Fix my boiler flue please?

[UbiquitousDust]

A few years ago we got a boiler fitted. The guy who did it left things poorly finished eg running pipes over floor joists. He also left this mess by the boiler flue. It's bits of leftover metal sheet which have been slotted together. There is a huge gap all around which causes freezing drafts that run through the house and it looks awful.

We parted ways with that plumber and got another new boiler fitted. My husband asked the new plumber about it and my husband says the new plumber just shrugged and said there isn't much else we can do. In all honesty I doubt that conversation happened as my husband says it did.

I know it's a safety thing and the hot parts can't touch flammable materials like plasterboard but I have never seen a boiler flue look like this. It isn't right is it? Because my husband reckons the plumber said there aren't any other options he isn't even willing to discuss it now. I can't find anything on Google but I am so fed up with the cold drafts it causes. :(

There must be a better option? We could hide the ugly with a cupboard case around the boiler and flue but the drafts would still come out from the bottom.

if it's a modern condensing boiler, the flue is probably plastic and the outside surface probably gets no hotter than a teacup.

I can't see why you shouldn't pack mineral wool insulating quilt around it on top of the ceiling. I suppose it is either in the floor of the room above, or in the loft. Mineral wool does not burn, unlike some plastic foam insulation materials. If tightly packed it will muffle draughts, as well as providing insulation. Mineral wool treated with Ecose (it will be emblazoned on the packaging) does not shed irritant dust and fibres.

Ceilings are more normally made with plasterboard, which can be cut to fit and a hole can be made in it to fit round the flue. Plasterboard is also fireproof. It is nailed through to fix it to the joists. A small builder or a plasterer could do this. A person who can do plastering could skim over the area to blend it in so you can decorate it later.

Heating engineers are not expected to plaster ceilings.

Thanks Piglettjohn, so basically I need to speak to the plumber? I'm not asking him to plaster! I just want to know what can be done to get rid of that hole (which is currently whistling). According to my husband the plumber said nothing and that it needs to be there but that didn't sound right to me.

Yes, condenser boiler, plastic flue. The flue is about 5ft in total length.

you don't need a heating engineer to plaster a ceiling or add loft insulation.

I don't want him to! 😁

The first plumber cut the hole in the ceiling and did this. The second plumber (apparently) said the hole has to be there.

I don't think it does, you don't think it does. My next step is to speak to the plumber myself to clarify what can be done. I just wanted reassurance that I wasn't asking a stupid question.

I have no intention of asking the plumber to plaster the ceiling. Equally I wouldn't ask a plasterer to advise me on what amount of space a flue needs.