Gas meter capped when I was on holiday - help!

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  • mouseclick
    mouseclick Posts: 236 Forumite
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    MeterMan wrote: »
    Your best bet is to get a second opinion before forking out for a new boiler. If you can't find anyone locally to have a look. You'll be able to get one of the Wilbur team to take a look within a short space of time, but they charge a premium for that.

    I am going to have to wait. One of the local engineers replied "sorry can't help with that". The other three have not responded, although maybe they need time. I looked up Wilber - I can see this is part if British Gas (I think). But I cannot find contact details.

    I can survive with fan heaters and I have an electric shower. I am a bit concerned that others are not responding because they do not want to go against the actions of the first engineer. I may be wrong, I hope I am.
  • mouseclick
    mouseclick Posts: 236 Forumite
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    Engineer will visit on Wednesday, and tell me what to do to get the boiler up to current spec. He has a known good local reputation, and is Gas Safe registered. Finally I feel relief :j
  • mouseclick
    mouseclick Posts: 236 Forumite
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    edited 13 October 2017 at 6:50AM
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    Hello all. I did get a second opinion. It seems a glazier is needed, to seal an openable window, which is 220mm above the flue, and not 300mm, as is required by the more recent regulations. And THAT is why the boiler was declared "IMMEDIATELY DANGEROUS", even though the window was never used, and always locked. A test was NOT performed for CO entering the building with the window closed.

    The solution is simple, I get a glazier to seal the window, and then the boiler can be serviced tested, as I had requested.

    I am very pleased that the second engineer has provided clarity and a way forward. When the window is sealed, the boiler service will cost £80, and hopefully it will then be OK, as it has been reliable for more than 20 years.

    So my best tip is to try and understand the current regulations BEFORE a Gas Safe Boiler Engineer is called, because they are obliged to do this if they see an appliance that does not comply with this regulation, I am told.

    I will post the result of the boiler test here when I know the result.

    EDIT:
    The laws would be better if the boiler could legally have been serviced, as I had requested, and then I could have been issued with an ID notice and then advised to make the openable window unopenable, in order to remove the ID notice, and have ny gas turned on again. A service would have also reduced CO emissions and made the boiler safer, which is what I wanted.
  • System
    System Posts: 178,094 Community Admin
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    edited 13 October 2017 at 11:38AM
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    At post 13, I suggested:

    Quote: He may have been over zealous so the answer is to call in another engineer in to carry out a further safety check. If he is happy, then he will leave everything connected and he will issue a Gas Safety Certificate. At that point, you decide whether you have a case against the original engineer. Unquote

    You may still have issues in future with your window unless it is permanently sealed so that A N Other cannot open it if the property ever changes hands. If you look at professional forums, there is considerable ongoing debate about whether the Regulations apply to the actual door/window openings or the doors and the windows themselves. Clearly, the latest GSR engineer that you are dealing with is satisfied that it is just the window and not the opening. My GSR engineer wasn't so sanguine about it and he advised the fitting of a boiler flue extension even though the window in question hasn't been opened in over 15 years.

    It was a 'no brainer' as the flue extension cost less than sealing the window.

    Edit:

    Have a look at the diagrams in this NHBC document

    http://www.nhbc.co.uk/Builders/Technicaladviceandsupport/TechnicalGuidance/68/filedownload,37239,en.pdf

    Have a look at Figure 5 on page 2 and the notes below the diagrams:

    GAS
    'Opening' means an openable window, door, or an opening such as an air vent/extractor fan outlet. 'Opening' can also refer to an opening in the building fabric as shown in Figure 5.
  • MeterMan
    MeterMan Posts: 433 Forumite
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    Glad you have a path to follow, and even more so that you came back to update the thread.

    I do find it odd that a CO test wasn't carried out by your engineer.
  • C_Mababejive
    C_Mababejive Posts: 11,654 Forumite
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    badmemory wrote: »
    Don't trust a gas safe engineer. It is a bought & paid for qualification which may mean nothing other than they had enough cash to pay for it. I won't go into the gas safe engineer who fitted my boiler which then got condemned at its first service under a year later when supposedly under warranty & could have killed us! You don't want to know how much it cost me to get that put right.
    Isnt that the same as dentistry,accountancy and a whole host of other qualified practices?
    Feudal Britain needs land reform. 70% of the land is "owned" by 1 % of the population and at least 50% is unregistered (inherited by landed gentry). Thats why your slave box costs so much..
  • badmemory
    badmemory Posts: 7,794 Forumite
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    C_Mababejive wrote: »
    Isnt that the same as dentistry,accountancy and a whole host of other qualified practices?

    At least a dentist & accountant have had to pass some exams!
  • C_Mababejive
    C_Mababejive Posts: 11,654 Forumite
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    But i know someone who did a core three year apprenticeship to become a gas chap, then did a further 3 or 4 years of further study for more qualifications. He didnt just pay money and get given them.,
    Feudal Britain needs land reform. 70% of the land is "owned" by 1 % of the population and at least 50% is unregistered (inherited by landed gentry). Thats why your slave box costs so much..
  • badmemory
    badmemory Posts: 7,794 Forumite
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    C_Mababejive wrote: »
    But i know someone who did a core three year apprenticeship to become a gas chap, then did a further 3 or 4 years of further study for more qualifications. He didnt just pay money and get given them.,

    Surely that would be in the days of the Corgi qualification, which I agree is quite different from the curent gas safe.
  • MeterMan
    MeterMan Posts: 433 Forumite
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    edited 15 October 2017 at 8:27AM
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    badmemory wrote: »
    At least a dentist & accountant have had to pass some exams!

    In order to be classed as a competent gas engineer, You need to sit 3 exams and get 100% correct, two of them are open book and one is not. You also then need to pass numerous audits from the gassafe inspectorate.
    badmemory wrote: »
    Surely that would be in the days of the Corgi qualification, which I agree is quite different from the curent gas safe.

    There doesn't seem to be much difference between Corgi and Gas Safe, both of them did not offer formal training to those new to the business. They are a body to ensure that the qualified and competent people are following the rules and regs.
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