unvented hot water cylinders

[just-thinking]

just a question about working on unvented hot water cylinders.
to carry out repairs and annual servicing do i need to be qualified.if so to what standard.
i am not installing only doing maintaience.
thanks in advance.

 

[JPC]

yes u need to be qualified and and therefore have satisfied the competence req for unvented hot water systems.

building regs part L
standards part J

it can/is dangerous to work on them if you dont know what you are really doing.

 

[mmalone]

just a question about working on unvented hot water cylinders.
to carry out repairs and annual servicing do i need to be qualified.if so to what standard.
i am not installing only doing maintaience.
thanks in advance.

not expensive for a course and pretty easy to get through !

 

[ollski]

One of the cylinder manufacturers in the west midlands used to run a 1 day course free of charge and even buy you lunch, don't know if it's still the case though.

 

[Nige F]

One of the cylinder manufacturers in the west midlands used to run a 1 day course free of charge and even buy you lunch, don't know if it's still the case though.

Bloody Northerners....you have to pay for courses down here

 

[gazthepottertonengineer]

One of the cylinder manufacturers in the west midlands used to run a 1 day course free of charge and even buy you lunch, don't know if it's still the case though.

Heatrae in Norwich do the courses i dont know how much they charge or whether you get lunch though

ive got to go on it in July

 

[JPC]

some of the colleges do them..i did mine at coalville college ....£165

 

[croydoncorgi]

Only as a matter of interest .....
What advice was offered on your college course concerning unvented cylinders in cellars (ie. below drain level)?

 

[ollski]

Only as a matter of interest .....
What advice was offered on your college course concerning unvented cylinders in cellars (ie. below drain level)?

It never came up but I've always pointed out to customers that its a bit daft and I wouldn't be able to drain the system if required.

 

[just-thinking]

thanks for replies.looks like more training i need to do.......

 

[croydoncorgi]

I was being a bit sly with my provocative question about unvented cylinders in cellars.

The regs demand that there is an effective drain to get rid of WHATEVER comes out of the T&P OR pressure-relief valves on the system. The problem is that the answer is potentially at least lots of water for quite a long time! So you end up with a big sump pump in the cellar capable of shifting (?) 20 litres per minute. But it just sits there, dry, for a long time. And after a while it seizes, so when the U/V system has a problem and you actually need it, nothing happens except a blown fuse when the level switch operates, and a large puddle in the cellar!

 

[Softus]

The regs demand that there is an effective drain...

But it would seem that the definition of "effective" is open to interpretation and debate. For example, if the overriding objective of that piece of legislation was to prevent an environmental hazard, and/or scalding, and/or damage to property, then a drain that creates a deep puddle in the cellar has met that objective, even if it leaves a mess to clear up later!

 

[croydoncorgi]

The 'safety objectives' are:
- get rid of any hot water and steam to a safe place (ie. outside)
- secondly, create alert to the problem.

The reason for NOT having a discharge pipe running 'uphill' is that it might freeze full of water and create an explosion hazard due to the 'ice plug'.

The reality of a 'pump solution' is that the steam and hot water will still be 'inside' the building and dependent on the pump to be 'safe'.

My take on this is that the regs SHOULD include an option allowing for an (oversized) discharge pipe to run UPHILL to an outside drain but with a small 'tell-tale' pipe at the lowest point, to serve TWO purposes:

- drain the pipe so that in the event of a slow leak ice CANNOT block the pipe
- provide a visual indication of a problem (instead of the tundish).

Then, if there is a high-pressure release, most of the dangerous steam and hot water goes straight outside, without the need for a pump.

But unfortunately the Regs don't have this option.

 

[oilman]

...............But unfortunately the Regs don't have this option.

Just as well, otherwise how do you regenerate the air bubble in a Megaflo?

 

[croydoncorgi]

AFAIK, its only Heatrae Sadia (genuine) Megaflos that use the airbubble system. But good point!