Safe Flue Termination - elco THISION L EVO Series System Manual

2.2 Safe flue termination

In this section we aim to advise which laws and guidance are to be used in which situation. This
document will not cover every regulation but it will provide guidance as to which regulation
applies to certain situations.
The guide will look at the more common standards used to advise the requirements for flue and
ventilation installations and is not to be used as a standalone reference for regulations relating
to flue.
Please also refer to the installation and planning manuals for the specific boiler were there may
be specific information relating to flue installation standards.
When dealing with domestic installations that have a net input up to 70kW, these will be covered
by BS5440.
If the same appliance under the 70kW limit was to be installed in a commercial property then
this now needs to meet the requirements of IGE UP10 & BS6644.
However if a boiler is installed in a cascade arrangement and then exceeds the total input of
70kW then it falls under the commercial flue and ventilation requirements.
What is mandatory and what is just guidance?
British Standards (such as BS5440) are a mandatory requirement and have to be adhered
to. The approved documents offer guidance on how to comply and are only legally binding if
they are stipulated in the manufacturers installation manual. It is important to follow the
guidelines as they may be used in a court of law as the minimum expectation of a
competent person when installing a safe heating system.
The Clean Air Act is a mandatory requirement set out in Government legislation. It was
introduced in 1956 to reduce air pollution reacting to the Great Smog of London in 1952, in
that it helped the development of laws to help protect the environment.
This act targeted areas in major towns and cities, in these areas only fuels that produced
smokeless fuels could be used, also moving power stations away from main cities and
making it so that the height of certain chimneys being increased to avoid low level
contamination.
Nowadays smog is not as much of an issue as it was, but amendments of the Clean Air Act
have maintained control of emissions and the height of flue systems being more conscious
of pollution at lower levels.
Gas Safe (Gas Safety Installation and Use Regulations) is now mandatory and is there to
set out the requirements for safe installations and for working on gas installations.
IGE/IGEM is a guidance in a similar fashion to the British Standards but these are used by
industry experts as a current best practice and are in line with international and national
legislation and standards. The most relevant being IGEM UP 10 – Installation of flued gas
appliances in industrial and commercial premises.
On the following page is an extract from IGEM UP10 in relation to termination positions for
appliances over 70kW net input.
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