Either you have to be certified, or the installation id done by yourself and passed by a BCO.
As I said, you have to be a) certified, otherwise b) it is passed by a BCO. You can DIY, well sort of, but with BCO control. The servicing has to be by a certified man. A BCO does not sign off the servicing.
What is the regulation that says the servicing has to be done by a certified man? Regards Bruce
My goodness! Could it be that Drivel was wrong about something??
You were wrong once. Could it happen again?
Tim
Nah, he was just "otherwise right" ;-)
Or is he just.
" a) certified "
Not wrong.
Correct.
I can agree with that. But what's wrong with a vented cylinder?
Andy
Nothing. The pressure is just poor at showers....and you have a tank in the loft.
DR DRIVEL You asserted that the servicing has to be done by a certified man. I am genuinely interested in where you have read that because I have not found it. Although I have a heat bank in one part of my property, I am about to install (I think for good reasons) an unvented tank in another part of it. I am an engineer and feel well able to do any necessary annual servicing so would like to read any regulations on it if you can direct me to them. Regards Bruce
Hi
Google for Building Regulations Part G3
Steve
As far as I can make out, it just says installation by a "competant person". No mention of servicing.
Tim
I had already searched G3. The words 'servicing' or 'annual' do not feature in the document.
Makers stipulate servicing intervals.
Looking at the regs I have not found anything that says you need a certificate. It does say to fit one, you need top be "competent". I would assume any court would take that and determine that to service one you also would need to be "competent" too. You posted this and I have amended it:
From the building regulations 2000 section 13:
(4) Where building work involves the provision of a hot water storage system in relation to which paragraph G3 of Schedule 1 (hot water storage) imposes a requirement, a building notice shall be accompanied by a statement which specifies- (a) the name, make, model and type of hot water storage system to be installed;
(b) the name of the body, if any, which has approved or certified that the system is capable of performing in a way which satisfies the requirements of paragraph G3 of Schedule 1;
(c) the name of the body, if any, which has issued any current registered operative identity card to the installer or proposed installer of the system.
Pre-notificati3.8 The unit or package should be installed by a "competent" person, i.e. one holding a Registered Operative identity card for the installation of unvented domestic hot water storage systems.
Note the key word is "should" is used, which is not "must". The i.e., means "such as", not stating a "registered operative" is mandatory to carry out the work. If the BCO is happy with what you have installed he can sign it off.
There is nothing stating that to "service" a unvented cylinder a predetermined qualification or registration is required, so an unregistered operative can do it. All makers specify a service, so not doing one, or not "proving" it is serviced, may invalidate your insurance. See your insurance company. Many makers state the service has to be done by an approved operative, whether this is accepted by an insurance company is another matter, as there appears to be nothing in law stating that is so. If a claim they may haggle that the i.e., means "mandatory". You saying you serviced it and that you are "competent" and no written log may not be taken as proof. Also, if there is injury and it goes to court, and no proof of servicing and the makers instructions ignored, not serviced by an registered operative, a judge may go against you. All very iffy.
Why are you fitting one? Are you a landlord? A vented heat bank thermal store is by far better in every aspect and no hassle of servicing, insurance companies, potential explosions, potential expensive safety device replacements, etc, etc.
I agree that a vented heat bank has a lot going for it and as I said in another post I have one already in the main existing part of the property with oil CH. However the renovated Mill will provide another 6 bedrooms and we are not on mains gas so it will be heated by a heat pump. Heat pumps are not efficient if you try to output at anything like the temperatures normally inside heatbanks. So I believe my best option is to store a lot of lower temperature water in an unvented tank. Regards Bruce
[snip]
Brilliant volte-face! My breath is almost taken away by your effrontery.
Is there anything that you actually *know* about as opposed to be "full of p*ss & wind" about?
Tim
Old wives tales. A heat bank (using a plate heat exchanger) can operate a store temperature only 5C above DHW tap temperature. If you set the taps to
50C, you can have 55C store temp. You need to a have an oversized plate heat exchanger, say 150kW, to extract as much heat as possible from the stored water. This does not add much to the cost. Using an internal DHW coil (thermal store) you need to have higher store temperatures. The larger plate heat exchanger makes all the difference and transforms thermal stores into a heat bank which is something special in DHW delivery.I assume the heat pump is air sourced? The Mitsubishi is about the best. Ground sourced heat pumps perform much better and generally will give a 60C plus store temps no problem.
My heat pump is water sourced. And although you are right that my heat pump can deliver 60 degrees (in fact my NIBE Fighter 1330 can deliver water at up to 65 degrees) the efficiency drops markedly the higher you go. The NIBE figures that I have to hand are: output 35 deg efficiency 481% output 50 deg efficiency 342%
output 65 deg - does not say, but no doubt falling fast!
We are also in the country and at the moment when the power fails - a few times a year - then we have no hot water because there is no power for our current plate heat exchanger. No combination is perfect in every scenario, but I have made my choice now. Regards Bruce
Best you re-assess. A heat bank can operate on two temperatures. The top for DHW can be 55-60C, the bottom can be dictated by a weather compensator - variable temperature.
A flow to the top of the cylinder (DHW) and one to the bottom section (CH). Priority DHW. When the top calls for DHW the heat pump comes in and heat the top section. When satisfied, it diverts to the bottom weather compensated controlled variable temperature section, which most of the time will be on a lower temperature than the top. More like 40 to 50C. So, the heat pump on average will be running efficiently.
Then if you are on cheap overnight electricity, you can store as much heat as possible by having larger thermal storage - bigger cylinder.
Don't make decision flippantly. Look into it properly. Heat pumps and heat banks go together very well.
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