More Home Buyer advice from Woodward Chartered Surveyors
When completing a Building Survey (particularly a Flat Purchase Survey) for our customers, one of the many things our Chartered Surveyors look out for is where the gas flue (the pipe that carries exhaust gases from a gas boiler) is situated.
Since January 2013 flues that run in a duct (boxing, usually within a ceiling void or just below the ceiling or even in a wall) must be able to be inspected by your gas engineer. This is because of the danger of poisonous gases (carbon monoxide) leaking from a poorly built flue, causing injury or death.
These mainly appear in flats built or converted from around 2000, but can also apply to houses.
Visual checks by gas engineers via inspection hatches are the only approved method to check the flue is correctly assembled supported and all joints sealed. It is recommended that hatches are at least 300mm x 300mm and wherever possible are positioned within 1.5m of any joint in the flue system. The hatches need to provide equivalent fire/noise protection to the ceiling they are replacing. Fire-rated hatches are more expensive than non-fire rated budget ones. When retro-fitting inspection hatches it is recommended that hatches rated to provide a minimum of 1-hour fire resistance should be specified. Further advice is available from the Gas Safe Register.
This is just one of the many hundreds of things a Chartered Surveyor will take into account when inspecting a property for a home buyer and shows why everyone should have an expert advise them on the property they are thinking of buying.
Woodward Chartered Surveyors work from locations from Oxford to Oxford Steet, from Witney in Oxfordshire, Prestwood near High Wycombe in Buckinghamshire, Chesham on the Bucks - Herts borders, Watford in Hertfordshire, Northwood and Harrow in Middlesex, our head office at Harrow on the Hill in North West London, and The Mayfair Office in Thayer Street, London, W1.
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