Can I change a thermocouple or do I have to call an engineer?

MSE_ForumTeam1

gromituk wrote:

Yeah - and you might as well never cross the road, while you're about it.

A thermocouple is a failsafe device: if you don't fit it properly, your boiler will not stay alight.

Nile is correctly pointing out that it's always best to get a qualified specialist to fit such equipment. Regardless of whether you agree or disagree with this, I would ask you to show a little more courtesy for a Board Guide who is only acting in the best interests of everyones safety.

intel

Ere if anything goes wrong and an insurance payout is on the cards they
might say no if they find a bad iinstall or summet, get me drift.

moneysavingplumber

intel wrote:

Ere if anything goes wrong and an insurance payout is on the cards they
might say no if they find a bad iinstall or summet, get me drift.

I get your drift :xmassmile . It ties in with the post regarding to the Benchmark card above, Baxi for one won't honour warranties whereby the Benchmark is not fully filled out. If an end user has cause to call their service desk in the warranty period, they will ask for details of the Benchmark card and will not send an engineer free of charge if you cannot provide the details.

intel

moneysavingplumber wrote:

I get your drift :xmassmile . It ties in with the post regarding to the Benchmark card above, Baxi for one won't honour warranties whereby the Benchmark is not fully filled out. If an end user has cause to call their service desk in the warranty period, they will ask for details of the Benchmark card and will not send an engineer free of charge if you cannot provide the detals.

Gotcha so basically can cause insurance woes....

:beer: :beer:

Cheers Bud :beer:

moneysavingplumber

Depends on the policy and the conditions, but it could definitely cause warranty problems.

jessica's_mum

Blimey I didn't mean to start a fight!

To make it clear, it's on the fire part not the boiler, so the boiler won't be touched, and it is way out of warranty. If it involved coming close to the gas supply I wouldn't even be asking.

All the previous times it has broken the gas man has told me 'well some thermocouples just break' - it's about the fourth time it's gone in five years. I intend to replace the whole system within the next year or so so it is only a patch job anyway.

As for the kids turning blue, they're doing that already – there's no radiator in the front room!

Catherine

gromituk

moneysavingplumber wrote:

That is of course your priviledge, but the law is still the law, !!!!!! or not.

I agree, but you miss the point. You were saying that it was dangerous for someone to contemplate gas work if they weren't sure of its legality. That is a non-sequitor. It might be illegal, but it doesn't mean it's dangerous.

No way am I saying that people should go ahead and do gas work if they are not competent. A healthy respect for it is essential. And I agree fully with the part of the law which states that doing gas work for anyone else is illegal, unless registered. But the law is also a money-making exercise for CORGI, and it's oh so convenient to spread FUD about gas work and to say that doing your own gas work is always illegal - it isn't.

moneysavingplumber

gromituk wrote:

and it's oh so convenient to spread FUD about gas work and to say that doing your own gas work is always illegal - it isn't.

Doing your own gas work will almost always involve a contravention of the gas safety regulations somewhere down the line, whether it be in the recommissioning, failure to notice faults on the appliance being worked upon, failure to maintain earth continuity, I could go on. You could be prosecuted for something as simple as failing to fit a terminal guard. It does make alot of money for Corgi I agree, but that is another matter. If people are so confident it is legal, then why not ring up and invite the HSE round to inspect their DIY gas work? I'm sure the confidence in the legality will not be so assured if there is a chance it could really be put to the test, possibly in court.

It doesn't make any sense at all to take a risk anyway. Kicking around definitions of the word 'dangerous' in a forum doesn't address the OP here at all. Ask yourself if you would trust the poster of this thread's father-in-law to come around to your house and mess with your own gas fire, and I don't think you would answer a confident 'yes', the reason being you have absolutely no way of assessing their competence other than by their patter and their own assertions of competence. Likewise, the only way of ensuring that somebody has been through a minimum of training and assessment, and that they will have a degree of accountability greater than that of somebody unqualified, is to hire somebody Corgi registered.

I'm sorry to disagree with you so strongly gromituk (again :xmassmile ) but to some degree I feel if you choose to disagree and carry on doing your own gas work that's one thing, but encouraging other people to do so (even indirectly by telling them it's all great and legal to have a go at your own gas work, if you consider yourself competent by your own definitions), I think may encourage them to put themselves at risk, I'm sure you know what I mean, and that's why I am arguing this particular point so strongly.

the_gasman_2

gromituk wrote:

I agree, but you miss the point. You were saying that it was dangerous for someone to contemplate gas work if they weren't sure of its legality. That is a non-sequitor. It might be illegal, but it doesn't mean it's dangerous.

No way am I saying that people should go ahead and do gas work if they are not competent. A healthy respect for it is essential. And I agree fully with the part of the law which states that doing gas work for anyone else is illegal, unless registered. But the law is also a money-making exercise for CORGI, and it's oh so convenient to spread FUD about gas work and to say that doing your own gas work is always illegal - it isn't.

I have to agree with moneysavingplumber. No matter how you try to argue your point, the bottom line is if you are not qualified you cannot touch it. "A plumber who is not CORGI registered is no longer allowed to even hang a boiler on the wall as it is now classed as agas fitting. So gone are the days of getting a plumber to fit a boiler and then get the corgi registered guy in to connect the gas and follow the commissioning procedure.
IT MAY BE YOUR APPLIANCE IN YOUR OWN PROPERTY,BUT YOU CANNOT TOUCH IT IF YOU DO NOT HOLD THE CURRENT QUALIFICATIONS.

I am in no way saying you are not competant to do a simple job, but is the element of being slightly unsure worth risking your life for. I have been to sort out too many "HAVE A GO HERO DIYers" who thought they could save themselves a quick buck... IS YOUR LIFE AND FAMILY WORTH THIS????

You can seek advice direct from CORGI...
Please be safe!!!

gromituk

Reading some of the things said on here, you'd think that gas was as dangerous as plutonium!

I haven't done any gas work for a long time. If the relevant regulations are available online (and why shouldn't they be?), then I will be able to see all these obscure gotchas you enjoy conjouring up. I will read and understand them before doing any gas work. And I would be very happy to have my work inspected. I hope CORGI does spot checks on its members' work, likewise - not just when people complain. After all, for professionals, time is money, so there is always the temptation to cut corners.

This brings me to my unanswered earlier question then: is it no longer possible to do your own gas work and get it commissioned by a CORGI fitter? Because, as I said, a colleague did that a few years ago and he's not someone to do anything illegal. The gas fitter was very impressed with his work.

Of course, as gas fitter yourselves, you've seen your fair share of bodged jobs, as any electrician, car mechanic or other professional will have seen, too. But I'm sure you've seen bodged jobs by professionals as well, CORGI registered or not.

There should be some competition out there: CORGI should not be the only body allowed to train and certify gas fitters, which is what I presume they do. Or is it possible merely to sit an exam with CORGI and do the rest yourself?