Switched to smart meters, fitter gave me a warning about boiler not being to regs and dangerous.

CRNeo

After some advice as I'm now worried.

After reviewing my energy deal (currently with Eon Next) I decided to move onto the Eon Pledge tariff..  it stated I needed to have smart meters fitted and Eon have been messaging me about having them fitted what feels like every hour tbh so I finally caved and arranged to have them fitted.

Fitter came out, installation seemed to go fairly smoothly and everything generally ok (the gas isn't showing on the IHD which he said would "work at some point" but 2 days on still no bueno so I'm not holding out hope on that )

Anyway, the main issue was he said "your boiler flue is too close to the drain pipework so I just need to issue you this warning, it's just an advise and you don't need to worry or do anything about it but can you just sign here" 

Stupidly I took his word and signed the form, I gave it a cursory glance and it seemed ok but on closer inspection after he left the form states that "this is dangerous, do not use and to do so is an offense" this is NOT what the engineer had stated at all and now has me worried about my insurance or liability if anything was to happen (unlikely but still)

I think he is correct and regs have changed and my flue is indeed too close to other plastic pipework.. but when it was fitted years ago I'm assuming it was fine.. and I've had several boiler services since I bought the house and a gas safety check at the point of sale.

Interestingly I had a email from EON very shortly after offering a discount on a new boiler! Coincidence? or a ploy to make me buy a new boiler? Just seems shady to me and now I don't know where I stand on this warning. I'm obviously not about to stop using my boiler it's bloody cold out and I need heating and hot water!

I feel like this is some sort of scam!

Any advice around the same and how I should proceed would be greatly appreciated! 

MattMattMattUK

CRNeo said:

After some advice as I'm now worried.

After reviewing my energy deal (currently with Eon Next) I decided to move onto the Eon Pledge tariff..  it stated I needed to have smart meters fitted and Eon have been messaging me about having them fitted what feels like every hour tbh so I finally caved and arranged to have them fitted.

Fitter came out, installation seemed to go fairly smoothly and everything generally ok (the gas isn't showing on the IHD which he said would "work at some point" but 2 days on still no bueno so I'm not holding out hope on that )

Anyway, the main issue was he said "your boiler flue is too close to the drain pipework so I just need to issue you this warning, it's just an advise and you don't need to worry or do anything about it but can you just sign here" 

Stupidly I took his word and signed the form, I gave it a cursory glance and it seemed ok but on closer inspection after he left the form states that "this is dangerous, do not use and to do so is an offense" this is NOT what the engineer had stated at all and now has me worried about my insurance or liability if anything was to happen (unlikely but still)

I think he is correct and regs have changed and my flue is indeed too close to other plastic pipework.. but when it was fitted years ago I'm assuming it was fine.. and I've had several boiler services since I bought the house and a gas safety check at the point of sale.

Interestingly I had a email from EON very shortly after offering a discount on a new boiler! Coincidence? or a ploy to make me buy a new boiler? Just seems shady to me and now I don't know where I stand on this warning. I'm obviously not about to stop using my boiler it's bloody cold out and I need heating and hot water!

I feel like this is some sort of scam!

Any advice around the same and how I should proceed would be greatly appreciated! 

It is not a scam, they are likely required to notify you of installations that do not comply with current regulations. If you had a replacement boiler the flue issue would need to be addressed, but providing the current boiler was compliant when it was installed then generally that is regarded as fine (unless it is deemed dangerous/unsafe by a Gas Safe engineer, who may be required to disconnect it).

CRNeo

Yes I understand that but the engineer who fitted my gas meter has now issued me with a notice saying my boiler is unsafe (he wasn't even there to do anything with the boiler, only the fitting of the smart meter) verbally he said to me that it was just advice and there's nothing to worry about/do and he didn't concern it to be unsafe.. it just didn't meet current regs.

The problem is that the form specifically states to not use the equipment, and I have signed this form... I don't believe this should have been issued, especially as the work wasn't even touching the boiler.

FreeBear

CRNeo said: Anyway, the main issue was he said "your boiler flue is too close to the drain pipework so I just need to issue you this warning, it's just an advise and you don't need to worry or do anything about it but can you just sign here" 

I think he is correct and regs have changed and my flue is indeed too close to other plastic pipework.. but when it was fitted years ago I'm assuming it was fine.. and I've had several boiler services since I bought the house and a gas safety check at the point of sale.

Regulations do change over time, and the interpretation is not always consistent.. There are limits on how close a flue can be to gutters & downpipes, especially when made of plastic. The reason given is that the flue gas can get hot enough to melt plastics - With modern condensing boilers, a pretty silly excuse, especially when the flue from the boiler is made from plastic. In addition, the flue gas should never get to be more than 100°C or so and would normally be 5-15°C hotter than your return temperature.

If the distance between flue & pipework is a genuine safety concern, a plume management kit can be installed to mitigate the perceived problem. Next time you have the boiler serviced, ask about the risk and whether a plume kit would fix the problem.

QrizB

CRNeo said:

I don't believe this should have been issued, especially as the work wasn't even touching the boiler.

In order to fit the gas meter, the technician will have turned off your gas and all your appliances.

Per their standard procedures, they are only allowed to reinstate the gas supply once they have checked all your appliances. If they find a problem they can issue you with a notice or, if it's serious, they can cut off your gas until it's fixed.

You should take this up with whichever gas engineer you use to carry out your annual service & safety check.

MeteredOut

OP, if you can you post a sanitised picture of what the engineer said/what you signed, that might help.

I once had a boiler serviced and it had a fault and the engineer declared it unsafe to use. From memory, a bit of glass that sat in front of the pilot light was cracked.

He had to isolate the boiler from the gas and put a red "do not use" sticker over it until a spare part was sourced and fitted (the boiler was old so the part was not readily available).

I'm surprised if your engineer deemed your installation dangerous, he would still left it connected.

CRNeo

MeteredOut said:

OP, if you can you post a sanitised picture of what the engineer said/what you signed, that might help.

I once had a boiler serviced and it had a fault and the engineer declared it unsafe to use. From memory, a bit of glass that sat in front of the pilot light was cracked.

He had to isolate the boiler from the gas and put a red "do not use" sticker over it until a spare part was sourced and fitted (the boiler was old so the part was not readily available).

I'm surprised if your engineer deemed your installation dangerous, he would still left it connected.

I can get a sanitised copy but the form literally states and the engineer has circled "The appliance/installation has been classified as At Risk, turned off and labelled "Danger Do Not Use"

The form is headed "Danger - Do Not Use Gas Safety Warning Notice" but the engineer only showed me the bottom of the form where I signed it and said that it was "just an advisory and that it's obviously been like that for years and is fine"

However the engineer did not turn off, or label anything. He literally told me that it was "fine to use"

FreeBear

MeteredOut said: I once had a boiler serviced and it had a fault and the engineer declared it unsafe to use. From memory, a bit of glass that sat in front of the pilot light was cracked.

Had an "engineer" do the same to my old boiler because, he claimed, that it was missing a grommet around the thermocouple well and combustion gasses could escape through the hole. Point one - There has never been a grommet in that location, and none are listed/shown in the parts diagrams. Point two - The combustion chamber is not room sealed, and there are (were) bigger areas where gasses could escape.

Swipe

When I had my smart meter fitted to replace my mechanical one the installer was nosing around my consumer unit cupboard and noticed one of the internal tails had a tiny bit of coloured insulation showing where it entered the henley block. He was about to issue me a similar warning unless I promised him I'd get an electrician to take a look at it. It's been like that for years ever since the block was installed and has never been an issue.

pearl123

The fitter is only doing his job by warning your that your boiler doesn't meet regulations. 

Swipe

pearl123 said:

The fitter is only doing his job by warning your that your boiler doesn't meet regulations. 

Yes, but the OP has now unwittingly signed an agreement that if they use it and something goes wrong, they will be legally liable. I was served a similar notice when I called British Gas back in the day that the gas hob on my cooker had an orange flame. He made me sign a form and hung a "do not use" warning triangle on the cooker. I was a student at the time and asked him what I was going to do for food, to which he replied "there's a chippy down the road, isn't there" and swiftly left.