Hi

Total newbie - so please forgive me if I wander into forbidden
territory.

My problem

I have had my gas fire serviced by Corgi registered company etc.
Everything fine except they have condemed the fire and cut the gas off
to it because the flue does not meet with "current regs". It is a
steel single wall flue that vents through a ridge vent. The house
[and the flue] is 30 years old.

They have told me that I will need to get the flue replaced with twin
wall.

Does anyone know if this is correct or am I being stung.

I've searched the net and can't find anything. The engineer blamed
"europe" and said it was down to "the flue in the loft gets hot and if
you touch it, it will burn you". He also said the new regs came in a
couple of years ago.

Is there not a safe way of "boxing it in".

I am a bit miffed that I can't use the fire and they want a couple of
hundred quid for something that seems perfectly safe.

Any help, links would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

On 3 Oct, 20:01, wrote:
Hi

Total newbie - so please forgive me if I wander into forbidden
territory.

My problem

I have had my gas fire serviced by Corgi registered company etc.
Everything fine except they have condemed the fire and cut the gas off
to it because the flue does not meet with "current regs". It is a
steel single wall flue that vents through a ridge vent. The house
[and the flue] is 30 years old.

They have told me that I will need to get the flue replaced with twin
wall.

Does anyone know if this is correct or am I being stung.

I've searched the net and can't find anything. The engineer blamed
"europe" and said it was down to "the flue in the loft gets hot and if
you touch it, it will burn you". He also said the new regs came in a
couple of years ago.

Is there not a safe way of "boxing it in".

I am a bit miffed that I can't use the fire and they want a couple of
hundred quid for something that seems perfectly safe.

Any help, links would be greatly appreciated.

thanks


IA most definitely NAL, but it is my understanding that these regs are
not retroactive, i.e. they only apply to new installations. However, I
could be wrong.

On 3 Oct, 22:39, Mr Fuxit wrote:
On 3 Oct, 20:01, wrote:



Hi

Total newbie - so please forgive me if I wander into forbidden
territory.

My problem

I have had my gas fire serviced by Corgi registered company etc.
Everything fine except they have condemed the fire and cut the gas off
to it because the flue does not meet with "current regs". It is a
steel single wall flue that vents through a ridge vent. The house
[and the flue] is 30 years old.

They have told me that I will need to get the flue replaced with twin
wall.

Does anyone know if this is correct or am I being stung.

I've searched the net and can't find anything. The engineer blamed
"europe" and said it was down to "the flue in the loft gets hot and if
you touch it, it will burn you". He also said the new regs came in a
couple of years ago.

Is there not a safe way of "boxing it in".

I am a bit miffed that I can't use the fire and they want a couple of
hundred quid for something that seems perfectly safe.

Any help, links would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

IA most definitely NAL, but it is my understanding that these regs are
not retroactive, i.e. they only apply to new installations. However, I
could be wrong.

Thanks for the reply. Further digging leads me to building regs - I
can't see how they can be applied ,as you say, restrospectivly. Praps
one for Mr Corgi and get the rogues struck off :-p

Sorry i think I am being a bit dim - what does "IA most definitely
NAL" mean?

wrote in message
ps.com...
On 3 Oct, 22:39, Mr Fuxit wrote:
On 3 Oct, 20:01, wrote:



Hi

Total newbie - so please forgive me if I wander into forbidden
territory.

My problem

I have had my gas fire serviced by Corgi registered company etc.
Everything fine except they have condemed the fire and cut the gas off
to it because the flue does not meet with "current regs". It is a
steel single wall flue that vents through a ridge vent. The house
[and the flue] is 30 years old.

They have told me that I will need to get the flue replaced with twin
wall.

Does anyone know if this is correct or am I being stung.

I've searched the net and can't find anything. The engineer blamed
"europe" and said it was down to "the flue in the loft gets hot and if
you touch it, it will burn you". He also said the new regs came in a
couple of years ago.

Is there not a safe way of "boxing it in".

I am a bit miffed that I can't use the fire and they want a couple of
hundred quid for something that seems perfectly safe.

Any help, links would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

IA most definitely NAL, but it is my understanding that these regs are
not retroactive, i.e. they only apply to new installations. However, I
could be wrong.

Thanks for the reply. Further digging leads me to building regs - I
can't see how they can be applied ,as you say, restrospectivly. Praps
one for Mr Corgi and get the rogues struck off :-p

Sorry i think I am being a bit dim - what does "IA most definitely
NAL" mean?



IANAL = "I am not a lawyer"

Regards,
Simon.

wrote:
Hi

Total newbie - so please forgive me if I wander into forbidden
territory.

My problem

I have had my gas fire serviced by Corgi registered company etc.
Everything fine except they have condemed the fire and cut the gas off
to it because the flue does not meet with "current regs". It is a
steel single wall flue that vents through a ridge vent. The house
[and the flue] is 30 years old.

They have told me that I will need to get the flue replaced with twin
wall.

Does anyone know if this is correct or am I being stung.

I've searched the net and can't find anything. The engineer blamed
"europe" and said it was down to "the flue in the loft gets hot and if
you touch it, it will burn you". He also said the new regs came in a
couple of years ago.

Is there not a safe way of "boxing it in".

I am a bit miffed that I can't use the fire and they want a couple of
hundred quid for something that seems perfectly safe.

Any help, links would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

Chris,

I had a new fire fitted to the same type of flue some years ago with no
problems - other than a leak in the attic that was repaired - and no mention
of the "flue getting too hot to touch".

As a matter of interest, I got British Gas and an independent contractor to
quote for the job and both visually inspected and 'pressure' tested the flue
before quoting - (BG actually found the flue leak and repaired it
free-of-charge during this inspection) - BG lost the job for two reasons:
they gave me a 'choice' of only one type of fire and their quote was nearly
a £500 dearer than the independent contractor - who also showed a range of
fires to select from.

Brian G

On 3 Oct, 23:46, "Simon Stroud" wrote:
wrote in message

ps.com...



On 3 Oct, 22:39, Mr Fuxit wrote:
On 3 Oct, 20:01, wrote:

Hi

Total newbie - so please forgive me if I wander into forbidden
territory.

My problem

I have had my gas fire serviced by Corgi registered company etc.
Everything fine except they have condemed the fire and cut the gas off
to it because the flue does not meet with "current regs". It is a
steel single wall flue that vents through a ridge vent. The house
[and the flue] is 30 years old.

They have told me that I will need to get the flue replaced with twin
wall.

Does anyone know if this is correct or am I being stung.

I've searched the net and can't find anything. The engineer blamed
"europe" and said it was down to "the flue in the loft gets hot and if
you touch it, it will burn you". He also said the new regs came in a
couple of years ago.

Is there not a safe way of "boxing it in".

I am a bit miffed that I can't use the fire and they want a couple of
hundred quid for something that seems perfectly safe.

Any help, links would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

IA most definitely NAL, but it is my understanding that these regs are
not retroactive, i.e. they only apply to new installations. However, I
could be wrong.

Thanks for the reply. Further digging leads me to building regs - I
can't see how they can be applied ,as you say, restrospectivly. Praps
one for Mr Corgi and get the rogues struck off :-p

Sorry i think I am being a bit dim - what does "IA most definitely
NAL" mean?

IANAL = "I am not a lawyer"

Regards,
Simon.

Doh. And some fell upon stoney places.

Thanks

On 3 Oct, 23:46, "Simon Stroud" wrote:
wrote in message

ps.com...



On 3 Oct, 22:39, Mr Fuxit wrote:
On 3 Oct, 20:01, wrote:

Hi

Total newbie - so please forgive me if I wander into forbidden
territory.

My problem

I have had my gas fire serviced by Corgi registered company etc.
Everything fine except they have condemed the fire and cut the gas off
to it because the flue does not meet with "current regs". It is a
steel single wall flue that vents through a ridge vent. The house
[and the flue] is 30 years old.

They have told me that I will need to get the flue replaced with twin
wall.

Does anyone know if this is correct or am I being stung.

I've searched the net and can't find anything. The engineer blamed
"europe" and said it was down to "the flue in the loft gets hot and if
you touch it, it will burn you". He also said the new regs came in a
couple of years ago.

Is there not a safe way of "boxing it in".

I am a bit miffed that I can't use the fire and they want a couple of
hundred quid for something that seems perfectly safe.

Any help, links would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

IA most definitely NAL, but it is my understanding that these regs are
not retroactive, i.e. they only apply to new installations. However, I
could be wrong.

Thanks for the reply. Further digging leads me to building regs - I
can't see how they can be applied ,as you say, restrospectivly. Praps
one for Mr Corgi and get the rogues struck off :-p

Sorry i think I am being a bit dim - what does "IA most definitely
NAL" mean?

IANAL = "I am not a lawyer"

Regards,
Simon.

Doh. And some fell upon stoney places.

Thanks

wrote:
Hi

Total newbie - so please forgive me if I wander into forbidden
territory.

My problem

I have had my gas fire serviced by Corgi registered company etc.
Everything fine except they have condemed the fire and cut the gas off
to it because the flue does not meet with "current regs". It is a
steel single wall flue that vents through a ridge vent. The house
[and the flue] is 30 years old.

They have told me that I will need to get the flue replaced with twin
wall.

Does anyone know if this is correct or am I being stung.

Its crrect that it doesn't meet current regulations. It is not correct
that you have to make it do so.


I've searched the net and can't find anything. The engineer blamed
"europe" and said it was down to "the flue in the loft gets hot and if
you touch it, it will burn you". He also said the new regs came in a
couple of years ago.

Is there not a safe way of "boxing it in".

I am a bit miffed that I can't use the fire and they want a couple of
hundred quid for something that seems perfectly safe.

Any help, links would be greatly appreciated.

thanks

On Wed, 03 Oct 2007 12:01:18 -0700, chris.m.elliott wrote:

Hi

Total newbie - so please forgive me if I wander into forbidden
territory.

My problem

I have had my gas fire serviced by Corgi registered company etc.
Everything fine except they have condemed the fire and cut the gas off
to it because the flue does not meet with "current regs". It is a
steel single wall flue that vents through a ridge vent. The house
[and the flue] is 30 years old.

They have told me that I will need to get the flue replaced with twin
wall.

Does anyone know if this is correct or am I being stung.

I've searched the net and can't find anything. The engineer blamed
"europe" and said it was down to "the flue in the loft gets hot and if
you touch it, it will burn you". He also said the new regs came in a
couple of years ago.

Is there not a safe way of "boxing it in".

I am a bit miffed that I can't use the fire and they want a couple of
hundred quid for something that seems perfectly safe.

Any help, links would be greatly appreciated.


This one is at the edge of my experience.
Have a look in BS 5440-1.

My gut reaction is that IF the flue is sound and passes smoke match and
pellet tests then its classification is probably a "Not To Current
Standards". Provided the flue system would have been acceptable when
originally installed.




--
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
Choosing a Boiler FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/BoilerChoice.html

Many thanks for your replies.

Just dug out the paperwork. The comments are "At risk, Kopex in
roofspace requires twinwall" & "Fire capped & warning notice issued"

I'll fire off a query to CORGI to see if the above makes sense. I am
unsure if they are correct, have misinterpreted the regs or trying it
on.

On Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:23:57 +0000, chris.m.elliott wrote:

Many thanks for your replies.

Just dug out the paperwork. The comments are "At risk, Kopex in
roofspace requires twinwall" & "Fire capped & warning notice issued"

Are yes a common fault. See Gas fitting FAQ for the Meaning of "At Risk".

Done correctly the flue should have used rigid flue pipe from the block at
the top of the chimney (IIRC it's called the raking block) and the Vertex
temrinal on the ridge. These pipes should also be properly supported with
brackets.

In practice the use of Kopex flexible liner and "sky hooks" is common.
Flexible line should only ever be used to line an existing brick chimney.

There is also the possibility that the liner has been used all the way to
the fire.







I'll fire off a query to CORGI to see if the above makes sense. I am
unsure if they are correct, have misinterpreted the regs or trying it
on.


--
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
Choosing a Boiler FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/BoilerChoice.html

Ed Sirett wrote:
On Thu, 04 Oct 2007 18:23:57 +0000, chris.m.elliott wrote:

Many thanks for your replies.

Just dug out the paperwork. The comments are "At risk, Kopex in
roofspace requires twinwall" & "Fire capped & warning notice issued"

Are yes a common fault. See Gas fitting FAQ for the Meaning of "At Risk".

Done correctly the flue should have used rigid flue pipe from the block at
the top of the chimney (IIRC it's called the raking block) and the Vertex
temrinal on the ridge. These pipes should also be properly supported with
brackets.

In practice the use of Kopex flexible liner and "sky hooks" is common.
Flexible line should only ever be used to line an existing brick chimney.

IIRC all you actually ned to do is put some fireproofing - block or
maybe masterbaord - beween the flue liner and the potentially flammable
material.


There is also the possibility that the liner has been used all the way to
the fire.


Thats not an issue provided it has insulation of somesort btewqeen it
and anything flammable. A brick flue is reckoned to be fine provided
that its not a new installation.


I really thing a call to the BCO is in order.

Whilst flexible liners are not allowed on new installations, they are
perfectly OK as retrospective fits, and apart from the fire barrier
issues, not a reason for concern.





I'll fire off a query to CORGI to see if the above makes sense. I am
unsure if they are correct, have misinterpreted the regs or trying it
on.



Bloody corgi crap.

On Thu, 04 Oct 2007 21:39:23 +0100, Owain wrote:

wrote:
Many thanks for your replies.
Just dug out the paperwork. The comments are "At risk, Kopex in
roofspace requires twinwall" & "Fire capped & warning notice issued"

IANACorgi. I think single-wall kopex is ok as a liner within a brick or
similar chimney, but a stand-alone / unenclosed flue needs to be twin-wall.

I'm not certain but single wall was acceptable up to a certain date.
However you would put in double wall if replacing.


--
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
Choosing a Boiler FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/BoilerChoice.html