[sclug] Central heating

[John Stumbles]

Neil Haughton wrote:
> Are you allow to do this sort of thing these days? I read that under the 
> new Building Regulations tinkering with household electrics (other than 
> replacing the fuse or plugging in an adaptor or similar exercises) by 
> someone other than a registered electrician was now verboten, and 

Part P of the building regs makes much electrical work notifiable, i.e. 
you have to notify it to the council's building control office who will 
get someone in to test it (at your expense) unless it's done by a 
suitable qualified sparks who can self-certify it. Principally this is 
new stuff + kitchens and bathrooms: you may replace existing fittings or 
extend existing circuits not in kitchens or bathrooms without notifying.
http://www.partp.co.uk/consumer/consumer_doesit.asp
http://www.odpm.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1130906

> anything affecting the CH System required a little man from CORGI to at 
> least be standing by supervising, and writing a certificate of 
> air-worthiness or something, not to mention a large bill :-)

Any gas work, as defined in 
http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si1998/98245102.htm#2 (see definition of 
'work') has to be done by a 'competent person' which is defined as a 
CORGI reg if they're doing it for reward or by way of business, and left 
to the interpretation of the powers that be in the case of DIY.

You're allowed to do pretty much what you like with the CH pipework & 
controls but if you modified anything in the boiler itself you'd be on 
thin ice. [IANAL etc.]


For discussions (some generating more heat than industrial heating 
systems :-) on CH systems and HA google the uk.d-i-y archives.


-- 
John Stumbles                                      mobile 0780 866 8204
plumbing:heating:electrical:property maintenance     home 0118 954 2406