Hi All!
On my East facing wall is a very prominent and ugly exhaust vent from the CH boiler that i'd love to hide.

My thought was to build a trellis-based structure around it (the timber would probably be 18-24" away from the vent) and grow a climber/wall shrub up it.

But which plant could stand the extremes of normal daytime temperatures, hot exhausts during colder evenings as the CH kicks in, followed by sudden drop in temperature as the heating goes off for the night, before kicking in again around 6am? (Oh and it needs to be evergreen or dense enough to perform the disguising job!. . .)

Any thoughts (lateral or otherwise) much appreciated.

regards
David

prologica wrote:
:: Hi All!
:: On my East facing wall is a very prominent and ugly exhaust vent
:: from the CH boiler that i'd love to hide.
::
:: My thought was to build a trellis-based structure around it (the
:: timber would probably be 18-24" away from the vent) and grow a
:: climber/wall shrub up it.
::
:: But which plant could stand the extremes of normal daytime
:: temperatures, hot exhausts during colder evenings as the CH kicks
:: in, followed by sudden drop in temperature as the heating goes off
:: for the night, before kicking in again around 6am? (Oh and it
:: needs to be evergreen or dense enough to perform the disguising
:: job!. . .)
::
:: Any thoughts (lateral or otherwise) much appreciated.

Don't put anything near the outlet or you could end up killing the occupants
of the house with carbon monoxide gas....this is the extreme end of the
spectrum...at the other end is the fact that your boiler won't function
properly, if at all with it's exhaust blocked - it takes only a small amount
of vegetation to block the outlet - half a dozen leaves is ample.

PS
The outlets on most modern boilers are also the inlet for fresh air to feed
the boiler too.

"prologica" wrote in message
news

Hi All!
On my East facing wall is a very prominent and ugly exhaust vent from
the CH boiler that i'd love to hide.

My thought was to build a trellis-based structure around it (the timber
would probably be 18-24" away from the vent) and grow a climber/wall
shrub up it.

But which plant could stand the extremes of normal daytime
temperatures, hot exhausts during colder evenings as the CH kicks in,
followed by sudden drop in temperature as the heating goes off for the
night, before kicking in again around 6am? (Oh and it needs to be
evergreen or dense enough to perform the disguising job!. . .)

Any thoughts (lateral or otherwise) much appreciated.

regards
David

I can't think of any plants that would like the conditions you describe.
How about some 'dense' trellis made from steel, wicker, reed, woven stuff.......
Or A mural type thing painted onto a box around the offending item?
Jenny

"prologica" wrote in
message news

Hi All!
On my East facing wall is a very prominent and ugly exhaust vent
from
the CH boiler that i'd love to hide.

My thought was to build a trellis-based structure around it (the
timber
would probably be 18-24" away from the vent) and grow a climber/wall
shrub up it.

But which plant could stand the extremes of normal daytime
temperatures, hot exhausts during colder evenings as the CH kicks
in,
followed by sudden drop in temperature as the heating goes off for
the
night, before kicking in again around 6am? (Oh and it needs to be
evergreen or dense enough to perform the disguising job!. . .)

Any thoughts (lateral or otherwise) much appreciated.

My thoughts run along the lines that you should learn to love the
exhaust pipe and live with it

Franz

If your central heating is run on Diesel oil then the sulphur given off will
kill any plant that comes into contact with the exhaust gas.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

JennyC wrote:
"prologica" wrote in
message news

Hi All!
On my East facing wall is a very prominent and ugly exhaust vent
from
the CH boiler that i'd love to hide.

My thought was to build a trellis-based structure around it (the
timber would probably be 18-24" away from the vent) and grow a
climber/wall shrub up it.

But which plant could stand the extremes of normal daytime
temperatures, hot exhausts during colder evenings as the CH kicks
in,
followed by sudden drop in temperature as the heating goes off for
the night, before kicking in again around 6am? (Oh and it needs to
be
evergreen or dense enough to perform the disguising job!. . .)

Any thoughts (lateral or otherwise) much appreciated.

regards
David

I can't think of any plants that would like the conditions you
describe.
How about some 'dense' trellis made from steel, wicker, reed, woven
stuff....... Or A mural type thing painted onto a box around the
offending item?
Jenny

This is a balanced flue, I assume. Already shielded by a square wire
basket about 500mm across, and projecting some 150mm from the wall?

At all costs, as has already been pointed out, airflow in and
exhaust flow out mustn't be restricted. So we don't want anything
growing actually _on_ the protective grille, which rules out
climbers. But my experience is that plants will live quite happily
right in front of these things. One of mine had a very contented
forsythia slap bang in front, and the other had an equally relaxed
hebe. I don't think the very localized variation in temperature will
make any significant difference; and the exhaust gases will go
straight up, so we can forget about them -- they're mostly benign
anyhow, I imagine.

This brings us back to the design rule about distracting from
eyesores, not drawing attention to them. The less you do, the better
it will work Grow a tree in front of your telegraph pole: don't grow
a climber up it. There's nothing wrong with painting these outlets
and "baskets", by the way: same colour as the wall if the wall is
light, dull black if it isn't. I really wouldn't bother with a
trellis thing: if it isn't part of the overall design it may stick
out like a sore thumb, and you may end up having to build two or
three more to make it fit in. _And_ one of these fine days it'll have
to come down if the maintenance man wants to get at the outlet.

My experience, though, is with flues placed low down. If yours is at
head height, you'll need a taller tree: my forsythia would have been
fine, as I like to let them develop, but the hebe wouldn't have done.

In message , prologica
writes

Hi All!
On my East facing wall is a very prominent and ugly exhaust vent from
the CH boiler that i'd love to hide.

My thought was to build a trellis-based structure around it (the timber
would probably be 18-24" away from the vent) and grow a climber/wall
shrub up it.


This is almost certainly not acceptable from a safety POV as described

There are general rules about the placing of gas (I assume gas) flues on
walls - but really you should check the boiler installation instructions
or with the manufacturer for specific recommendations as regards such
obstructions close to the boiler.
--
Chris French and Helen Johnson, Leeds
urg Suppliers and References FAQ:
http://www.familyfrench.co.uk/garden/urgfaq/index.html

Mike Lyle wrote:
snip
:: At all costs, as has already been pointed out, airflow in and
:: exhaust flow out mustn't be restricted. So we don't want anything
:: growing actually _on_ the protective grille, which rules out
:: climbers.

This is what worries me the most - people think 'ah well, the heat from the
boiler will kill off any growth near the inlet' - It doesn't...in the summer
months, when the boiler's inactive and the plants are going berserk, this is
when it gets blocked...come Autumn, fire up the boiler and a housefull of
carbon monoxide is the result.

In message , Phil L
writes
Mike Lyle wrote:
snip
:: At all costs, as has already been pointed out, airflow in and
:: exhaust flow out mustn't be restricted. So we don't want anything
:: growing actually _on_ the protective grille, which rules out
:: climbers.

This is what worries me the most - people think 'ah well, the heat from the
boiler will kill off any growth near the inlet' - It doesn't...in the summer
months, when the boiler's inactive

Most boilers are used for hot water all year round.

and the plants are going berserk, this is
when it gets blocked...come Autumn, fire up the boiler and a housefull of
carbon monoxide is the result.



The last bit seems to be an unlikely result with a balanced flue or
modern fanned flue boiler. The boilers are 'room sealed' air is drawn in
from outside and the exhaust gases vent out through the same flue, there
should be no route into the house.

Only problem would be if it stopped flue gases escaping from the flue
area and instead directed them in some way to an open window or door. .
--
Chris French and Helen Johnson, Leeds
urg Suppliers and References FAQ:
http://www.familyfrench.co.uk/garden/urgfaq/index.html

Thanks to everyone for their helpful advice. This is obviously an excellent forum!

David

"prologica" wrote in message
news

Phil L Wrote:
Mike Lyle wrote:
snip
:: At all costs, as has already been pointed out, airflow in and
:: exhaust flow out mustn't be restricted. So we don't want anything
:: growing actually _on_ the protective grille, which rules out
:: climbers.

This is what worries me the most - people think 'ah well, the heat from
the
boiler will kill off any growth near the inlet' - It doesn't...in the
summer
months, when the boiler's inactive and the plants are going berserk,
this is
when it gets blocked...come Autumn, fire up the boiler and a housefull
of
carbon monoxide is the result.

Thanks to everyone for their helpful advice. This is obviously an
excellent forum!


Why not change your boiler, getting a more efficient one, and probably with
a neater smaller fan flue outlet, which would hopefully be far less of an
eyesore? My plumber friend tells me now is the time to do it, before the
regulations are tightened up again in April.

"prologica" wrote in
message news
Why don't you join uk.rec.gardening directly instead of peeping in
through the window provided by gardenbanter? At present you have no
idea of whether you are seeing the whole of what gets discussed in the
newsgroup.

Franz