Boiler to loft regulations

[dave1899]

Hi everyone,

 

I'm currently having an extension built onto my house and due to the works ongoing and the fact that we are living in the house for the duration, the boiler had to be moved from the kitchen. There weren't any other realistic options other than to put it into the loft.

 

I've read that there are regulations surrounding boilers installed in lofts - adequate loft access and boarding to allow for servicing etc but I was wondering if someone could tell me if these regulations are required prior to sign off or just a guidance. 

 

The builder has used his own gas safe plumbers to do the work and tells me that he'll be able to sign off the work.  He said that only a 'fussy' plumber would refuse to service it as it is.

 

If it's a case that boarding is a non negotiable requirement then I'll insist on it. He's certainly charged me enough for the work - approx £2.5k which seems extremely high to me.

 

Please see the attached photo.  

 

Any advice on the regulations would be great.

 

Thanks,

 

Dave

[TonyT]

Where do you stand to service the boiler?

where do you put your tools?

Is there adequate lighting?

 

look up the installation manual for the boiler online probably tells you minimum space for maintenance 

[dave1899]

Thanks for your response Tony.  Yes exactly.  I'll have a look for the boiler installation manual.  

[Mr Punter]

Make sure those cables are not trapped when you board this out.  Also it is well worth lagging the pipes properly.

[Alexphd1]

Plenty of room for access to the boiler. Put down a floor below and a light above. Job done. 

[Nickfromwales]

The actual requirements for lighting / boarding AND a FIXED access ladder are only if it’s a boiler which is under the manufactures warranty. It is only to get them up there to undertake a repair, as they are governed by HSE and company employee liabilities etc hence they want a safe, well lit area with a FIXED attic / access ladder. 
If you use a regular plumber and you’re out of manufacturers warranty then it’s not mandatory, however, it would be a courtesy that I suggest you afford any poor individual who had to bend over / under / around that appliance to service / repair it. Laying in stinking dusty loft insulation in the peak of summer is about as appealing as…… you catch my drift. 
Fit some boards, a light is optional as a lead light would / should be in the van of any reputable plumber, and a fixed attic ladder is good for everyone. Any decent plumber would be well within their rights to refuse to work up there as it is. 
Also, tell the plumber to fit some pipe Insulaton ffs, it’s a bloody cold attic space !!  Shit standards there, especially the condensate pipe. 
That job is currently far from finished, but more importantly it should NOT have been switched back on without a full GSR certificate and records of all the relevant tests noted in it.

If it currently has no new certification then it should not be on or left connected to the gas supply. There is NO exception to that rule. The second you set a gas burning appliance to work it becomes a potentially lethal device. Also you need a CO2 detector in the attic or immediately below on the landing. 

[dave1899]

Thanks everyone for your replies. 

 

11 hours ago, Nickfromwales said:

The actual requirements for lighting / boarding AND a FIXED access ladder are only if it’s a boiler which is under the manufactures warranty. It is only to get them up there to undertake a repair, as they are governed by HSE and company employee liabilities etc hence they want a safe, well lit area with a FIXED attic / access ladder. 
If you use a regular plumber and you’re out of manufacturers warranty then it’s not mandatory, however, it would be a courtesy that I suggest you afford any poor individual who had to bend over / under / around that appliance to service / repair it. Laying in stinking dusty loft insulation in the peak of summer is about as appealing as…… you catch my drift. 
Fit some boards, a light is optional as a lead light would / should be in the van of any reputable plumber, and a fixed attic ladder is good for everyone. Any decent plumber would be well within their rights to refuse to work up there as it is. 
Also, tell the plumber to fit some pipe Insulaton ffs, it’s a bloody cold attic space !!  Shit standards there, especially the condensate pipe. 
That job is currently far from finished, but more importantly it should NOT have been switched back on without a full GSR certificate and records of all the relevant tests noted in it.

If it currently has no new certification then it should not be on or left connected to the gas supply. There is NO exception to that rule. The second you set a gas burning appliance to work it becomes a potentially lethal device. Also you need a CO2 detector in the attic or immediately below on the landing. 

 

Thanks Mark. The boiler is still within the warranty period so I'll be reminding the builder of that.

 

I agree that the lack of lagging is poor and I'll certainly be getting them sorted prior to winter. 

 

I believe the builder has taken a liberty with the price of the job (£2070 plus VAT), given that he knew we had to have it done if we wanted the extension work to continue.  

[Alexphd1]

I presumed at over 2k it was a new boiler.

[Nickfromwales]

5 hours ago, dave1899 said:

I believe the builder has taken a liberty with the price of the job (£2070 plus VAT), given that he knew we had to have it done if we wanted the extension work to continue.  

It depends on how much pipework had to be extended tbh. Couple of hundred to do the vertical flue, few hundred on pipe and fittings. Extended cabling for power and controls etc. A day and a half work at most for 2 guys. 
Tbh, I wouldn’t have done that for less than £1500-£1600 but would have included boards, lighting and insulation. 
 

Just noticed the boiler isn’t on a non combustible board. If it’s a Greenstar then it’s not a problem as they allow direct mounting on a combustible board like plywood. 

[dave1899]

1 hour ago, Alexphd1 said:

I presumed at over 2k it was a new boiler.

Yea you'd think so!  It's been moved pretty much directly up from the kitchen to the attic.  

[dave1899]

1 hour ago, Nickfromwales said:

It depends on how much pipework had to be extended tbh. Couple of hundred to do the vertical flue, few hundred on pipe and fittings. Extended cabling for power and controls etc. A day and a half work at most for 2 guys. 
Tbh, I wouldn’t have done that for less than £1500-£1600 but would have included boards, lighting and insulation. 
 

Just noticed the boiler isn’t on a non combustible board. If it’s a Greenstar then it’s not a problem as they allow direct mounting on a combustible board like plywood. 

 

Thanks for the info.

 

The boiler is a Greenstar 34CDi.

 

I know I've been overcharged for the work. It's a shame that some tradesmen only see pound signs in these situations.  But if he's going to overcharge at least he could do a proper job.

 

My main concern is that the installation itself is regs compliant.  There is a loft ladder which was already in place prior to the work and an attic light already in place as well.  There's just no boarding and I didn't know if this was against strict regulations or whether it just invalidated the warranty on the boiler.

[Nickfromwales]

1 hour ago, dave1899 said:

 

Thanks for the info.

 

The boiler is a Greenstar 34CDi.

 

I know I've been overcharged for the work. It's a shame that some tradesmen only see pound signs in these situations.  But if he's going to overcharge at least he could do a proper job.

 

My main concern is that the installation itself is regs compliant.  There is a loft ladder which was already in place prior to the work and an attic light already in place as well.  There's just no boarding and I didn't know if this was against strict regulations or whether it just invalidated the warranty on the boiler.

An WB agent will refuse to go up there without boarding. 
Such a good ( aka expensive ) plumber would know this. 
Tell them to finish the job eg flooring from attic hatch to boiler area and insulate all the pipes. End of issue then afaic, and as you accepted the price you cannot dwell on it. Time to just move on to the next things and start monitoring costs before nodding your head   

[SteamyTea]

When I was in the PV industry they changed the MCS rules about fitting inverters in lofts. One of the rules was boarding from the hatch to the mounting area.

My boss just saw this as an extra expense. The electrician we used said it made for a much quicker job to fit the inverter.

Fitting loft boards takes minutes. Why would anyone not do it.