This items explores and summarises the Part L changes. We have highlighted to top five changes which have been made and how they will affect you.
In short, BS7593 (the ‘Code of practice for the preparation, commissioning and maintenance of domestic central heating and cooling water systems’), has been incorporated into Part L of the Building Regulations. This amendment transforms BS7593 from an advisory document to one that is now mandated – its points must now be adhered to.
Installation of in-line filter required
A filter to protect system components now needs to be installed, complementing a chemical clean and flush.
Sentinel filters like the Vortex300 and Vortex500, or Vortex250, can be used.
Annual checks for concentration of chemicals and water cleanliness
Keep on top of inhibitor levels! The presence of inhibitor to protect systems must be checked each year.
Here, we offer simple and easy tests like the QuickTest, allowing confirmation of inhibitor presence within minutes
Inhibitor should be re-dosed at 5 year intervals
Whilst our X100 will give lifetime protection, the amendments state that a system should be cleaned, fully drained and refreshed every 5 years, adding new inhibitor.
Biocidal and frost protection should be used where applicable
Across low temperature installations, fungal growth is to be kept at bay using a biocide like X700 and for systems liable to freezing, an inhibited antifreeze, such as X500, needs to be used.
Only 3 recommended cleaning methodologies: powerflushing, mains pressure and gravity cleaning
Ensure your clean is compliant – this is most relevant on powerflushes. An ‘external pump and tank arrangement’ is required, otherwise the procedure will not fit the requirement of being a powerflush. Flushing using magnet technology, for example, does not fit the bill. A powerflushing machine like the JetFlush Rapid is the perfect machine to tick all of the boxes for any powerflushing job.
There is an immediate 'uplift' in the regulations, so amendments are to start now, and by 2025, the updated regulations, which will be known as the 'Future Homes Standard' will be fully implemented.
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Sentinel is a company with a clear goal: we offer water treatment products and services that provide the best lifetime protection for heating and hot water systems. Originally launched in the UK by Grace Dearborn in 1988 and subsequently a subsidiary of the leading multinational General Electric, Sentinel has operated independently since 2005, expanding its international reach and range of innovative solutions. As of 2021, Sentinel is owned by Aalberts N.V., and sits in the hydronic flow control cluster.