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Gas news
Protecting combustible materials near domestic cookers
By Jason Treseder , Type A Gas Appliance and Component Safety
Gasfitters are responsible for maintaining clearances to combustible materials or providing protection against combustibles to minimise risk of fire or injury .
Domestic cookers have requirements to maintain minimum clearances to combustibles , specified in clause 6.10.1 of AS / NZS5601.1-2013 and the appliance installation instructions .
The requirements in AS / NZS5601.1 and the appliance installation instructions are minimum clearances and both must be met to avoid the need to apply protection to combustible surfaces . There are frequently installations where achieving the required minimum clearances is not possible or desirable . In those cases the standard requires that combustible surfaces be protected .
For a combustible surface to be considered as protected it must be covered by materials that are not combustible while also having sufficient thermal insulation to prevent heat soaking through to the underlying material .
Compliance options AS / NZS5601.1 was revised in 2013 and a number of changes were introduced to simplify the protection requirements for domestic cookers . These were further clarified in amendment 2 , which was released in 2016 . There are currently three options available to demonstrate compliance .
The first and simplest compliance option is to use one of the methods specified in Table C1 of AS / NZS5601.1 . Table C1 describes a number of combinations of facing materials and backing materials deemed to comply with protection requirements including facing materials like ceramic tiles , toughened safety glass and sheet metal installed over specific thicknesses of gypsum or fibre cement wall board .
Note that while table C1 is acceptable for the protection of combustible materials in domestic installations , compliance with table C1 is not suitable for commercial installations . Commercial installations require fire resistant material as specified in clause 6.10.2.3 of AS / NZS5601.1 .
A second option is to install a fire resistant material that complies with clause C2 of the standard . To be considered fire resistant material a board is required to have the following three properties :
»» a minimum thickness of 6mm
»» a coefficient of heat transfer less than 20W / m2k
»» either deemed non combustible when assessed to AS1530.1 , or satisfactory indices when assessed to the relevant requirements of AS / NZS1530.3 . Gasfitters should be aware that AS1530.4 , which is used in building codes , is not equivalent and evidence of compliance with AS1530.4 does not meet AS / NZS5601 requirements . Additional requirements apply to installations where the board is required to support a load .
Please note that ESV Information Sheet 3 for fire resistant board has been discontinued and is no longer available from ESV ’ s website due to concerns with information quality and completeness .
It is the responsibility of the gasfitter to obtain evidence of non-combustibility and thermal insulation before completing the installation .
The third permitted option is installing any protective system that will satisfy the temperature requirement of clause 6.2.5 , which prohibits a temperature rise greater than 65 ° C above ambient for any combustible material .
Satisfying this third method generally requires formal evidence that the means of protection used will ensure , under the specific installation conditions , the temperature rise of any nearby underlying combustible materials will not exceed 65 ° C . This evidence will typically be along similar lines that would be required when using the section 2 performance-based requirements . It requires a NATA test report or similar documented evidence demonstrating the actual surface temperatures under equilibrium conditions , and confirming that it is less than 65 ° C above ambient . It is critical the gasfitter obtains this information before completing the work to ensure the installation is safe and compliant .
Applying for exemptions
In the case of installations where compliance is not able to be achieved or demonstrated there is also the option to apply to ESV for an exemption .
The gasfitter would need to have supporting evidence demonstrating that the installation is still safe , even though the installation is not compliant . A Schedule 6 Application for Exemption will need to be completed , detailing the work and the justification for why compliance is not warranted . If the evidence is acceptable ESV will formally grant an exemption permitting the installation .
AG006 Committee kicks off two new projects
By Enzo Alfonsetti , Manager Type A Gas Appliance Safety , AG006 Chairman
The Standards Australia AG006 committee met in July to kick off two new projects .
The first project is a complete revision of AS / NZS5601.1 and AS / NZS5601.2 . The work to be undertaken involves a gap analysis of all the performance based and essential safety requirements in section 2 against the means of compliance requirements in the other sections of both standards .
This is to ensure there is a matching performance based or essential safety requirement for each deemed to satisfy solution and vice-versa .
In addition , the project to revise AS / NZS5601.1 and AS / NZS5601.2 will also cover issues that could not be considered with the publication of the most recent amendments . This is due to restrictions that Standards Australia has on the number of changes that can be made to a standard when amended as opposed to a full revision .
Some of the issues to be considered for AS / NZS5601.1 will include :
»» referencing AS4041 in the application clause 1.2 for pressure piping where the pressure exceeds 200kPa
»» consideration to a HAZOP and risk assessment approach as for Type B appliances in AS3814
»» consideration of Work , Health and Safety laws in Australia
»» consideration for a higher temperature limit for press fit end connectors that comply with the recently published AS3688
»» review of the pipe sizing tables and the methodology used to determine the correct pipe size . Some of the issues for AS / NZS5601.2 will include : »» gas installations for caravans permanently domiciled in caravan parks ; e . g . high gas consumption continuous flow water heater installations
»» mandatory CO alarms for boats where permanent ventilation is impractical ( currently only a note )
»» further clarification of clearances from LPG cylinders to ignition sources in caravans and boats
»» introduction of a gasfitting compliance plate for caravans and boats . In addition , Standards Australia identified that the standard AS4575 “ Gas Appliances- Quality of servicing ” is an aged standard that has not been revised for over 10 years . The AG012 committee which was originally responsible for this standard was disbanded . The AG006 committee has now been given the task to revise the standard in order to take into consideration issues with Type A gas appliance servicing since the standard was last published in 2005 . Industry stakeholders including some of the registered training organisations that offer Type A gas appliance servicing courses are part of a working group that has been given the task of developing a working draft for the AG006 committee to consider .
It is also possible that the standard may be developed into a joint Australian / New Zealand standard . It is hoped that once the standard is revised that it can then be considered nationally as a reference standard in the curriculum for registered training organisations offering courses in Type A gas appliance servicing .