Boiler just exploded in my face!!

h4zel

We have lived in our house for 4.5 years now. It's rented, through an agency and basically the combi boiler has been 'kn*ckered' (in the words of the man who comes to fix it every time it goes wrong!) since the landlord bought the house some 15 years ago. However, it is safety checked every year by the landlords mate who is apparently corgi registered and passes.. I have my doubts!

Anyway, yesterday the pilot light went out and I re-lit it again no problems. The boiler had been making odd noises for a while but nothing out of the ordinary for this boiler! ..it came to the afternoon and the pilot light had gone out again so there I was showing my other half how to light it again and as soon as I click the ignition button the whole thing goes BANG!!! ..only much louder! ..right in my face.. all I can hear is fuzz and I about filled my drawers! :eek:

Turns out it's not a gas leak (after british gas emergency man came out) but that the boiler is declared 'UNSAFE' and we are promply disconnected for our own safety!! ..terrible smell of electrical burning and all the agency could say to us was 'you should have called us first NOT british gas!! ...yeah, right.. on a Saturday afternoon!!

Anyway.. it scared the living crap out of me, as you can imagine, and the mate of the landlords who fixes the boiler isn't coming out till Monday night.. so.. do we have any rights as tennents to demand a safe boiler or what.. it all seems a bit like they don't really care if the thing is safe or not, and my hearing hasn't yet returned to normal either!!

jockettuk

first thing i would do when the mate turns up is ask to see his corgi registration card etc.. if he refuses then dont let him touch the boiler. if he doesnt show you it and you havnt had it fixed you tell the agency you want it sorted asap or you will be seeking legal advice for compensation.. if your hearing dont come back get medical advice and also speakto the citizens advice people abt where you stand on the boiler situation

as for the agency telling you to contact them before b.gas no way if i thought there was a leak i wouldnt be ringing around to find someone i would call in the right emergency people..

dont let them push you around if it needs repairing fair enough but if its knackered stand your ground for a new one..

moneysavingplumber

It's a little strange for it to go bang upon igniting as the button is usually a piezo spark generator with no live connections, which would suggest perhaps a faulty gas valve letting gas by then causing the explosion when you pushed the button, although the mini-explosion may have burnt a loom which may have caused the electrical smell.

As a tenant you should have a Landlords gas safety certificate, if you are in doubt about the engineer's credentials you can check the details on the form with Corgi. The situation is also reportable under RIDDOR (Reporting Of Injuries Diseases & Dangerous Occurences) to the HSE, and if you report it along with any doubts about your landlord's engineer they might investigate. Even if he is Corgi registered, if he has been negligent then he can be prosecuted. It's worth considering the consequences to your relationship with your landlord before taking any major action and worth talking to him first to maybe apply a little pressure to get the boiler replaced by a reputable firm and not his dodgy sounding mate, keep any documentation you have safe that you may need in the event of being unable to resolve the situation amicably.

h4zel

Thanks for your replies.. I must admit I didn't know what to do at the time and the first thing I smelt was gas so I turned it off at the meter and rang british gas straight away not only for my own safety but as a duty of care to the other people in the neighbourhood.. last thing I wanted was a big BBQ where my street used to be

I'll check out the guy is Corgi registered tomorrow if and when he turns up. Not looking for compensation.. just want a safe house to live in.. that and to scare the crap out of the landlord as his boiler did to me because it could have been SO much worse and if he realises that maybe he'll sort it properly :rolleyes:

jockettuk

how did you get on with the landlords mate when he supposed to come round?

h4zel

Well.. he said that the fan had gone and this is what cause the gas to build up and then explode when I tried to light it.. all sounds a bit dangerous to me.. but then I've been have cold showers for 5 days now, anything sounds odd!