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Notice Plates
This is still a subject that attracts many questions as to when a plate should be provided. Approved Document J gives the following clear guidance on how to comply with the following mandatory Requirement J4 of the Building Regulations for England and Wales.
" Where a hearth, fireplace, flue or chimney is provided or extended, a durable notice containing information on the performance capabilities of the hearth, fireplace, flue or chimney shall be affixed in a suitable place in the building for the purpose of enabling combustion appliances to be safely installed. "
(Similar requirements for provision of a notice plate apply in Scotland as referred to in F3.12 of the Building Standards (Scotland) Regulations, which also requires a plate when an appliance is fitted).
The installer is considered to be the person responsible for providing the completed notice plate and fixing it in accordance with the requirements given in the following clauses 1.56 to 1.58 of the Approved Dcoument J.
1.56 Where a hearth, fireplace (including a flue box), flue or chimney is provided or extended (including cases where a flue is provided as part of the refurbishment work), information essential to the correct application and use of these facilities should be permanently posted in the building. A way of meeting this requirement would be to provide a notice plate as shown in Diagram 16 {the Topstak Chimney notice plate shown below is similar to the one in Diagram 16} conveying the following information:
- The location of the hearth, fireplace (or flue box) or the location of the beginning of the flue;
- The category of the flue and generic types of appliances that can be safely accommodated;
- The type and size of the flue (or its liner if it has been relined) and the manufacturer's name;
- The installation date.
1.57 Notice plates should be robust, indelibly marked and securely fixed in an unobtrusive but obvious position within the building such as:
- Next to the electricity consumer unit; or
- Next to the chimney or hearth described; or
- Next to the water supply stop-cock.
1.58 For chimney products whose performance characteristics have been assessed in accordance with a European Standard (EN) and which are supplied or marked with a designation as described in Paragraph 0.4 (9), the installer may optionally include this designation on the label as shown in Diagram 1.9.
We supply the Topstak metal chimney notice plate as shown below with details on how it should be filled out. We also supply a permanent marker pen for filling out the details.
The Topstak metal Chimney Notice plate shown to the left measures 110mm x 110mm and is made from aluminium with an anodised finish.
* The line numbers do not appear on the actual plate and are reference to the completion guidance given below.
The relevant details can be written onto the plate with an Aerospace felt tip marker pen or similar permanent marker.
The information to be given depends on the actual installation and the following table provides examples together with identifying what is compulsory or optional information.
It is the responsibility of the installer to ensure that the information written onto the plate is accurate and the installation complies with the requirements.
| Line no | Compulsory or Optional |
Notes |
| 1 | Compulsory | State the address of the property. |
| 2 | Compulsory | State the room where the hearth or beginning of the flue is located i.e. Lounge on ground floor. |
| 3 | Compulsory | If the chimney is a new installation state the type of system for example an ICS insulated metal chimney or Brick built with clay liners. If the chimney is existing, such as a masonry chimney you could state Existing masonry chimney. |
| 4 | Compulsory | If the chimney i new state Not applicable new chimney see above. If the existing chimney has been relined state system used e.g. Topstak Multiflex “Class 1” flexible multifuel liner. If it is not being relined state Not relined. |
| 5 | Designation
Optional Flue size is Compulsory |
The designation information is optional and if known should be given as defined in BS EN 1443 or by the manufacturer. e.g. if the liner is Multiflex the designation would be T450 N2 S D3. The flue size must be stated e.g. 150mm dia. State cross sectional flue dimensions if a square or rectangular. |
| 6 | Compulsory | State what generic types of appliances and fuels the chimney/liner can be used with. e.g. solid fuel open fire and or stove, gas appliance etc. |
| 7 | Compulsory | If flue/chimney product is suitable for condensing appliances state Yes. If it is not state No. |
| 8 | Compulsory | State what generic types of appliances can be used on the hearth e.g. solid fuel open fire and or stove, gas appliance etc. |
| 9 | Optional | This gives the option to state the make of the installed appliance. |
| 10 | Compulsory | State date of installation. The space for “Ref” could be used to note the installer’s job number. |
| 11 | Optional | This space is for recording the optional information giving contact details of the person or firm carrying out the installation. |
| 12 | Optional | This space can be used for giving details on conditions on such as performance limitations e.g. false hearths. |
More Information:
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