Flues and chimneys
I want to have a new fire or boiler installed. Do I require
Building Regulation permission?
The installation of certain heat producing appliances and
their associated flues do not require a building regulation
application providing they are installed by an approved Installer.
This does not include the provision of a masonry chimney which
requires a Building Regulation application in all cases.
Removal of chimney breasts
A building regulations application is required for partial and
complete removal of chimneys. Chimneys often provide
stability to party walls between dwellings and this must be
considered before removal.
All gas appliances
These may be installed by CORGI (Council for Registered Gas
Installers) installers without making a Building Regulation
Application.
Solid fuel appliances (including connected heating and hot
water service systems)
These can be installed by a person registered with HETAS
(Heating Equipment Testing and Approval Scheme), BESCA Limited, or
NAPIT Certification Ltd, providing the rated heat output is 50
kilowatts or less and that is to be installed in a building with no
more than three storeys (excluding any basement).
Oil appliances (including any associated oil storage tanks and
connected heating and hot water service systems)
These can be installed by a person registered with OFTEC (Oil
Firing Technical Association for the Petroleum Industry), BESCA
limited, or NAPIT Certification Ltd for this type of work and
providing it has a rated heat output of 100 kilowatts or less and
is installed in a building with no more than three storeys
(excluding any basement).
New or extended masonry chimneys, fireplaces and hearths
These do require Building Regulation Approval. Building Control
will check proposed design and inspect the building work. In
addition to this the Building Control Officer will ask for a
copy of an installation report which should be filled in by the
person legally responsible for the installation. Two tests are
required. The first will be a gas tightness test and the second a
gas spillage test on completion. The Building Control Officer will
need to witness these tests. Finally the regulations require a
robust permanent notice to be installed in a suitable place that
gives details of the flue, the type of appliances it can safely
accommodate and the type and size of the flue with the
manufacturers name. There is an example of this notice in Approved
Document J of the Building Regulations.