Editor’s note on boiler design code:

The Australian codes have  long been promoted, not least by their  originators, as  suitable codes for use in the UK.  They are professionally drafted and rather reminiscent of British Standards in style.  Having said that, there have been teething troubles along the way.  The early issues outlawed the Briggs pattern boiler which is very popular in the antipodes because it is easy to make, and a letter in Australian Model Engineer more recently drew attention to the difficulty of obtaining copper to the Australian specifications quoted in the standard, even in Australia!

Your editor has read the codes and has attended the MEANZ* general meetings in recent years where they have been discussed. (MEANZ adopted these codes in 2004).  He has built  half a dozen boilers and is fairly well versed in the issues involved.   He would certainly support the Aussie codes as a basis for our own, provided some of the more dubious requirements are either taken out or reduced to advisory status, with the clear understanding that ‘advisory’ does mean ‘advisory’.  The Aussie code was drafted to cover all the requirements of seven state authorities as well as the federal government.  We have to satisfy only our insurers and the HSE, both of whom are fairly relaxed given half a chance.   There would be no problem with copyright, the Aussies would be delighted for us to do it.

We should also make sure that anyone drawing up codes  for mandatory use in the UK has sound practical and theoretical knowledge as well as experience of model boiler design and construction. They must  also be able to resist the temptation to adorn their creation with all manner of requirements that serve no useful purpose, just to ‘cover themselves’.   As we have said before in the newsletter pages, the hobby has an excellent safety record so far as boilers are concerned. This is  based on years of well established, well documented, and well policed practice.  It does not need or deserve yet more pointless bureaucracy which can only inhibit and damage it. 

APB,  May 2006

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