TRV on Towel Rail?

IJJoseph

I'm not a plumber but have just had an extension put in and done the plumbing myself to save the money. Building control came round and instructed that TRVs need to be on all rads (and yes a towel rail constitutes a rad) except the room stat rad.

With regards to the powerflush. Up to £180 is not that expensive really when you assess cost of chemicals, machine and maintenance that the plumber has to cover and the increased efficiency and therefore by extension the reduced costs as a result of the powerflushing. Done once every three years on a system which is maintained annually and you'll make that £180 back in savings easily.

alanobrien

IJJoseph wrote:

I'm not a plumber but have just had an extension put in and done the plumbing myself to save the money. Building control came round and instructed that TRVs need to be on all rads (and yes a towel rail constitutes a rad) except the room stat rad.

With regards to the powerflush. Up to £180 is not that expensive really when you assess cost of chemicals, machine and maintenance that the plumber has to cover and the increased efficiency and therefore by extension the reduced costs as a result of the powerflushing. Done once every three years on a system which is maintained annually and you'll make that £180 back in savings easily.

I suspect an extension would be regarded as a new dwelling rather than a retrofit ?

£180 for a power flush ? £400 where i am :eek:

Given that i have already removed all the rads and flushed them i think 400 quid is a tad excessive. OK the pipes may still be a we bit bunged up but not much.
I am still not convinced power flushing is necessary at all.
Our old boiler lasted over 25 years without a single powerflush.

Good point though i will phone the local building contol bods and ask their opinion on the TRV's

robowen

iainkirk wrote:

I disagree!

I'm curious to find out why you think he's being ripped off

Alan was advised that he needed to have trv's and recommended a powerflush.

A price was given.....end of.

Alan is a grown man capable of deciding whether he thinks the work is required or not. He is advised by numerous people to obtain more than one quote.

How is he being ripped off ?

rob

alanobrien

robowen wrote:

I'm curious to find out why you think
he's being ripped off
rob

I am definately not, mainly because i am not that gullible
and havent parted with any dosh yet.
Also as an engineer i question everything thereby annoying any and all trades people i do business with

As usual i am merely interested in whether i need to put TRV's on the towel rails, i can DIY it in a morning so no problem, its just interest at the regulatory contradictions. That and the different interpretations of the regs from different trades people.

Philisophically i can see some value in power flushing
in as much as it saves removal rads and hassle etc but as an value added activity its already got a bad rep.
I imagine due to the more unscrupulous individuals that we all sometimes encounter.

Can i borrow your sofa to go hide behind now?

alanobrien

alanobrien wrote:

Good point though i will phone the local building contol bods and ask their opinion on the TRV's

Hey i get to quote myself.......very odd...:D

Anyway, building control they say no.....
They said the regs are confusing but they do not expect to see TRV's on towel rails.

Given they sign off everything i will take that as difinitive.

Now how do i go about finding whoever wrote the regs to ask them to update it and make it clearer.....

One other thing i did find on the local building control www site was this from their FAQ

"Do I need approval to install or replace a boiler or hot water cylinder?"

"Yes. Unless your installer is registed with an appropriate body. When the work is finished there is an official certificate issued providing all the necessary inspections have been carried out. However, you must remember to advise us that work has been completed."


The boiler fair enough, corgi, gas, danger and all that
but a water tank ? again that's news to me, difficult to keep up with all these new regs.

IJJoseph

That is confusing! I thought that as long as you are not interfering with the gas side of things you were fine!

Trouble is that regs are changing constantly and even building control can't keep up with them.

My extension has an additional bedroom. The windows were fitted with a lockable catch. This is apparently no longer allowed, yet it passed interim inspection a few weeks prior!!!