Gas meter capped when I was on holiday - help!
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With Corgi you had to be qualified, unfortunately they are gone, with gas safe all you have to do is turn up & pay. That was my big mistake, assuming that gas safe was just another name for Corgi. Speak to someone who used to be Corgi registered & is now "gas safe" they think it is a joke that they have to pay for to still get work.0
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With Corgi you had to be qualified, unfortunately they are gone, with gas safe all you have to do is turn up & pay. That was my big mistake, assuming that gas safe was just another name for Corgi. Speak to someone who used to be Corgi registered & is now "gas safe" they think it is a joke that they have to pay for to still get work.
Is this really true? Surely not. I recall something similar with another trade organisation when I was in Trading Standards. I pretended I was a person in that field, phoned them up asking about membership, and they more or less said "pay up and you can use the logo". But surely gas engineers need some qualifications and training?
Just checked
https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/help-and-advice/becoming-registered/the-path-to-gas-safe-registration/
It costs a few hundred a year. There is a 3 month probationary period, so perhaps in theory, someone could pay, join. and be there for 3 months without being checked.0 -
Regulation 34. b) With the permission of the gas user/responsible person...
...You obviously have the right to question the engineer about his actions.
By the way thanks Hengus. He's coming back to give me a quote on Monday. If I had been there I would have NOT given permission, and a responsible person WAS present, and I left instructions to phone me if problems, but on the form it said "responsible person not present".
And it's true, I made a mistake, I can't turn the clock back, but for the benefit of all here, I have a CO meter on the wall right beside the boiler and just inside from the Flue and it has never gone above zero. I understand the CO test was carried out by the engineer with the window wide open and the boiler on full blast, so of course CO will be detected right near the open window, because the boiler had not been cleaned, as was part of the agreement.
So let's see what happens on Monday0 -
I dont really understand what all the commotion is about on this thread.
Your gas was cut off because the fire had a crack in it and the boiler flue is too close to an openable window?
Is there any other issues at present here, because why would he not just disconnect the fire, because a flue being too close to an openable window does not constitute an immediately dangerous situation.0 -
mouseclick wrote: »By the way thanks Hengus. He's coming back to give me a quote on Monday. If I had been there I would have NOT given permission, and a responsible person WAS present, and I left instructions to phone me if problems, but on the form it said "responsible person not present".
It would have made no difference to the outcome UNLESS you or your neighbour agreed to the remedial work and had it carried out at the time of the Gas Safety Inspection. If the engineer wasn't able to carry out the work - he may not have the bits and pieces needed on his van - then your system would have been capped whether you were there or not. The rules on gas safety do not vary between home owners and landlords as you seem to imply. A GSR engineer is not permitted to leave a property without taking affirmative action to make the property gas safe. He/she would be negligent if they left without doing so.
If you are hoping that you can persuade the GSR engineer to revert to the status quo ante because you are a homeowner without lodgers then I sense that you might be disappointed. The key point is that you requested a safety inspection and your property failed to meet the safety standards. This fact is now on record.
Finally, before your chat to the GSR engineer, you might wish to look up the definition of 'responsible person' which is contained in The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. (SI 1998/2451)0 -
Inside the boiler there is a plate with model number etc on it. Get the boilers GC number from the plate. Most (not all) boilers can have a plume kit fitted to the flue to take the exhaust away from opening windows. Ring any heating supplies merchant and give them the GC number to see if a plume kit is available and how much it costs. This is a very simple fix. Failing that seal the window.
Consider an electric fire, much safer if you don't use it much. We never fit or leave a gas fire in any property that requires a gas safety cert for simplicity.
Plume kit0 -
Finally, before your chat to the GSR engineer, you might wish to look up the definition of 'responsible person' which is contained in The Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998. (SI 1998/2451)
Thanks again
"the occupier of the premises or, where there is no occupier or the occupier is away, the owner of the premises or any person with authority for the time being to take appropriate action in relation to any gas fitting therein"
The mistake I made was to allow the engineer to attend when I was away, after he failed to turn up for the original appointment. He told me all would be fine. It was a huge mistake.
The neighbour was instructed to phone me and authorise remedial work, and money was left, but too late now0 -
Mr.Generous wrote: »Inside the boiler there is a plate with model number etc on it. Get the boilers GC number from the plate. Most (not all) boilers can have a plume kit fitted to the flue to take the exhaust away from opening windows. Ring any heating supplies merchant and give them the GC number to see if a plume kit is available and how much it costs. This is a very simple fix. Failing that seal the window.
Consider an electric fire, much safer if you don't use it much. We never fit or leave a gas fire in any property that requires a gas safety cert for simplicity.
Plume kit
Sounds good. Sealing the window is also possible. It never gets opened anyway. The flue was installed under the old regs when the distance was OK. I work in a maintenance department occasionally, the gas engineer who I work with said it would pass the test, provided it was the only problem. My biggest disappointment is that he did not service the boiler before the test, as agreed and instructed. He told the test fee I paid would cover that.
The plume kit looks good too, this is a brilliant suggestion. But I can't see one online for this particular model. It's a GSR 41-415-25. I will, however, ring some suppliers, they seem to be about £70. I can afford that. And it will be a good permanent solution, for a reasonable price. :T0 -
Ahhh ... is it the Ideal Mexico super RS 40/60 by any chance?0
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Mr.Generous wrote: »Ahhh ... is it the Ideal Mexico super RS 40/60 by any chance?
Yes! Beautiful boiler. It has gone on for years and years and years, without any problem. So I will be happy if I can resolve this with blocking a window, or fitting a plume kit. Then a service, and recommissioning.
I knew about the window proximity problem, they changed the rules and made them more strict shortly after we had it fitted. That's why I kept it locked. I only wish I had hidden the key, but I keep it nearby as a precaution, in case there is a fire. But I will be really happy if blocking the window fixes it.0
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