a regulation or a guideline. If the latter are
there exceptions?

600 mm from any surface, structure, fence or boundary facing the terminal
but note also:
1200 mm from another terminal facing directly opposite

What about the case of a terraced house, with a flue emerging from the
back wall? Because it wouldn't be 'facing' the boundary with next door,
does that mean the flue could emerge almost directly above the boundary
line (ie, but just within your own property? The nuisance value to next
door from that would be a lot worse than from a flue positioned 600mm
away, facing the boundary.

David

dg wrote:
Nottingham Jon wrote:
dg wrote:
Do you mean the flue, condensate drain or the pressure relief pipe?

Either way IIRC, it only has to be on your side of the boundary.

But if the flue gas causes a nuisance to next door then it could be
classed as a trespass, or Statutory Nuisance. Condensate should go into
a proper drain, and relief pipe turned back to spray any hot water back
against the wall.

dg

I'm in this situation presently - the neighbours' fan-assisted flue
blows smelly exhaust into my backyard, entering the kitchen, dining
room and/or bedroom depending on which doors/windows are open and on
the prevailing wind. Boiler was fitted by plumbers employed by the
previous owner a year or so back, and the new owners aren't rich so I
wouldn't like to land them with a large bill. Is there a 'nice' way to
deal with this, other than slapping up a section of fence to break the
flow? I think the flue may contravene some of the regs stated at
http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html but not certain
without a more careful look.

Any suggestions?

Jon.


If talking to them does not help, then your only redress is via a civil
action or getting the local council EHO involved. The latter may be
better and at no cost to you.

Do the neighbours know of your concerns?

It is not possible to contravene a British Standard, as these are
guidance only and are only one method. And unless your neighbour
invites a suitably qualified person into his house and this person then
condems the installation on safety grounds, then no one else can get
involved.

dg

Thanks, dg. I haven't discussed it with the neighbours but, to be
honest, I wouldn't want to make them get a plumber in to move the
outlet - there isn't really an obvious alternative location without
completely resiting the boiler. I wondered if there was any kind of
deflector/bend/anything which could be fitted to the flue to prevent
the fan from blowing the exhaust into my yard quite so vigorously. The
same outlet was never a problem when it was an old-style
naturally-aspirated flue.

I could put up a fairly small perspex screen at the boundary to deflect
the flow, but it seems rather cumbersome. Any other suggestions anyone?

On 15 Aug 2005 07:18:33 -0700, "Nottingham Jon"
wrote:


dg

Thanks, dg. I haven't discussed it with the neighbours but, to be
honest, I wouldn't want to make them get a plumber in to move the
outlet - there isn't really an obvious alternative location without
completely resiting the boiler. I wondered if there was any kind of
deflector/bend/anything which could be fitted to the flue to prevent
the fan from blowing the exhaust into my yard quite so vigorously. The
same outlet was never a problem when it was an old-style
naturally-aspirated flue.

I could put up a fairly small perspex screen at the boundary to deflect
the flow, but it seems rather cumbersome. Any other suggestions anyone?


Depending on the boiler, there may be a couple of options:


- Some boilers can have a flue type consisting of a pair of 50mm
mUPVC plastic pipes (like plastic waste pipe) which can be routed
separately if necessary and over several metres (20 in some cases).
This could enable the flue to be routed to a different part of the
building without moving the boiler. The inlet often doesn't have to
be in the same place as the outlet.

Here's an example of a boiler that has this. Quite a number of other
manufacturers do this as an option.

http://www.keston.co.uk/downloads/pdf/cel25-b.pdf


- For boilers with concentric flue, the manufacturer may make
additional components that would allow the flue to be run up the wall
slightly and/or to direct the plume up at an angle.

For example, look at www.worcester-bosch.co.uk and navigate to their
product documentation for installers. As an illustration, there is
the flue info for the 30CDi which shows a whole variety of fittings
and installations that are possible.

I would ask the neighbour what the make and model of the boiler is and
then perhaps you can work with the installer to come up with a
solution.

I wouldn't put anything like a deflector close to the flue because
this is not an approved method normally and could have adverse and
dangerous effects on the flue behaviour


--

..andy

To email, substitute .nospam with .gl

Andy Hall wrote:
On 15 Aug 2005 07:18:33 -0700, "Nottingham Jon"
wrote:


dg

Thanks, dg. I haven't discussed it with the neighbours but, to be
honest, I wouldn't want to make them get a plumber in to move the
outlet - there isn't really an obvious alternative location without
completely resiting the boiler. I wondered if there was any kind of
deflector/bend/anything which could be fitted to the flue to prevent
the fan from blowing the exhaust into my yard quite so vigorously. The
same outlet was never a problem when it was an old-style
naturally-aspirated flue.

I could put up a fairly small perspex screen at the boundary to deflect
the flow, but it seems rather cumbersome. Any other suggestions anyone?


Depending on the boiler, there may be a couple of options:


- Some boilers can have a flue type consisting of a pair of 50mm
mUPVC plastic pipes (like plastic waste pipe) which can be routed
separately if necessary and over several metres (20 in some cases).
This could enable the flue to be routed to a different part of the
building without moving the boiler. The inlet often doesn't have to
be in the same place as the outlet.

Here's an example of a boiler that has this. Quite a number of other
manufacturers do this as an option.

http://www.keston.co.uk/downloads/pdf/cel25-b.pdf


- For boilers with concentric flue, the manufacturer may make
additional components that would allow the flue to be run up the wall
slightly and/or to direct the plume up at an angle.

For example, look at www.worcester-bosch.co.uk and navigate to their
product documentation for installers. As an illustration, there is
the flue info for the 30CDi which shows a whole variety of fittings
and installations that are possible.

I would ask the neighbour what the make and model of the boiler is and
then perhaps you can work with the installer to come up with a
solution.

I wouldn't put anything like a deflector close to the flue because
this is not an approved method normally and could have adverse and
dangerous effects on the flue behaviour

--

.andy


Thanks Andy, this could be what I'm after. Now I just have to find the
right opportunity to talk to the neighbours about it. They are not
very friendly at all -not specifically unfriendly, and certainly not
unpleasant, but they always seem a bit phased by the concept of
speaking to one's neighbours. Even a 'hello' over the fence yields a
look of suprise, and sometimes even meets silence. Before you ask, I
don't play a lot of loud music, rev the car/bike late at night etc,
they just aren't friendly types.

Cheers for the info,
Jon.