Introduction to the provisions

0.1 This Approved Document gives guidance on how to satisfy the requirements of Part J. Although Part J applies to the accommodation of any combustion installation and liquid fuel storage system within the Limits on Application, the guidance in this Approved Document has been prepared mainly with domestic installations in mind, such as those comprising space and water heating systems and cookers and their flues, and their attendant oil and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) fuel storage systems. Part J does not include specific provisions relating to the storage of solid fuel (including solid biofuel) but the relevant guidance in Approved Document B should be followed.

0.2 The guidance applies to combustion installations having power ratings and fuel storage capacities up to the limits shown in a) to c) below. Guidance which applies generally is given in this section and Section 1. More specific guidance is then given in:

a. Section 2 for solid fuel installations of up to 45kW rated output;

b. Section 3 for gas installations of up to 70kW net (77.7kW gross) rated input;

c. Section 4 for oil installations of up to 45kW rated heat output.

Section 5 gives guidance on requirement J5 for heating oil storage installations with capacities up to 3500 litres and LPG storage installations with capacities up to 1.1 tonne, although there is no size limit on the application of requirement J5. Section 5 also gives guidance on requirement J6, which is limited to installations where the capacity of the oil storage tank is 3500 litres or less, serving buildings used wholly or mainly as private dwellings.

0.3 For installations subject to the requirements of part J but outside the scope of this Approved Document, such as incinerators or installations with higher ratings than those mentioned above, specialist guidance may be necessary. However, some larger installations may be shown to comply by adopting the relevant recommendations to be found in the CIBSE Guide B and practice standards produced by BSI and IGEM.

Explanation of terms used

0.4 The following definitions have been adopted solely for the purposes of providing clarity in this Approved Document.

An appliance compartment is an enclosure specifically constructed or adapted to accommodate one or more combustion appliances.
A balanced compartment is a method of installing an open-flued appliance into a compartment which is sealed from the remainder of the building and whose ventilation is so arranged in conjunction with the appliance flue as to achieve a balanced flue effect.
A balanced flue appliance is a type of roomsealed appliance which draws its combustion air from a point outside the building adjacent to the point at which the combustion products are discharged, the inlet and outlet being so disposed that wind effects are substantially balanced. Balanced flues may run vertically, but in the most common configuration they discharge horizontally through the external wall against which the appliance is situated.
The boundary is the boundary of the land or buildings belonging to and under the control of the building owner. Depending upon the paragraphs of this Approved Document to which it applies, it may be drawn only around the perimeter of the land in question or extended to the centreline of adjacent routes or waterways as shown in Diagram 1.

Diagram 1 Boundaries in this Approved Document

A Building Control Body is a body that carries out checks for compliance with the Building Regulations on plans of building work and on the building work itself. The Building Control Body may be either the local authority or an Approved Inspector. For further details, see the manual to the Building Regulations.
The capacity of an oil tank is its nominal capacity as stated by the manufacturer. It is usually 95 per cent of the volume of liquid required to fill it to the brim.
A chimney is a structure consisting of a wall or walls enclosing one or more flues (see Diagram 2). In the gas industry, the chimney for a gas appliance is commonly called the flue.
A combustion appliance (or appliance) is an apparatus where fuel is burned to generate heat for space heating, water heating, cooking or other similar purpose. The appliance does not include systems to deliver fuel to it or for the distribution of heat. Typical combustion appliances are boilers, warm air heaters, water heaters, fires, stoves and cookers.
The designation system in BS EN 1443:2003 expresses the performance characteristics of a chimney or its components, as assessed in accordance with an appropriate European product standard, by means of a code such as EN 1234 – T400 N1 D1 Gxx. Further information is given in Appendix G.

Diagram 2 Chimneys and flues

A draught break is an opening formed by a factory-made component into any part of the flue serving an open-flued appliance. Such openings may be provided to allow dilution air to be drawn into a flue or to lessen the effects of down-draught on combustion in the appliance.
A draught diverter is a form of draught break intended to prevent conditions in the main length of flue from interfering with the combustion performance of an open-flued appliance (see Diagram 3(a)). It allows the appliance to operate without interference from downdraughts that may occur in adverse wind conditions and excessive draught.

Diagram 3 Draught diverter and draught stabiliser

A draught stabiliser is a factory-made counter-balanced flap device admitting air to the flue, from the same space as the combustion air, to prevent excessive variations in the draught (see Diagram 3(b)). It is usual for these to be in the fluepipe or chimney, but they may be located on the appliance.
Equivalent area is defined in BS EN 13141 -1:2004 as the area of a sharp-edged circular orifice which would pass the same air flow rate at the same applied pressure difference as the product or device being tested. The equivalent area of a simple ventilator will be less than the geometrical free area and for complex products may be significantly less.
Factory-made metal chimneys (also known as system chimneys) are prefabricated chimneys that are commonly manufactured as sets of components for assembly on site (although they can be supplied as one unit), having the performance appropriate for the intended appliance. They are available in various materials and types ranging from single-walled metal chimneys suitable for some gas appliances to twin-walled chimneys with insulation sandwiched between an inner liner and an outer metal wall which are designed for oil or solid fuel use.
In a fanned draught installation, the proper discharge of the flue gases depends upon the operation of a fan, which may be separately installed in the flue or may be an integral part of the combustion appliance. Fans in combustion appliances either may extract flue gases from the combustion chamber or may cause the flue gases to be displaced from the combustion chamber if the fan is supplying it with air for combustion. Appliances with fans providing the combustion air (including most oil-fired and many gasfired boilers) are also commonly referred to as forced draught appliances (see Diagram 4). Flues in fanned draught installations run horizontally or vertically and can be at higher or lower pressures than their surroundings, dependent upon the location of the fan.
A fire compartment is a building or part of a building comprising one or more rooms, spaces or storeys constructed to prevent the spread of fire to or from another part of the same building or an adjoining building. (A roof-space above the top storey of a fire compartment is included in that fire compartment.) A separated part of a building is a form of compartmentation in which part of a building is separated from another part of the same building by a compartment wall. Such walls run the full height of the part and are in one vertical plane. Further information on this is given in Approved Document B Vol 2 (see Section 8 Compartmentation and Appendix C Methods of Measurement).
A fireplace recess is a structural opening (sometimes called a builder’s opening) formed in a wall or in a chimney breast, from which a chimney leads and which has a hearth at its base. Simple structural openings (Diagram 5(a)) are suitable for closed appliances such as stoves, cookers or boilers, but gathers (Diagram 5(b)) are necessary for accommodating open fires. Fireplace recesses are often lined with firebacks to accommodate inset open fires (Diagram 5(c)). Lining components and decorative treatments fitted around openings reduce the opening area. It is the finished fireplace opening area which determines the size of flue required for an open fire in such a recess.
The fire resistance of a component or construction is a measure of its ability to withstand the effects of fire in one or more ways for a stated period of time. Guidance on determination of performance in terms of fire resistance is given in Approved Document B (Fire Safety).
A fire wall is a means of shielding a fuel tank from the thermal radiation from a fire. For LPG tanks, it also ensures that gas accidentally leaking from the tank or fittings must travel by a longer path and therefore disperse safely, before reaching a hazard such as an opening in a building, a boundary or other potential ignition source.
A flue is a passage that conveys the products of combustion from an appliance to the outside air (see Diagram 2).
Flueblock chimney systems consist of a set of factory-made components, made from precast concrete, clay or other masonry units, that are designed for assembly on site to provide a complete chimney having the performance appropriate for the intended appliance. There are two types of common systems, one being solely for use with gasburning appliances and the other, often called chimney block systems, being primarily designed for solid fuel-burning appliances.

Diagram 4 Types of installation

Section 0: General guidance