Tech talk
John Lawton, Technical Product Manager, discusses the Building Regulations (Amendment) 2018, introduced as a result of the Grenfell Tower fire. It touches many areas of construction, and directly affects the installation of boilers in high rise homes, which now must have metal flues.
After an investigation into the causes of the fire’s rapid spread in the tower block, the use of combustible materials on the external walls of new buildings over 18 metres high is prohibited, and that includes plastic flues. This is potentially a big headache for some contractors as around 20,000 boilers are installed in high rise homes every year but, for those of you who know our Rapid boiler, you’ll know it has a metal flue. What you may not be aware of is that it’s currently the only condensing boiler in the UK with a metal flue system, and that the flue’s compounds have been tested to prEN 1856-1 and classified as A1 in accordance with EN 13501-1 A1, and therefore complies with the Amendment.
To satisfy the demand for a boiler and flue system suitable for contract installations in buildings over 18m high, the Rapid High Rise boiler range is available as a pack. For further information about the pack, please contact Manny Puletti, Sales Director at m.puletti@intergasheating.co.uk. For all technical enquiries, please contact the technical helpdesk team on 01527 888000 or email technical@intergasheating.co.uk.
Over the past few months we’ve been in discussion with the HHIC and the Building Research Establishment to try to establish how we can best support the industry, installers and residents; we may have to face a future where plastic flues must be replaced by metal in all high rise buildings.
