Gas Safe- for kitchen fitters.

[iaith]

Not sure if this is the right place to post, Basically I've been fitting kitchens and bathrooms for quite some time now, I'm a fairly competent plumber but have no formal qualifications. The sticking point has always been the moving of gas pipes and plumbing of gas hobs, I would like to know if there's any way a self employed kitchen fitter can get the qualifications to do this work legally.
Cheers, Mark.

 

[mickyg]

the same way as everyone else. But you'll need to leave your job for a year or so to do formal training and work based experience with a different company. There's no short cut.

 

[45yearsagasman]

Enrol in a training college,pay the fees,do the course.pass the relevant exams and practical tests and after that register with Gassafe.Sounds easy.
You should get some on the job training as a piece of paper is only that.Experience is needed.

 

[Agile]

I would have thought the solution is to form a good relationship with someone who is gas reg who can help you with that.

The amount of time and the cost of being gas registered will hardly make it worthwhile just for small jobs.

Tony

 

[iaith]

Thanks for the replies fellas, I feared that would be the answer. I just hoped there would be an alternative ,to phoning up a plumber who breezes in two days later , does something that I could have done in 2 minutes, and then relieves me of a big wad of cash.

 

[PRS1]

But surley dont u just add that onto the cost of the job.

Thats why it costs u that much-because its costs us to get qualified and stay qualified

 

[iaith]

Hi PRS1, I don't resent paying the money, and appreciate the hoops that people have to jump through to become gas safe. I just wish there was a simplified version, for people who just want to connect up a gas hob, or maybe move some gas pipe.
I've been cutting,bending,soldering, copper pipe for years with no trouble at all. the only difference is the stuff that runs through the pipes.

 

[sooey]

Lots of kitchen fitters think the same way. Half the time when asked to connect a hob we find the clearances are not right or the ventilatations not adequate. That's the idea of doing the training, you learn that there are other things to take into consideration.

 

[holty]

its not just a case of a quick job and no shortcuts. RGIs have to also cater for other things e.g you go to fit a hob. go to check the boiler for perm pilot. and find the said appliance is dangerous to use and have to isolate. find ventillation a prob due to when old cooker was there. there wasnt a conservatory. but is now an install prob. thats even without the fees you have to pay. in the end you,ll probably wonder why you bothered.

 

[iaith]

Thanks sooey, holty, Fair comments, I appreciate that I've probably got a simplified understanding of things that borders on the dangerous, but every time I've called a qualified person in, they've just connected it up in the same way as I would have.

 

[kirkgas]

the same way as everyone else. But you'll need to leave your job for a year or so to do formal training and work based experience with a different company. There's no short cut.

it can be done in less than 26 weeks, depending on your experience and who you go on placement with if you do a Gas Foundation Course, you need to do 14 weeks in a training centre then 12 weeks on placement to build up a portfolio, depending on the work you do on placement you can cut the 12 weeks down a bit

 

[kirkgas]

Thanks sooey, holty, Fair comments, I appreciate that I've probably got a simplified understanding of things that borders on the dangerous, but every time I've called a qualified person in, they've just connected it up in the same way as I would have.

i dont know who has connected your hobs for you, but TBH "the guy just breezes in, connects it up and takes the dosh" could be me or any number of fully qualified, experienced guys, cause as i "breeze in" i have calculated whether or not the hob needs ventilation, i am doing a visual inspection of the existing installation and whether i can connect it or not, and as any expert will tell you (your good self fitting kitchens would prob have the customer saying "FFS why am i paying him so much dosh for this, he is simply chucking the units in", how they end up plumb, level and fixed properly is lost to them as you make it look so easy)

 

[PRS1]

AS Kirkgas says we do all this because if we dont and there happens to be a fault on the fire in the front room that was missed-Then there is every possibility (in the event of that app causeing a fatality) of being jailed.
What is the worst that can happen to a kitchen fitter an insurance claim!

No disrespect meant,

 

[misterdubya]

Thanks for the replies fellas, I feared that would be the answer. I just hoped there would be an alternative ,to phoning up a plumber who breezes in two days later , does something that I could have done in 2 minutes, and then relieves me of a big wad of cash.

Typical kitchen fitter response.

The tightness test takes longer than that.

Mr. W.

 

[adlplumbing]

[quote="misterdubya";p="1969091The tightness test takes longer than that.

Mr. W.[/quote]
twice as long