KSN ENERGY – BETTER ENERGY HOMES
SEAI Boiler and heating
controls guide
Better Energy scheme
Contractors Code of Practice
and
Standards and Specifications Guidelines
Version 6.0
March 2013
This is a guideline document and is to be read in conjunction with the Contractors Code
of Practice and Standards and Specification for the Better Energy Homes Scheme.
This presentation outlines some of the most critical issues with oil boiler and heating
controls installations. It is not a full training manual for installers.
http://www.seai.ie/Grants/Better_energy_homes/contractor/
QADP
A
Heating Standard
1 Controls not working
2 Heating not working correctly
3 Badly fitted radiators
4 Poorly fitted pipe work
B
Boiler 90% +
1 Less than 90% efficient
C
Appliance Condition
1 Damaged
2 Rusted
D
Appliance Location
1 Not to regulation or HES standard
2 Difficult to access
3 Client not satisfied
E
Pipework not acceptable
1Under sized
2 Excess solder
3 Badly graded
4 Not adequately supported
5 Damaged
6 Leaking
F. Condensate Pipe Work
1 Not lagged externally or in larger diameter pipe
2 Not to gulley/drain (internal or external)
3 Not to soak away
4 Incomplete
5 Incorrect materials used
If a condensate pipe has to be discharged externally it must
be protected from frost.
The condensate discharge should:
A. Run in a 32mm(minimum) pipe, preferred method
B. Or an insulated 22mm pipe
Unheated spaces e.g. garages should be treated as external
F. Condensate Pipe Work
2 Not to gulley/drain (internal or external)
3 Not to soak away
4 litres of condensate can be produced by a condensing boiler
daily
•
The liquid is slightly acidic and must be disposed of
correctly. Suitable drain points include:
•
An internal stack/ waste pipe.
•
An external drain or gully.
•
A rainwater hopper that is part of a combined system (i.e.
sewer carries both rainwater and foul water).
•
A purpose-made soak away with limestone chippings to
dilute the acidic content.
Internal drain points are to be preferred as they are less likely
to become blocked by leaves, or by frozen condensate
F. Condensate Pipe Work
4 Incomplete
5 Incorrect materials used
Incomplete – note the
acidic staining on concrete
Incomplete – no drain off
Incorrect material (metal
joint ). It is also incorrectly
graded
G. Safety Valve / Discharge
•
•
Safety valve and discharge pipework not installed
Safety valve and discharge pipework installed incorrectly
External discharge
• Safe and visible
• Copper.
• Pointing towards the ground
• Continuous fall to avoid freezing
Discharging horizontally
Discharging above a door
If it is impossible to discharge at
ground level the valve can be
turned back to discharge against
the wall
G. Safety Valve / Discharge
•
•
Safety valve and discharge pipework not installed
Safety valve and discharge pipework installed incorrectly
Internal discharge
• Safe
• Visible
• Tundish required
G. Safety Valve / Discharge
•
•
Safety valve and discharge pipework not installed
Safety valve and discharge pipework installed incorrectly
Terminating internally although this
is not in a house it is not visible and
will not alert a homeowner if there
is a problem
Incomplete
H. Oil/ Gas Supply
•
•
•
•
1. Poor condition
2 .Not adequately supported
3 .Under sized 4 .Gas not ventilated in casing – This is applicable for multi occupancy dwellings
Pipe kinked and in poor condition
Pipe not supported properly
This is a tripping hazard
It is liable to be damaged
H. Oil/ Gas Supply
•
5. Remote Fire Valve Not fitted / not fitted to SEAI Standard
OFTEC Standards OFS E101
Remote fire valve must be fitted 1m
from boiler with sensor over burner
Incorrect fire valve
Correct fire valve
Remote sensor fitted
HA. Flue Installation
•
1. Not to regulation or standard
For correct flue installation refer to OFTEC and IS 813/ boiler manuals
Too close to vent
Too close to window
P.O.C’s will enter through window
HA. Flue Installation
•
2 .Not graded properly
Due to condensate from the products of
combustion, special care must be taken
when installing a flue.
Flue fitted to correct fall back
towards boiler. Refer to boiler
manual
Flues graded incorrectly allow condensate to
drip out. Note the basin collecting condensate
HA. Flue Installation
•
•
•
3 Not sealed properly
4 Not adequately supported
5 Not as per manufacturers instructions
Flues must be sealed to prevent harmful gases
re-entering the house, which could cause
carbon monoxide poisoning
If a terminal is less than 2
metres above a balcony, above
ground or above a flat roof to
which people have access, then
a suitable terminal guard must
be provided.
K. Boiler log book
•
•
1 None available
2 Not filled in properly
The boiler log book must be filled in and left in the door of the boiler
or safely with the home owner for future consultation.
The boiler log book is an important document for home owners to
keep as it records of the following information:
• Details of the installing / commissioning contractor
• Can be necessary to validate the guarantee for the boiler
• Gives details for future servicing
• Is a means of ensuring an adequately qualified person has
completed the installation of the boiler in compliance with the
relevant regulations.
J. TRV
•
•
1 None installed
2 Installed in room with room stat
In addition to establishing 2 zones the contractor must also
install either:
Room
Stat
• an additional space heating zone OR
• install Thermostatic Radiator Valves (TRVs) on at least three
radiators but no less than half of all radiators in rooms which
do not have room thermostats.
A room with a room thermostat fitted should NOT have a TRV
fitted to the radiator.
The room thermostat temperature sensing becomes inaccurate.
The room thermostat is the primary means of temperature
control.
If a trv has been set low, the radiator will not allow sufficient
heat to a room to activate the room stat. This will cause other
rooms to over heat
TRV
T. Room Thermostat
•
•
•
•
•
1
2
3
4
5
Poor location
Wrong height
In direct sunlight
Subject to draughts
None fitted
The room thermostat is the main thermostatic control for the
heating system. When the desired room temperature is met,
the boiler turns off.
The room thermostat should not be located in a room with
extreme heat gains such as:
• A kitchen used for cooking
• A room with a fire
• In direct sunlight
• Above a radiator
Room thermostats should be fitted at a height of 1.5m from
finished ground level
N. Cylinder stat
•
•
•
•
•
1
2
3
4
5
Poor location
Not fitted
Not working
Not earthed
Hot water Jacket not fitted
Position the cylinder stat between 1/3 and 1/2 way from the base of the cylinder.
The recommended temperature setting is between 60oC and 65oC as Legionnaires
disease is eliminated at this temperature.
Pipe stats should not be fitted as an alternative to cylinder stats
To be fitted to metal
R. 7 Day (2/3 channel) programmer
•
•
•
•
•
1
2
3
4
5
Not fitted correctly
Poor location (inaccessible)
Wrong height
None fitted
Incorrect programmer fitted
7 Day programmable control provides the required degree of
efficiency control
The best location for these programmers is in a visible, easily
accessed location. Hidden wardrobe/ press is not a good
location
Single programmer
with switch for zone
Only 24 hour control
M. Boiler interlock
•
•
1 . Not installed
2. Not working
• This is not a control device but a wiring arrangement to prevent the boiler firing when
there is no demand for heat.
• Without an interlock, the boiler is likely to cycle on and off regularly and waste energy
by keeping the boiler hot when it is not necessary. This will also reduce the efficiency
of the boiler as it will not work in condensing mode as often.
• In order to assess whether a boiler interlock arrangement is working, turn all room
thermostats right down when the boiler is firing - if the boiler continues to fire, then
there is no interlock. (The pump may continue to run if the boiler requires a pump to
overrun, this is intentional and does not affect the boiler interlock).
• For regular boiler systems, the interlock is usually arranged so that the room or
cylinder thermostat switches the power supply to the boiler (and sometimes the
pump) through the motorised valve ‘end’ switches. For combi boilers interlock is
usually achieved by using a room thermostat.
L. Auto bypass
1 None installed
An automatic by-pass circuit must be installed (in fully pumped systems) in homes
where there are 3 or more TRVs in place.
When most TRVs are open, the automatic bypass remains closed, allowing the full
water flow to circulate around the heating system. As the TRVs start to close, the
automatic bypass starts to open, maintaining the appropriate water flow through
the boiler.
If the boiler has a built in automatic bypass valve that meets the minimum flow rate
required, this is satisfactory. An additional bypass is not required
L. Auto bypass
•
•
•
2 Manual bypass fitted
3 Incorrectly sited
4 Not visible
With a manual bypass there is a constant flow of hot water coming out of the
boiler, which is fed directly into the return at all times. This allows the boiler to
operate at a higher temperature, which reduces efficiency and restricts the
amount of heat transferred to the system.
Manual bypass should not be fitted even if an automatic bypass is installed as it
nullifies the benefits of the automatic bypass valve.
Manual
bypass
valve
O. Space and Water Heating Zones
•
•
•
•
1
2
3
4
Motorised valve not working
Lever valve fitted
Radiator heating on hot water only
None fitted
• A separate hot water circuit is to be maintained for energy conservation.
•All zones need to be automatically controllable meaning lever valves are not suitable
• Two zones (hot water and central heating with trv’s) is the minimum requirement of
the scheme.
•If a 3 zone system has been installed there is no requirement for trv’s
P. Extra zone
•
•
1 Not fitted correctly
2 Neither 3rd zone nor TRV's fitted
Q. Pipe work sleeves
•
1 Not sleeved through walls
This relates to gas pipes and oil lines
Gas pipes and oil lines are to be sleeved through walls with impermeable
material to ensure no gas or oil escapes into an enclosed cavity.
(eg) A cavity wall could trap gas and cause an explosion
U. Immersion heater timer
•
•
1 Not fitted
2 Not working
Immersion timers should not be fitted as an alternative to immersion switches
Where possible it should be positioned out side the hot press to be viewable for home owners
to prevent unnecessary energy waste.
If there is no immersion present, no immersion timer is required.
Ensure that timer is suitably rated for the loading.
We have seen instances where central heating time clocks have been fitted and gone on fire.
Load on an immersion is a lot higher than on a heating system
Incorrect Wiring
Not adequately secured
Correct immersion timer
V. Electrical Work
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
1 Incorrectly fused
2 .Earthing incomplete
6. No spur switch visible / poorly located
7. 10mm2 Earth not present on heating pipework and Hot Press
9. Flow + Return not bonded
10. Cross Bonding in Hot Press incomplete
11. No 10mm2 earth fitted to gas supply
12.Earth fitted to gas supply is not to ETCI rules
IS 813, OFTEC and boiler manufacturers state a fused spur/ isolation switch is required to
isolate the entire heating system
Boiler manuals will give details of the fuse sizing. Generally it is 5amp for oil and 3amp for gas
This provides isolation of the entire heating system (boiler and controls) for maintenance or if
there is a fault
13 amp fuse fitted
V. Electrical Work
• Earthing and Bonding must be in accordance with ETCI 101:2008 Chapter 54 (544
Equipotential bonding conductors) and Annex 63B (Guidelines for
certification for
alterations to existing installations)
• ETCI rules require all metal pipework to be bonded to each other and to the main
earthing terminal by copper wire no smaller than 10mm2 (typical domestic
installation).
•
Older houses often have bonding wires of 6mm2 or 4mm2, or even no bonding at
all.
 Bonding < 6mm2: Has to be upgraded before any solar heating installation
commences.
 Bonding = 6mm2: Installation can be carried out, but the home owner
should be issued with a written 'Electrical safety notice’.
Electrical Safety Notice:
Electrical Safety Notice available
on SEAI website:
http://www.seai.ie/Grants/Better_energy_homes/c
ontractor/Newsletter/Electrical_safety_notice_to_t
he_home_owner.pdf
V. Electrical Work
• As per RGI book
V. Electrical Work
Below is a sketch of a typical bungalow, as you can see all services have been cross bonded to
each other and a 10 sq. earth cable has been installed to connect the bonded pipework to the
main earth terminal.
 Heating pipes
 Domestic hot and
cold services
 Incoming mains
V. Electrical Work
Earth taken from spur, the ring main is not 10sq.
therefore is unsuitable
V. Electrical Work
W Contractor making good
1 Holes not filled satisfactorily
2 Rubble not removed
3 Damage to furniture/carpets/decoration
4 Incomplete finishing
Complete jobs to a neat and tidy standard.
X
Instruction Given
1 No instruction given
2 inadequate instruction
Explain usage of control system to home owner. There is only
energy saving if they know how to use the system properly
Z. Oil tank location/ installation
•
•
•
•
•
1 Location not satisfactory
2 Base not satisfactory
3 oil line not satisfactory
4 Fire barriers required (within 1.8m of combustibles)
5 not in agreed position
• New oil tank installations are inspected for compliance with OFTEC regulations
• Oil tank’s that have been adjusted e.g. moved are inspected for compliance with
OFTEC regulations
• Tanks are to be 1.8m from non fire rated structures or openings in a fire rated
structure
• 1.8m away from appliance flue terminals, construction openings in buildings and
boilers
• Fire barriers can be installed extending 300mm higher and wider than both ends of
the tank.
•Contractors have a duty of care to notify home owners of any issues regarding the
existing oil tank installations that may be non-compliant or dangerous.
Oil tanks:
• Tanks deemed to be “Immediate Risk “as per OFTEC guidelines should be rectified
Immediate risks: Unsafe support, leaking, less than 1.8m from boiler or flue
• Tanks deemed “potential risk” should be highlighted to homeowners
Poor tank location
Loose built blocks as support
Not approved tank
Cylinder jackets:
• Where an uninsulated hot water tank is present a lagging jacket should be fitted
Entry level heating control's:
Minimum requirement:
• a single zone
• 24 hour 7-day programmer
• boiler interlock arrangement
Any Questions…
Contact Details - KSN Energy
KSN Energy Contact Centre 01 277 6977
Gary O’Connor
goconnor@ksnenergy.ie
01 277 6911
Mat Mullen
mmullen@ksnenergy.ie
0877384077