My neighbour has a new oil boiler (I'm assuming floor mounted) with a low level, horizontal flue pointing at my back wall (3.5m) but only 1m from the boundary. Atm my boundary is a half height timber lap but I want to replace it with a 2m lap panel as the concrete posts are badly spalled. My bedroom window and utility windows are directly opposite. His wall is parallel to mine - so he is always 1m away.
Even though the contractor is still fine tuning the system (I know it's rarely spot on first time around) it kicks in at 5.45 am and can be heard in every room in the house. From a quick google, I find that there are stricter new guidelines for condensing boilers, which should have flue terminals at least 2.5m from a boundary. My questions are these.
1. Are these mandatory? A call to OFTEC left me with the impression that they are advisory only.
2. The 2.5m rule seems to be for the mitigation of the exhaust plume only. Could the installer get round this by using a plume diverter. It would need to be >45 degrees being only 1m from the boundary. Is the measurement from the end of the flue in any direction or straight ahead?
3. There are OFTEC guidelines on positioning a flue with a table of decibels against distance from windows. Eg 65dB = 3.4m. Again, are these advisory only?
4. Have any OFTEC installers had to go back and quieten a system? I've heard of conical jets being quieter. If the flue is taken up the side of the neighbours wall (always 1m from my boundary), will it reduce the noise levels anyway?
I don't want to fall out with my neighbour - but I don't want to be driven out of my bedroom either. Any thoughts would be appreciated.
Even though the contractor is still fine tuning the system (I know it's rarely spot on first time around) it kicks in at 5.45 am and can be heard in every room in the house. From a quick google, I find that there are stricter new guidelines for condensing boilers, which should have flue terminals at least 2.5m from a boundary. My questions are these.
1. Are these mandatory? A call to OFTEC left me with the impression that they are advisory only.
2. The 2.5m rule seems to be for the mitigation of the exhaust plume only. Could the installer get round this by using a plume diverter. It would need to be >45 degrees being only 1m from the boundary. Is the measurement from the end of the flue in any direction or straight ahead?
3. There are OFTEC guidelines on positioning a flue with a table of decibels against distance from windows. Eg 65dB = 3.4m. Again, are these advisory only?
4. Have any OFTEC installers had to go back and quieten a system? I've heard of conical jets being quieter. If the flue is taken up the side of the neighbours wall (always 1m from my boundary), will it reduce the noise levels anyway?
I don't want to fall out with my neighbour - but I don't want to be driven out of my bedroom either. Any thoughts would be appreciated.