DANGEROUS HEATING TURNED OFF

[diswoman]

Just had annual safety check, and was told heating not safe, been disconnected so now have no heating and no hot water.

Surely they can't do this? just leave someone disabled with no heating and no hot water?

They said flu was dangerous and boiler had not been fitted properly.
But not naming names but it was the company that originally fitted it that has declared it unsafe.
Again not naming names but have a service contract with them so if heating problems eg burst radiater etc then they come out and fix it 24 hours a day 365 days a week.
Just doesn't make any sense, don't know what to do.

 

[geoff@cetltd]

It's not Blue Peter

Name and shame ...

 

[Expertboy]

Ok, first of all you CAN be isolated, they are doing it to protect you and your family.

Secondly if the company who failed the installation fitted the boiler, then i suggest you get onto their management team first thing in the morning and sort it out, if you have a maintenance contract (although this may not be covered) and they value your custom they should send someone out pretty sharpish, as they produced the mess in the first place.

Strange though how a company has produced poor workmanship and then condemned themselves for it.

 

[ollski]

What's the question?, why exactly has it been turned off, what are the defects?. When did they fit it, 2 years or 20 years ago?. Have they turned it off pending another visit?

 

[Registered Gas Man]

British Gas i guess.

Recently went out to a Boiler they installed, after they declared it had flue problems.

What i dont understand is that you, have a maintenance contract and they arent fixing it!

 

[ChrisR]

Just had annual safety check, and was told heating not safe, been disconnected so now have no heating and no hot water.

Surely they can't do this? just leave someone disabled with no heating and no hot water? .....

Just doesn't make any sense,

It makes perfect sense. The guy doing the saftey check probably had a pile of them to do, with no time to stop everyone else's job so he can dismantle your boiler.
His duty is to leave the situation safe and start the procedure for fixing it, which would probably just mean a phone call.

 

[Agile]

The person who does the safety check is probably just doing checks. Other engineers will be involved in fixing.

You should not sit back and assume that anything else will happen. Even before the checker left most customers would be on the phone demanding that the problem is sorted out. Dont be a shrew!

Tony

 

[EliteHeat]

Ok, first of all you CAN be isolated, they are doing it to protect you and your family.

Only with the responsible persons permission. No Corgi has the automatic, inalienable right to isolate or permanently decommission any appliance without being given the go ahead.

The correct procedure would have been to issue a warning notice and obtain a signature. Obviously you point out that the occupier should not use the appliance under any circumstances.

If the appliance was ID then simply go outside and call Transco and wait for them to arrive and shut the gas off completely.

 

[Agile]

It has been my experience that British Gas dont bother to ask permission to shut off a supply or an appliance.

They will also tend to cut a gas pipe and cap it off as well. Sometimes I think that they are just making more jobs for us to do.

Tony

 

[Big G]

Need more details before views can be given.

I used to work for BG (albeit 15 years ago – and in the office) and then we used to have Blatantly Dangerous Installations (BDI – pronounced beady eye) and Potentially Dangerous Installation (PDI).

A BDI would be stuck on say an appliance with a gas leak or a fire fitted to a chimney breast with a brick built ‘letter box opening’ in it – i.e. not a metal closure plate. In these instances, the engineer would isolate the appliance, stick a label on it, get the customer to sign his worksheet, and leave the house. A letter would then be sent to the customer.

A PDI would be issued for things like inadequate ventilation or, in the case of my boiler at my last house which was installed by BG in 2000, a flue that was installed too close to an electric cable for an outdoor light. The warning was issued in 2004 even though the flue, light or cable had not been moved.

Why is your flue dangerous? Is it a Fireside central heating unit and the flue is not pulling? Or a flue into a passage way under the upstairs storey of a house, or under an openable window?

Cheers

G

 

[ollski]

Need more details before views can be given.

Exactly, we have hardly been given a scrap of information. I would imagine the incorrect installation she mentioned would have been an ncs and further to that an ID situation was discovered...if its a secondary flue problem Bg (if applicable) won't touch it. Pure and total conjecture though and I doubt the original poster will return after having time to contemplate the situation.

How many of us ask to cap a supply?, we say we are going to do it and unless under severe protest it is done.....in the real world.

 

[HarrogateGas]

It has been my experience that British Gas dont bother to ask permission to shut off a supply or an appliance.

They will also tend to cut a gas pipe and cap it off as well. Sometimes I think that they are just making more jobs for us to do.

Tony

Shouldnt an ID situation be be cut off and capped anyway Agile?? Its the only way of disconnection according to my Corgi book.

 

[Agile]

I prefer the capping or disc at the meter as that does not need extra work to reinstate.

I once found a supply to a boiler at the back of the house with the pipe cut and capped in THREE places.

One place was behind an oven and the oveh had been screwed back into place with no clues left!

British Gas have no extra right to cut off an appliance without the owner's agreement.

Tony

 

[ollski]

I prefer the capping or disc at the meter as that does not need extra work to reinstate.

Customer sometimes gets stroppy when the cooker and fire don't work due to an ID boiler. IME Bg are more likely to cap off sensibly as the last engineer will usually be the one who returns to rectify the fault.

 

[HarrogateGas]

I prefer the capping or disc at the meter as that does not need extra work to reinstate.

I once found a supply to a boiler at the back of the house with the pipe cut and capped in THREE places.

One place was behind an oven and the oveh had been screwed back into place with no clues left!

British Gas have no extra right to cut off an appliance without the owner's agreement.

Tony

As i think has been mentioned, if I find a boiler ID im not going to take the easy option and cap the meter leaving the cooker and fire (which is now the only source of heat) left disconnected.

British Gas do not have an extra right to cap off but if i find a dangerous situtuation im capping off and if the client kicks off its transco to cap off leaving them with no gas at all and a reconnection charge. i think BG do well in really pushing for them to just cap off the offending appliance.