Best place to find a (cheap) plumber?

Ms_Chocaholic

I've PM'd you.

Mr.Generous

It depends where in UK you are, around Manchester a company called Certificate4you do gas safety for £37.50

They have a map on website showing the area they cover. They use fully qualifies ENGINEERS not like electricians who are just wire fixing monkeys really. In fact I would imagine most trades are higher qualified than spark monkeys, even the guy who digs trenches.

Enjoy.

missprice

Risteard wrote: »

Because they're not engineers. In much of the world engineer is a legally protected title and generally requires a degree, and often professional registration. A gas man is certainly not an engineer.

Hmmm I know you have said this previously but my OH is a qualified gas engineer, plus a qualified sparky and some other things too. At some point he got a degree, can't ask him what in cos he ain't here,(think maths though) he off fixing summat.
Here they are called engineers, why fret what the rest of the world calls them?
And he is professionally registered, he has to take exams every 5? Years for the gas, not sure about electric.

Risteard

No they're not engineers. My father is a civil engineer, with a PhD and MBA. He is a Member of an engineering body and a Fellow of another.

Gas installers/gas men/gas plumbers are not engineers and never will be. That doesn't take away from what they do - but it doesn't mean that they are engineers. They are not and cannot ever be. In much of the world it is illegal to describe them as such.

missprice

Risteard wrote: »

No they're not engineers. My father is a civil engineer, with a PhD and MBA. He is a Member of an engineering body and a Fellow of another.

Gas installers/gas men/gas plumbers are not engineers and never will be. That doesn't take away from what they do - but it doesn't mean that they are engineers. They are not and cannot ever be. In much of the world it is illegal to describe them as such.

It ain't illegal here though so what happens elsewhere is academic

ETA even the gas Safe register calls them engineers,if they have it so wrong you take it up with them

Risteard

missprice wrote: »

It ain't illegal here though so what happens elsewhere is academic

ETA even the gas Safe register calls them engineers,if they have it so wrong you take it up with them

They do have it wrong if they incorrectly refer to them as engineers.

The Register of Gas Installers of Ireland (RGII) - a wholly owned subsidiary of the Register of Electrical Contractors of Ireland (RECI) - correctly refers to them as (Registered) Gas Installers (or RGIs).

George_Michael

Risteard wrote: »

They do have it wrong if they incorrectly refer to them as engineers.

The Register of Gas Installers of Ireland (RGII) - a wholly owned subsidiary of the Register of Electrical Contractors of Ireland (RECI) - correctly refers to them as (Registered) Gas Installers (or RGIs).

Why do you think that the terms used in a different country are of any relevance?

The fact is that Gas Safe refer to gas fitters/installers as engineers:
https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/

The UK Health and Safety executive refer to them as engineers:
http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/gas-safe-register-check.htm

and the UK government careers office refer to them as engineers:
https://nationalcareersservice.direct.gov.uk/job-profiles/gas-service-technician

The meanings and definitions of words is constantly evolving and whilst it might have been the case a few years ago that you needed a degree or similar qualification to be classed as an engineer, this is no longer the case.

Many years ago, a barber was someone who cut your hair as well as performing dentistry and some surgery but this has now changed so why can't/won't you accept that the definition of the word "engineer" can also change over time?

missprice

Risteard wrote: »

They do have it wrong if they incorrectly refer to them as engineers.

The Register of Gas Installers of Ireland (RGII) - a wholly owned subsidiary of the Register of Electrical Contractors of Ireland (RECI) - correctly refers to them as (Registered) Gas Installers (or RGIs).

So you go take it up with them. I care not what they are called, but my OH is an engineer in the UK, Canada, Australia, USA, China.

Risteard

missprice wrote: »

So you go take it up with them. I care not what they are called, but my OH is an engineer in the UK, Canada, Australia, USA, China.

He certainly isn't in Australia. Or anywhere else in Europe for that matter.

shaun_from_Africa

Risteard wrote: »

Because they're not engineers. In much of the world engineer is a legally protected title and generally requires a degree, and often professional registration. A gas man is certainly not an engineer.

As there is nothing in law in the UK that prohibits gas installers being classed as engineers and as this term is widely used by businesses, individuals, trade bodies and even the government, have you considered that just maybe it's you that is wrong.

I'm an aviation engineer, fully qualified and certified by the CAA yet if I go to the USA I am referred to as an aircraft mechanic.
This just goes to show that job titles can and do differ in different countries and just because a title has a certain meaning in one country it doesn't mean that it has to be the same everywhere.