Bulk LPG - Cheapest suppliers / supply route?
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Hi
Of your problems the first one they should fix, as this is a safety issue and if there was an emergency at your property and they we unable to turn of the gas this would be a problem.
Point 2 metal pipework the HSSE have brought in a ruling that all metal pipework must be changed, this is why Countrywide wont take it on but if you are moving the tank then this can be done at the same time, pipework is easy to fix.
The main problem is too near the boundary, the regulations state that it must be 3m from the boundary, although this can be reduced by a fire wall one meter from the vessel , but if you do this the fence and hedges must be removed, or maybe you can extend the base and move it away from the boundary, there are options but will need some civil works which I am afraid is at your cost.
Agree on the first two points. On the third, this is my argument with Calor - as they own the tanks, it is their responsibility to maintain them - which one could argue includes moving them if the tank siting no longer meets building regs. MDAY's reply no. 1405 shows that it is possible to eventually get action from a fuel supplier if you persist.There are options of screening, or maybe when you move it go to an underground tank, but this would not be free as most companies charge for an underground tank
We have considered an underground tank, but the cost would be high - Countrywide estimated we would pay around £2,000 just to dig the hole and put in a concrete pad, the tank would be extra. We've just spent £6,000 upgrading the central heating system, and are hoping not to have to spend more until there really is no other option.I would explore other suppliers as it does not cost you anything for them to come out
Yes that's a good suggestion. It hasn't been easy to identify who supplies to this area, does anyone have any recommendations for suppliers south of Reading?0 -
Try this site
http://www.lpg-solutions.co.uk/index.html0 -
Just to let everyone know - we've received an offer from the surveyors of £1,300 to offset the fact that they 'missed' the tank siting regs in the house survey. This is half of what we asked for, but if I can have the same success as MDay (no.1405) and get Calor to move the tanks at no cost, then the surveyor payment would cover the cost of the new shed (we have to demolish the shed to make room for the new tank).(Re-posting to the sticky Bulk LPG thread)
Hi everyone
When we moved into our house in Feb 2010, we became LPG users for the first time. In all innocence I signed up to the 2-year contract Calor offered. 2 years and a new, £6,000 central heating system later, we are mercifully out of contract. I have been shocked by how expensive LPG is, and particularly how Calor seem to have carte blanche to raise fuel prices, while contractually tying you into onerous penalty fees that make it financially non-viable to break your contract early. At one point I contacted Countrywide following a visit to this forum, and was told that yes, they could offer a price about 15p cheaper than Calor, but I would have to wait until I was out of contract.
When that day came (Feb 2012), I contacted Countrywide to complete the switch. However, we now received more bad news - apparently our tanks contravene buildings regs [Approved Document J [5:13]], and so no other supplier will take us on until the issues with the tanks are rectified. When I contacted Calor, they offered to sort out the tanks for £100, but I would have to sign up to a further 2 year contract. This is exactly what I was trying to avoid.
Does anyone have any advice on what to do next? I've written to Calor pointing out that the tank maintenance was their responsibility, and that therefore I should not be required to sign a new contract or pay anything to get the maintenance done - but so far have had no reply. I also took it up with the surveyor (we got a full house-buyers survey - no mention made of tanks contravening building regs) - so far they are giving me the brush-off, but I will keep pushing here also. I am continuing to pursue Calor for a response, but it feels like I need an Ombudsman or other regulatory body behind me before they will take any notice. Can I sue them for non-maintenance of the tanks??
Any and all help much appreciated.0 -
I would dearly love to thank some of the contributors to this particular area of the site but I only seem to find the means by accident. How does one show one's appreciation simply?0
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Bry,
I'd be very interested in how you managed to get this done.
My tank was installed by Calor in 1996 and is in a non-conforming position (next to a telegraph pole with lines running across it and a couple of other "faults"). When I was last out of contract with Calor I had a couple of competitors turn up and none would supply me due to the tank position.
I've emailed Calor and asked them to look at moving the tank FOC, so we'll see what happens, but it would be good to get an insight in to how you manged it!!
Calor were keen to help us switch supplier to them even though we are a small user 700/800 litres per year.
Their rep visited us twice to advise exactly where the tank needed to be placed.
The crane and engineer arrived on time and completed the work with minimum disruption.
I couldn't recommend them highly enough at the moment ,but early days yet!:)0 -
Good question. You can do a 'Thanks' to someone's post by clicking on the 'Thanks' button.
I can't see if there's a means to search on threads based on the number of 'Thanks' a post receives - this would be a good addition to the forum wouldn't it, to help viewers find useful posts?
You can also Reply and post a 'thank you' - this would then count in the forum search tool and might be a better indicator to useful posts.Ace_gas_guzzler wrote: »I would dearly love to thank some of the contributors to this particular area of the site but I only seem to find the means by accident. How does one show one's appreciation simply?0 -
Ace_gas_guzzler wrote: »I would dearly love to thank some of the contributors to this particular area of the site but I only seem to find the means by accident. How does one show one's appreciation simply?
In my opinion, in addition to judicious use of the "Thanks" button, the best way to show your appreciation is to take a few moments out to post your experiences/outcomes (whether positive or negative) as a result of the help offered and to say "Thank You" to those who helped.
The effect of this is two-fold: Firstly, it shows your genuine appreciation of the assistance offered; Secondly, by sharing the outcome you will be helping others who may be in a similar position to yourself and also giving useful feedback to those who have offered help, so they are better equipped to help others.
There is nothing worse than spending time and effort answering a question (and perhaps investing considerable time researching that answer first), for the OP just to "take the advice and run". Thankfully, that doesn't happen too often on this thread - most people are more than happy to take a few minutes out to offer feedback and share their experiences when the advice given has either saved them a few hundred pounds a year or got them out of a tricky situation with their supplier
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I have been so grateful to this LPG forum for all the advice I've received. I would never have known about the change in the rules with regard to changing suppliers, and it gave me the confidence to do it.
Also there is a 'comfort' in reading other peoples experiences and knowing there are others in the same boat as yourself.
A trouble shared is a trouble halved !0 -
A huge 'THANK YOU' to all who have contributed to this saga of LPG! Your input has been almost superhuman in so many cases and your efforts are most certainly appreciated even more than this little post could ever begin to suggest. THANK YOU!:beer:0
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Hi there,
I have been with Shell Domestic LPG Gas for 7 years until it was bought by Avanti.
Avanti have sent me a new Mains Gas Supply Agreement out of the blue, (even though they have been taking our payments for some while now without any agreement prior to this being made), to sign up for 2 years at 47p inc VAT which is able to change within 6 months to a different level if the prices should increase plus meter rental at £5.00per month.
My problem is that I have 2 tanks in My Garden which are used by 3 other houses too ie linked, and wonder if this form is infact correct as surely due to the new competition rules, we should sign a joint agreement as if I wasn't happy with the prices have to have the other 3 houses agree before we could change companies and be supplied elsewhere, however if my contract is just starting but someone elses has only 6 months left etc, then this means that none of us will ever be in the same position and therefore are unable to change supplier without breaking the terms of the agreement.
I also asked Avanti to show me the lease agreement which states what peppercorn rent etc was made with regards to the tank being on my land and not my neighbours, they said it is likely that they own the land that the tank sits on, however they couldn't possibley as this is in the middle of a stretch of the side of my garden with no access to it without going over my land, I also remember when I first bought the property, my solicitor informing me that I was unable to have a BBQ on my patio due to it being too close to the tanks!
The tank driver always climbs over my fence to fill up too, never knocking on my door, and as a result has bent my fence and posts quite considerably and on 2 occasions forced the gate open and damaged the locks, plus as I have children and a dog have pointed out that the dog could have escaped and that I feel uneasy having a stranger in my isolated garden without knowing who it is. Avanti have asked me to put this in writing with photo's before they can do anything.
I wondered if it was common practise to send new agreements out now every 2 years or not as in the 7 years I have been here have never been contacted before.
Many thanks in advance.0
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