Thank you Derek. On the 22nd next month I'm fitting a boiler in the loft. NOT ANY MORE. Thank you Derek. I know the customer. By the WAY THANK YOU. THANK YOU THANK YOU😊
Brilliant video as always, 25 years as a gas engineer no more lofts for me public just don't understand the regulations that fitting boilers in lofts can bring .
One thing you can rely on this modern market is the amount of tosh you hear. I like another installer think it’s BS. I’ve never had any of my customers complaining. I’m sure they would if I fitted a frost stat that brought the boiler on in winter 24-7🤦♂️ the only sensible point is about the gas pipe which every fitter should know about as this has been written since I started 26 years ago😊 99% of every thing you say is a good training tool. you are very amusing keep up the good work Sir. 16.51 on Monday 29 January.
I was a gas safe engineer for over 15 years and retired in 2015 for health reasons. I often ponder as to what life would be like if carried on THEN! I watch videos like this and think “Thank god my back went in 2015”………what palaver, much much easier ways to make a living me thinks. 😂😂😂
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… Customers who ask to have their boiler installed in the attic are the same type of people that never open the bonnet on their car, if they do ever get round to opening their bonnet, they never check the oil, never change the oil and their screen wash consists of washing up liquid and water…. If it has to be installed in the loft, then a remote filling loop and gauge should be installed. Love your videos keep up the great work!
Probably the stupidest comparison for quite some time. You compare an appliance that the customer accesses daily, to one that an engineer will normally access once a year? Idiotic.
Funny, here in Texas and many other southern states, most houses have all their HVAC equipment including gas furnaces, and water heaters are all located in the attic (loft). I can tell you when its 40C+ outside the attics are well over 65C+, and working up there is a real treat here in Texas. We don't have basements and most all homes are slab on grade foundations, so it limits where things can go. I can say taking a 5 ton evaporator coil or 50 gallon water heaters up and down the crappy little stairs in fun. Our attics are horrible in that there are no requirements for handrails, or decking to and from the units. Most put a bit of plywood down, but not much. We blow in 18-24" of insulation normally so having to find the rafters is a challenge. In our particular case, we have completely sealed attic with 2" gas lines running all through the attic and it will get smaller as it feeds in different areas. We have to use condensing high efficiency devices in our home because we need combustion air brought in from outside directly to the device. Seems like the regulations are much more restrictive there. Keep up the good work sir! 🤠👍
water leaks are my greatest reason for detesting loft installations,either water ruins ceilings and worse or rots out the boiler case.if a kitchen installed boiler leaked the homeowner would notice it but by the time a loft leak is identified the damage is already done.
A drip tray under the boiler with a small pump is a solution for piece of mind. Another one is a water sensor, hooked up to Home Assistant/Google Home (smart home), that alerts one on a mobile or panel of any leaks or condensation. Being negative about the idea is one thing, but not thinking of all the modern solutions is a tradegy. Plus, getting a good installer who knows what they are doing can do wonders. It is usually the cowboy installer that cuts corners during installation which is the root of all the future problems.
Hi Derek, Happy new year!.... A couple of things Can you clarify this 12mm non combustible below the boiler, surely if the clearances are correct then that's not needed otherwise installation in a kitchen cupboard would come into question and as we know clearance distances are often forgotten about then. Just a comment on one of the photos' you've used at 5:43 Engineers should be aware that having a cable attached to any boiler pipework can induce an electric voltage into the pipe work and the boiler and although its a "Ghost Voltage" it can and does make a non contact volt tester "Beep" and light! I had this on a job and was a pig to sort out.
Bs 6798 gives the information for the combustible material which is there to protect from the boiler crashing through the ceiling in a small fire and as for the picture with the cable I agree with you and it’s a great point but I don’t know if it’s a low voltage stat cable or not or weather it’s 230 volts. Happy new year to you too 👍🏻
Hi, i contacted gas safe to ask if the same things apply if you have to check a flue in a loft , in other words a safety guard around the opening, boards to walk on etc . They replied saying the things in BS regulation are recommendations.
What a load of BS, whatever happened to common sense FFS. Thanks for explaining it all as always, I’ll get my customers to watch your video in the future. I always recommend not to put up in the loft but for the homeowners ease of access and potential freezing problems, but obviously we all have the unfortunate experience of having to do them, just love the itchy sweaty loft of the summer 😂
I’ve asked this many times, but could you cover more on LPG? I feel it’s the dark art. I’ve nerve been to one assessment centre where anyone understands ventilation for RPH and LAV’s 🤞
why can you pull a worcester flue back on its seal ,but then leave it underneath not sealed with cement etc ? .i know what your talking about.came out years ago. but how many times do people look under the rubber boot? lots ,especially on a gas inspection.
can you say why you dont trust the frost stat thats installed in a boiler. ok extended piperuns i understand we need to protect them runs. why would you otherwise, theres a pressure releif at the boiler so if things do go wrong water pressure can be released say in a prolonged power cut where the boiler cant fire. also remote filling loop with a pressure gauge a brilliant idea but that heating system should hold pressure from service to service. ie zero need for the customer to top it up diluting inhibitors adding fresh water etc edit i just fitted an ideal vogue in an attic customer insisted. their commercial/domestic electrician was called to extend an old removed immersion heater to the new boiler fused spur. i chatted with him about checking the rcd, he seems to think 2 3amp fuses is ok. one at the boiler and one in a fused switch spur in the ktchen. no down rating of the rcd needed. have the regs changed on thier side do you know? my understanding is the rcd needs to be downrated.
Complete and utter jessies. Had exactly that issue. One refused to go up despite a loft ladder with a handrail. " what if I fall off?" " don't fucking fall off". The next one came and asked what the issue was. A generation that can't go upstairs without a safety harness.
If an engineer falls if a ladder or comes crashing through the ceiling and brakes both legs because it’s not the correct access to the boiler who sues who the engineer for the broken legs and loss of pay or the customer for the damages.
Maybe we need to give engineers American style sobriety tests before we allow them in our lofts. You know, to make sure they are capable of walking in a straight line and have their basic cognitive functions. Maybe gas engineers (and electricians) should carry an ID card to prove this, before we ALLOW them into our homes? I get, a purpose made loft ladder (minus the handrail requirement) and the fixed walkway requirements, and even permanent lighting. Everything else is bollix.@@tomkatgastraining
@@tomkatgastraining It's the definition of "unsafe" I'm talking about. There's a wider problem in the trades and society in general about the dumbing down and softening of acceptable risk. If you can't get through a loft hatch into a loft, what are you even doing in a trade? The wider problem is that there aren't enough tradesman in the industry. There's so much work out there that some muppets can, and do, cherry pick work that's only easy money. The "I don't do lofts" mentality. Come a downturn and shortage of work, it'll be interesting to see how long their "principles" stand up. There's wholesale hypocrisy about the "3 points of contact" principle as a reason not to do stuff. If everyone who worked in the trades invoked that, absolutely nothing would get done anywhere that involved a ladder.
Done my apprenticeship, became lead engineer with multiple accreditations. The better I got the more I hated it. Spending £10k to study electrics. Gas engineering is the such a fucked/corrupt industry. Can’t stress enough, anyone getting into it - Avoid. Wouldn’t wish this life on my worst enemy. Wish someone told me when I started.
Completely agree with you. Wish I’d just gone joinery or bricklaying, or tried a bit harder and realised the industry sucks, become a bum and got on the dole early
My Installs tick all the boxes except barrier round the top of the fixed loft ladder, hands up I never knew about that being required........ You said that open flues are no longer allowed for boilers. Is this the same for Aga/Rayburn/range cookers? as they still manufacture burner kits and I presume new cookers also.
@@tomkatgastraining Yes, thats why question my question referred to range cookers , as this occurred to me while you were talking about flues and mentioned open flues. Not a helpful answer............. Yes,No or don't know would have been better. Enjoy the weekend.
See loft location for a job im like 😭 and im S&R let alone Install 🤣 Also the amount of new installs for old people with no filling loop on groubd floor really grinds my gears!! 🙄🤷♀️
I'm with you on this. Some of the comments beggar belief!! Had my periodic Gas Safe inspection today and when I asked what was the most common shortcoming of registered installers, he just said, I've seen it all! How sad is that, given the ACS etc. Systems in place!!!
Of course the problem of gas safety is removed when heat pumps are installed. The sooner that happens the better for everyone. Grab the grants while you can!
Got two oil boilers on my rounds one with a pair in the loft another in a dressing room white carpets throughout, just getting tools and vacuum cleaner to them poxy job👎
@@daz3745I had one that was installed over someone’s spare room they hardly ever went in. The ceiling was down and the room was in a real mess by the time they found it. 🙄
Actually. one thing you absolutely cannot do is solder copper pipework in an attic space. I pre fabricate pipework as much as I can, and then use other methods to join pipes, but this whole video is of totally illegal hot works in an attic space. Of course you can put a gas pipe in an unventilated void ; otherwise are all gas pipework installations through joists in wooden floors between ceiling or floor, or in vertical studwork are illegal ? What you cannot do is use a cavity wall to run a gas pipe in , except to go through it in the perpendicular.
@@tomkatgastraining except I am correct. Appliances that do dot require combustion air ( room sealed ) may, be subject to other external ventilation requirements, depending on the installation, but pipework in itself is not. Pipework is most certainly subject to fire protection considerations and locations ( especially after Grenfell ), but the pipework carrying the gas itself isn't. Gas carrying pipework is not treated like flue pipework, or , as I said, every installation of gas pipe in unventilated spaces ( almost certainly the house you live in yourself btw , as well as mine ) is suddenly magically disallowed.
Thank you Derek.
On the 22nd next month I'm fitting a boiler in the loft.
NOT ANY MORE.
Thank you Derek.
I know the customer.
By the WAY
THANK YOU.
THANK YOU
THANK YOU😊
Had an Ideal Classic NF40 boiler relocated to the loft of my bungalow 16 years ago and never had a single problem !
Thank you Derek you bring more clarity to the matter.
Brilliant video as always, 25 years as a gas engineer no more lofts for me public just don't understand the regulations that fitting boilers in lofts can bring .
You’re a credit to the industry I can only imagine the impact you have had on raising standards across the industry. Fair play
He's number 1
Very informative video. Please keep uploading these videos. Thanks
N .A heating system Leicester
One thing you can rely on this modern market is the amount of tosh you hear. I like another installer think it’s BS. I’ve never had any of my customers complaining. I’m sure they would if I fitted a frost stat that brought the boiler on in winter 24-7🤦♂️ the only sensible point is about the gas pipe which every fitter should know about as this has been written since I started 26 years ago😊 99% of every thing you say is a good training tool. you are very amusing keep up the good work Sir. 16.51 on Monday 29 January.
Have you not heard of a pipe stat? Frost thermostats should always be fitted in series with a pipe thermostat.
I was a gas safe engineer for over 15 years and retired in 2015 for health reasons. I often ponder as to what life would be like if carried on THEN! I watch videos like this and think “Thank god my back went in 2015”………what palaver, much much easier ways to make a living me thinks. 😂😂😂
Thanks for making me realise why my plumber has done a runner after installing my boiler in the loft. All that's left to do is to fit the flue 🤔
Thanks Derek great video 👍
Interesting and informative video always, Derek. It would be good to see a similar video based on installations in cellars/basements.
What are the regulations of installing boilers in a basement..🤔
Derek, brilliant. Always thought putting boilers in the loft space a crazy idea. Thanks for confirming just how rubbish it is. Peace brother.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again… Customers who ask to have their boiler installed in the attic are the same type of people that never open the bonnet on their car, if they do ever get round to opening their bonnet, they never check the oil, never change the oil and their screen wash consists of washing up liquid and water…. If it has to be installed in the loft, then a remote filling loop and gauge should be installed.
Love your videos keep up the great work!
confirm for me where you see that there needs to be barriers on three sides. of the loft space opening its advisory isnt it?
Good questing for a customer who wants a boiler in their loft. - do you want me to put your washing machine up there while I’m at it?
Probably the stupidest comparison for quite some time. You compare an appliance that the customer accesses daily, to one that an engineer will normally access once a year? Idiotic.
Could I ask which standards you have referenced for this guidance please?
What about Vaillants ridge terminals?
Funny, here in Texas and many other southern states, most houses have all their HVAC equipment including gas furnaces, and water heaters are all located in the attic (loft). I can tell you when its 40C+ outside the attics are well over 65C+, and working up there is a real treat here in Texas. We don't have basements and most all homes are slab on grade foundations, so it limits where things can go. I can say taking a 5 ton evaporator coil or 50 gallon water heaters up and down the crappy little stairs in fun. Our attics are horrible in that there are no requirements for handrails, or decking to and from the units. Most put a bit of plywood down, but not much. We blow in 18-24" of insulation normally so having to find the rafters is a challenge.
In our particular case, we have completely sealed attic with 2" gas lines running all through the attic and it will get smaller as it feeds in different areas. We have to use condensing high efficiency devices in our home because we need combustion air brought in from outside directly to the device. Seems like the regulations are much more restrictive there.
Keep up the good work sir! 🤠👍
water leaks are my greatest reason for detesting loft installations,either water ruins ceilings and worse or rots out the boiler case.if a kitchen installed boiler leaked the homeowner would notice it but by the time a loft leak is identified the damage is already done.
A drip tray under the boiler with a small pump is a solution for piece of mind. Another one is a water sensor, hooked up to Home Assistant/Google Home (smart home), that alerts one on a mobile or panel of any leaks or condensation. Being negative about the idea is one thing, but not thinking of all the modern solutions is a tradegy. Plus, getting a good installer who knows what they are doing can do wonders. It is usually the cowboy installer that cuts corners during installation which is the root of all the future problems.
Hi Derek, Happy new year!.... A couple of things Can you clarify this 12mm non combustible below the boiler, surely if the clearances are correct then that's not needed otherwise installation in a kitchen cupboard would come into question and as we know clearance distances are often forgotten about then. Just a comment on one of the photos' you've used at 5:43 Engineers should be aware that having a cable attached to any boiler pipework can induce an electric voltage into the pipe work and the boiler and although its a "Ghost Voltage" it can and does make a non contact volt tester "Beep" and light! I had this on a job and was a pig to sort out.
Bs 6798 gives the information for the combustible material which is there to protect from the boiler crashing through the ceiling in a small fire and as for the picture with the cable I agree with you and it’s a great point but I don’t know if it’s a low voltage stat cable or not or weather it’s 230 volts. Happy new year to you too 👍🏻
Hi, i contacted gas safe to ask if the same things apply if you have to check a flue in a loft , in other words a safety guard around the opening, boards to walk on etc . They replied saying the things in BS regulation are recommendations.
Brilliant video Derek ♥
What a load of BS, whatever happened to common sense FFS. Thanks for explaining it all as always, I’ll get my customers to watch your video in the future. I always recommend not to put up in the loft but for the homeowners ease of access and potential freezing problems, but obviously we all have the unfortunate experience of having to do them, just love the itchy sweaty loft of the summer 😂
It needs a loft ladder and safe walk way ,at least .
I’ve asked this many times, but could you cover more on LPG? I feel it’s the dark art. I’ve nerve been to one assessment centre where anyone understands ventilation for RPH and LAV’s 🤞
Hello Derek could you please quote what BS or building reg the rules regarding the loft access are from please?
Bs 6798 installation and maintenance of gas boilers
why can you pull a worcester flue back on its seal ,but then leave it underneath not sealed with cement etc ? .i know what your talking about.came out years ago. but how many times do people look under the rubber boot? lots ,especially on a gas inspection.
No wonder the younger generation are the way they are with all this bs fitted loads of boilers in lofts over the last 30 odd years with zero problem's
Me to fitted loads in lofts when necessary of course you need common sense usually try to avoid lower pitch lofts etc etc.
Fit and forget eh ! 😁😉
All the tanks etc been in loft for years.
@@mmm091000ah come on now please stop with that common sense nonsense we live in a time when common sense isn't allowed
@@shaneshankly4518 😂🤣👏
If the boiler is not in the loft but the flue passes through it, do these access requirments for inspection have to be met by the house owner.
Because it’s only for inspection purposes then no you will need to use your equipment and follow your risk assessments.
can you say why you dont trust the frost stat thats installed in a boiler. ok extended piperuns i understand we need to protect them runs. why would you otherwise, theres a pressure releif at the boiler so if things do go wrong water pressure can be released say in a prolonged power cut where the boiler cant fire. also remote filling loop with a pressure gauge a brilliant idea but that heating system should hold pressure from service to service. ie zero need for the customer to top it up diluting inhibitors adding fresh water etc
edit i just fitted an ideal vogue in an attic customer insisted. their commercial/domestic electrician was called to extend an old removed immersion heater to the new boiler fused spur. i chatted with him about checking the rcd, he seems to think 2 3amp fuses is ok. one at the boiler and one in a fused switch spur in the ktchen. no down rating of the rcd needed. have the regs changed on thier side do you know? my understanding is the rcd needs to be downrated.
Hi Derek, brilliant as ever, you forgot to mention high wastage of water draw off and gas, also ANTI freeze must be added, take care, George 🤩👍
Lots of information overload 😂, Nice video.
Brilliant as usual.
I will walk away every time now! Not worth the hassle.
Never walk away mate we do need to eat 😁
What are we making all these potential faults Derek AR or ID?
Depends on the fault but an unvented void is AR
Thank you
Complete and utter jessies. Had exactly that issue. One refused to go up despite a loft ladder with a handrail. " what if I fall off?" " don't fucking fall off". The next one came and asked what the issue was. A generation that can't go upstairs without a safety harness.
If an engineer falls if a ladder or comes crashing through the ceiling and brakes both legs because it’s not the correct access to the boiler who sues who the engineer for the broken legs and loss of pay or the customer for the damages.
Maybe we need to give engineers American style sobriety tests before we allow them in our lofts. You know, to make sure they are capable of walking in a straight line and have their basic cognitive functions. Maybe gas engineers (and electricians) should carry an ID card to prove this, before we ALLOW them into our homes?
I get, a purpose made loft ladder (minus the handrail requirement) and the fixed walkway requirements, and even permanent lighting. Everything else is bollix.@@tomkatgastraining
@@tomkatgastraining that’s what common sense, assessing the situation and insurance is all about.
@@BerkeleyTowers and the engineer assessed the situation and thought it was unsafe.
@@tomkatgastraining It's the definition of "unsafe" I'm talking about. There's a wider problem in the trades and society in general about the dumbing down and softening of acceptable risk. If you can't get through a loft hatch into a loft, what are you even doing in a trade?
The wider problem is that there aren't enough tradesman in the industry. There's so much work out there that some muppets can, and do, cherry pick work that's only easy money. The "I don't do lofts" mentality. Come a downturn and shortage of work, it'll be interesting to see how long their "principles" stand up.
There's wholesale hypocrisy about the "3 points of contact" principle as a reason not to do stuff. If everyone who worked in the trades invoked that, absolutely nothing would get done anywhere that involved a ladder.
Hate boilers in lofts .
Wish they had the same rules for water tanks
Done my apprenticeship, became lead engineer with multiple accreditations. The better I got the more I hated it. Spending £10k to study electrics. Gas engineering is the such a fucked/corrupt industry.
Can’t stress enough, anyone getting into it - Avoid. Wouldn’t wish this life on my worst enemy. Wish someone told me when I started.
Anyway, Great video Tom ❤️
Completely agree with you. Wish I’d just gone joinery or bricklaying, or tried a bit harder and realised the industry sucks, become a bum and got on the dole early
I'm 70, Sparky, had enough by the time I got to 41. Constant changes in the Regs. Just drove me out. Not only that but the job was thankless.
My Installs tick all the boxes except barrier round the top of the fixed loft ladder, hands up I never knew about that being required........
You said that open flues are no longer allowed for boilers. Is this the same for Aga/Rayburn/range cookers? as they still manufacture burner kits and I presume new cookers also.
The video is about boilers not range cookers and if the hand rail goes up into the loft no need for the rails around the hatch.
@@tomkatgastraining Yes, thats why question my question referred to range cookers , as this occurred to me while you were talking about flues and mentioned open flues.
Not a helpful answer............. Yes,No or don't know would have been better. Enjoy the weekend.
@@julianhawker7672 sorry if it sounded off it wasn’t my intention.
See loft location for a job im like 😭 and im S&R let alone Install 🤣
Also the amount of new installs for old people with no filling loop on groubd floor really grinds my gears!! 🙄🤷♀️
Quality content
13:47 or put an automatic one hall nation's doing it decades 😬
I Turn Fitting Boilers In Lofts Down ,Big Problems With Loft Installations
I had One Guy he was 83
Up a ladder having to read the boiler pressure gauge, 20 Meters down the loft with Binoculars 😀
Seen boilers in lofts for 30 years without a single issue, good god what's going on
1:27 Oh again with those over lazy ragulations😢
I'm with you on this.
Some of the comments beggar belief!!
Had my periodic Gas Safe inspection today and when I asked what was the most common shortcoming of registered installers, he just said, I've seen it all!
How sad is that, given the ACS etc. Systems in place!!!
Of course the problem of gas safety is removed when heat pumps are installed. The sooner that happens the better for everyone. Grab the grants while you can!
17:22 what.
am i reading something different to you?
Lol that Loft is too low for handrails they would a crawl mat or a skate
Got two oil boilers on my rounds one with a pair in the loft another in a dressing room white carpets throughout, just getting tools and vacuum cleaner to them poxy job👎
Should the engineer carry a walking stick non metal of coarse
Worcesters in lofts. Very bad idea, they will leak.
So true😂
@@daz3745I had one that was installed over someone’s spare room they hardly ever went in. The ceiling was down and the room was in a real mess by the time they found it. 🙄
My pet hate and never ever do i fit em there
Wokeness
Problem is, i know certain enginers i work with look for shit like this, just to not do a service.
It's not good practice to fit boilers in lofts I don't harder to service and different temps don't do them any good just a pain in the arse
All common sense stuff then, great place for a boiler if you have the space.
Jesus, you will want a weight watchers leaflet and a slim fast bar next.
Stop looking for excuses.
Actually. one thing you absolutely cannot do is solder copper pipework in an attic space. I pre fabricate pipework as much as I can, and then use other methods to join pipes, but this whole video is of totally illegal hot works in an attic space. Of course you can put a gas pipe in an unventilated void ; otherwise are all gas pipework installations through joists in wooden floors between ceiling or floor, or in vertical studwork are illegal ? What you cannot do is use a cavity wall to run a gas pipe in , except to go through it in the perpendicular.
Not sure what regs you work to but your whole comment has more holes than Swiss cheese.
@@tomkatgastraining except I am correct. Appliances that do dot require combustion air ( room sealed ) may, be subject to other external ventilation requirements, depending on the installation, but pipework in itself is not. Pipework is most certainly subject to fire protection considerations and locations ( especially after Grenfell ), but the pipework carrying the gas itself isn't. Gas carrying pipework is not treated like flue pipework, or , as I said, every installation of gas pipe in unventilated spaces ( almost certainly the house you live in yourself btw , as well as mine ) is suddenly magically disallowed.
Utter bullshit. You reference Grenfell so i assume you're UK based (rather than some distant galaxy) so quote some references for this word salad.
You absolutely can undertake hot works in a loft as long as you take correct precautions