Inspection hatch?

[Brendan996]

Hi there

Had a Valiant 937 combi installed 2/2011. Had problem with heating as it would come on when off. Valiant came and said it was the diverted valve which was replaced. Problem returned and the circuit board was replaced.

They also said that because the flue is angled and is joined where it goes straight up and out the roof in the roof cavity it did not meet regs and I needed a access panel. I queried this with the installer and he said that my boiler would turn off if a leak occurred so nothing to worry about.

Unfortunately the same problem with the heating has returned. Valiant will not come out unless I put an access panel in and my installer said that this was not part of the installation and says it's down to me.

What do heating engineers think? Am I being unreasonable to expect my installer to do this at his expense..?

Thanks

 

[Brendan996]

I am thinking of just cutting a 30cm square hole by the flue and leaving it like that. It's in the garage. Would this be ok?

 

[mickyg]

Don't quite understand what the issue is, do you have a photo of the problem? Is your flue visible throughout its length?

 

[Brendan996]

The boiler is 3/4 up the wall. The flue comes out about 45 degrees into the roof cavity, inside there is a joint so that it goes straight up through the roof. The installer was unable to fit a straight flue as there was an obstruction on the roof. Hope this is clearer.

 

[cantaloup63]

So how did the installer manage to install the bend inside the roof cavity?

 

[adlplumbing]

if you don`t have inspection hatch from 01/01/13
your boiler is deemed to be at risk so yes you need one

 

[Brendan996]

I am thinking of just cutting a 30cm square hole by the flue and leaving it like that. It's in the garage. Would this be ok?

Would this be ok you think?

 

[mickyg]

we cant see it so its hard to be precise with the advise. But put simply the flue joints and any long sections of flue must be visible for inspection, hopefully you can make out from that what you need to do. Essentially though your installer should know this.

 

[adlplumbing]

i smell a rat

 

[Brendan996]

Thanks for the comments. I think I will cut a hole otherwise Vaillant will not come and fix it.

 

[adlplumbing]

how did the gas engineer fix the flue joint?

 

[Brendan996]

Not sure how joint is fixed as it's hidden in the roof cavity. As it enters the Ceiling at an angle I guess there must be an elbow where the flue goes straight up exiting the roof.

 

[ChrisR]

If the roof space is accessible you don't need a separate hatch. It must have been whenhe put it in!

When you find out , do please tell us how the lack of a panel blows a board!

 

[Brendan996]

If the roof space is accessible you don't need a separate hatch. It must have been whenhe put it in!

When you find out , do please tell us how the lack of a panel blows a board!

They took tiles off the roof to put the flue in

 

[Agile]

Taking tiles off the roof would not normally give enough access to fit an elbow within the loft space.

Why not just ask the installer how he did it.

I dont see why a 300m square hole should not be adequate for INSPECTION purposes.

Is there not insulation above the ceiling?

If a garage the ceiling should be fire proofed and leaving an open hole will prejudice the fire proofing and be contrary to the building regulations!

Tony Glazier