The project

The Bank of England moved its central print works out of the capital to the Essex town of Debden, near Loughton, in the 1950s. The location was made convenient by extensions to the Central Line rail link, going close to the works. Since then, the one-, two- and three-storey buildings have been the centre for the bank’s printing of notes, although production is handled by specialists De La Rue. The electrical and mechanical services provider E&B Group in Crawley has a long-standing relationship with the bank. Just as with A1 Flue Systems, E&B Group relies heavily on repeat business, with around 80% success in the last three years.

Our design 

A1 Flue Systems had been at the print works before, installing generator exhausts. The new work involved the replacement of two kitchen water heater flues that had failed insurance inspections. Hot water supply must be maintained at all times, so removal and installation had to be phased, taking down and replacing the flues one at a time. Connection was to a pair of 225mm diameter atmospheric water heaters, each rising through three 45-degree elbows and out the roof, then rising externally straight to termination. Maintenance sections were included, and from connection to termination they were around 6.5m.

Comments

“As you can imagine, in a building where bank notes are being printed, access was carefully controlled. Our operatives had to be security cleared in advance. Then, there were ongoing security checks, all taking up time. Once at work, they were severely restricted by the tight space around the water heaters. Nonetheless, the job was completed to everyone’s satisfaction.”

Richard Stains, Contracts Department Engineer, A1 Flue Systems

Facts at a glance

Client name: E&B Group

Location: Debden, Essex

Project value: £5,000

Time to complete: 2 days