Go to Forum Home Building Services Air supply to Existing Gas fire

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    • #30639

      A friend is renovating a property and has been told that if they wish to keep the gas fire they have. They will have to put in a 100mm air supply through the wall. As they oly use this fire occasionally can the vent be closed or must it be open all the time as that will produce a huge draft wont't it.

      Anyone know the regs on this.

      ta

    • #33734
      Anonymous

        According to my heating and gas installation book (1999)things may have changed

        “Open-flued gas fires below 7Kw require no permanent ventilation
        However decorative fuel effect fires (DFE) require purpose-provided
        ventilation of 100cm2 on all appliances up to 15kw
        When installing an air grille it is essential to understand that permanent,
        unrestricted air flow is required; a closing device must not be incorporated with the grille and no fly screen attached”

        If your friend chooses to ignore this and block the vent when the fire is not in use
        I guess thats his business/risk
        The danger would be if they forget or someone else use the fire unaware of the lack of ventilation

        jim

      • #33735

        There might not be a problem in an average home but the risk to avoid is backdrafting in a more airtight home. See Mark's recent posting on R-2000 homes in Canada where they did all the necessary work to write the safety regs. The R-2000 standard requires a leakage rate less than 1.5 ac/h @ 50 Pa; the UK average is 12-14 and <1.5 is extremely rare.

        Gas cookers are permitted to be unvented and the peak gas input is >7 kW but an extract fan meeting the current Part F would be a very good idea with those.

        I know a house where the woodstove air supply is a pipe from under the ground floor and is shut off when not in use, but the law can be perverse so best to check current Regs. (Part F.)

        David.

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