Chimneys & flues
www.heatingandventilating.net
A time of change for the heating industry
British Flue and Chimney Manufacturer’s Association (BFCMA) president, Dennis Milligan, offers some insight in to current developments within the chimney and flue industry
T
his is a time of significant change for the heating industry with government seeking to reduce carbon emissions, improve air quality
and make homes more energy efficient. The year 2022 will be a landmark year for stoves.
From 1 January, only Ecodesign stoves can be sold in the UK and Ireland. Ecodesign stoves have been designed to meet the new stringent particulate (PM) emission limits in Defra’s Environment Act. The good news is that rather than wait until 2022
the Stove Industry Alliance (SIA) has marketed stoves that will comply with the Ecodesign regulations, branded as Ecodesign Ready. This has given flue manufacturers and installers real-life experience of installing the new stoves. Stove manufacturers have employed a number of design features to reduce PM emissions. One of the ways in which they have reduced emissions is to retain the products of combustion in the fire chamber longer before releasing them into the flue. This needs to be factored into a chimney/flue design as this can reduce the velocity and temperature of
the flue gases as they enter the flue. Some Ecodesign stoves may require more flue
height. It is always advisable to check with the stove manufacturer’s recommendations and the chimney/ flue company. BFCMA members can advise on chimney design and installation. This includes using industry standard software to check that the flue design will create the required draw in the chimney. January 2022 was also to see the replacement of the CE mark by the new UKCA mark. Following pressure from the industry this has now been postponed until 2023. As a result of Brexit, the UKCA mark (UK Conformity Assessed) will be the UK’s mandatory approvals mark. However, as it is Brexit there is one complication, the CE mark will still be required in Northern Ireland.
Development work has started on how to bring hydrogen into future revisions of the standards and the UKCA mark. This will become importance as the percentage of hydrogen (to be used in boilers) increases from 20% up to 100%
What won’t change is the use of a user-readable
classification system that designates the features of the flue components. The features covered include temperature and pressure rating, fire, condensate and corrosion resistance and distance to combustibles.
As with CE designation the classification system
will be linked to the UKCA mark. A label showing the classification must go with each stainless steel flue component, so that its specification can be easily verified. Product standards and CE/UKCA marking apply to both flue components and to system chimneys. A CE/UKCA mark for a system chimney applies to the complete flue system, including add on components. The use of components that have not been tested with the flue invalidates the CE/UKCA mark and turns the system chimney into a custom flue.
22 December 2021 Chimneys and flues are required to discharge a
variety of combustion gases. Different types of flue are required to safely handle the different gases and this where the classification system becomes really useful.
The BFCMA is also working on the revision of
chimney standards including BS EN15287 Design, installation and commissioning of chimneys. It is hoped that this important standard will be published next year but with the hold up in the publication of standards no one can be sure. With the revision of Approved document J, Combustion appliances and fuel storage systems, still five plus years away, it will be important to look out for the publication of new standards. The BFCMA posts the details of new standards on its web site
www.bfcma.co.uk The Government’s decision to move ahead with
replacement of natural gas with hydrogen will have longer term implications for chimneys and flues. It is generally accepted that a hydrogen 20%/natural gas 80% mix should not require any major changes to the requirements for either boilers or flues. At the moment the hydrogen mix can be covered under gaseous fuels as class 1. What is critical is the sulphur content of the fuels and consideration for the increase in condensates. Development work has started on how to bring hydrogen into future revisions of the standards and the UKCA mark. This will become importance as the percentage of hydrogen increases from 20% up to 100%. The BFCMA is the UK’s only trade association
representing manufacturers and sole UK distributors of chimney and flue products. It works closely with government, public bodies and other organisations to promote the advantages of chimneys and encourage continued improvements in standards, efficiency and service.
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