GORGI registered, big deal!

[Nobby^1]

Hi Folks

I need to rant.

I’ve got a Baxi Barcelona boiler which developed a problem and was locking out.
I read the manual fault finding section and after 15 minutes of investigation, with the use of a couple of screwdrivers and a multi meter, I tracked the fault down to the gas valve. That was me stuffed because I’m not allowed to work on gas without being CORGI registered.

I called a registered engineer. He arrived within three hours, good start. I gave him the manual and after tapping the boiler a couple of times with a screwdriver and a few tut's here and there he decided he needed help from Baxi's technical support so contacted them on his mobile. I could here both ends of the conversation in part and the Baxi teci man had told him to check all the things I’d already done. He started with the condensate trap to see if it was blocked but couldn’t work out how to get it out so gave up. Then he proceeded to check if the ignition board was generating a spark and pulled off the sensing electrode cable and was about to diagnose the problem as no spark but then realised he pulled the wrong cable off. After holding the right cable close to the metalwork of the boiler with his none insulated pliers and dropping the pliers due the shock he received he decided the spark was ok.

So now he got to the gas valve, he pulled of the wiring harness and connected his multi meter probes to the pins on the gas valve and informed me that as he couldn’t get a reading from it, the ignition PCB is faulty. I pointed out that he wouldn’t get a reading from the gas valve pins if he removed the power supply from it, he apologised and replied that his head was up his backside that day so then attempted to check the harness plug but still couldn’t get a reading (he wasn’t able to get the test probes in far enough to get a connection, I had the same problem when I tested it) so once again decided that the ignition PCB was faulty. After a short conversation and his reassurance that it was definitely the PCB he gave me a price. I accepted his price knowing that it was not going to cover the cost of the gas valve and got his reassurance that if it wasn’t the PCB then he would continue to repair the boiler at the price agreed.

He returned the following day with the PCB and surprise, surprise, the boiler wouldn’t work. He now decided the gas valve was faulty and returned the PCB to his supplier in exchange for a gas valve, he put the gas valve in and hey presto the boiler fires up. Job done, at a cost of £130. The gas valve would have cost some were in the region of £90. A profit for him of aprox £40 not much for about 4 hours of work (including running backwards and forwards) He was about to leave without checking for leaks until I suggested that this should be done.

This man is GORGI registered and advertisers in the phone book. Looks to me like anyone can get CORGI registration.

Incidentally, I know of another GORGI registered engineer who guesses what the faults are and replaces parts on boilers until he gets it working, passing the cost of his elimination process onto the customer regardless to the fact that some of the parts where probably working fine.

So DIYnot’s warning that:
“DIY repairs on malfunctioning boilers are a very bad idea. If repaired incorrectly it could result in damage to property, personal injury even death.

It is worth getting an opinion from a CORGI registered plumber to ensure peace of mind and safe operation of your boiler”.
Might I suggest that DIYnot should insert the word competent somewhere in this warning?

Rant over.
_____________________________________________
Moderator

made into paragraphs (easier to read)

 

[ceolmar]

Now I know how the ladies feel when they take the motor down the local grease monkey's place

Seriously though, it is very worrying that CORGI registration (and others) appears not to mean much anymore

 

[ArtfulBodger]

Fair enough, but I do not recall any part of my gas safety training that covered diagnosing boiler malfunctions. Point taken about not doing a tightness test though.

 

[Nobby^1]

Fair enough, but I do not recall any part of my gas safety training that covered diagnosing boiler malfunctions. Point taken about not doing a tightness test though.

Ok then, are you telling me that GORGI registration covers you for installation of boilers and not repairs. If this is the case what qualification should I be looking for when I need a boiler fixing?

 

[DP]

To be able to work on any gas appliance, the engineer must know how it operates. A boiler will have electrical, electromechanical, electronic parts which collectively make the boiler work. One also needs to be aware of 'fluid' movement within the waterways to assist boiler repair. With these skills in hand, the engineer can then carry out daignostic faulting to change the defective component. CORGI Registration in mandatory as the unit is a gas appliance. Is it any wonder why good heating engineers are thin on the ground?

 

[ratonnastick]

Fair enough, but I do not recall any part of my gas safety training that covered diagnosing boiler malfunctions. Point taken about not doing a tightness test though.

Sorry have i missed something , ACS for appliances it covers basic fault finding? no offence meant you might have forgotten under the stress

Check the corgi card it tells you if they are qualified to work on an appliance

 

[PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN]

This man is GORGI registered and advertisers in the phone book. Looks to me like anyone can get CORGI registration.

Well unless he gave the college a backhander getting CORGI reg is a pain in the arse, the big problem is some reg engineers dont put into practice what they do at assements, plus CORGI dont advertise to the public that just because someone is reg they may not be able to work in certain areas, did YOU ask to see his i.d. card to check he was entitled to work on your boiler, one CORGI reg guy has admitted to me he has fitted cookers even though he hasn't got the qaulification.

The other problem is society needs to decide what it wants, plumber, gas fitter, heating engineer, electrical engineer, electronic engineer, gynocologist to work on some appliances, and are you willing to PAY someone an attractive rate to have all these qaulifaications, , plus the makers need to design appliances maintenance friendly, not just so the bloody thing will fit in a kitchen cupboard.

I think society is getting the service it deserves for pushing regulations down our throats, over technologisiing appliances, looking down on people in jobs with overalls and paying them a pittance, the chickens have come home to roost as far as the heating industry is concerned and it aint going to get any better.

 

[Baxi-Remeha]

to pedanticvindictiveman - WHAT a reply, i take my hat off to you, have you thought about politic's.......

just to reiterate though, you acs appliances is supposed to give you a general feel for repairing, hovever when i did mine, i has to put a baxi solo together. this took about 2 min..........however i would have been geeatful if they had given me somthing a bit more.....technical.

most manufacturers will give free or cheap training courses and i think they should give you somthing so as you can prove to the customer you know the appliance you are working on...........

 

[PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN]

As Arthur Askey used to say "I thank you"

 

[ollski]

To be honest if I was working on your boiler and you were stood behind me analysing everything I did, I would have probably have made a rushed diagnosis just to get out of there......it's very, very off putting!

 

[breezer]

As Arthur Askey used to say "I thank you"

so does Julian Clary (so i am told)

 

[Nobby^1]

The engineer in question has a telephone book advert that says Central Heating Specialist, Supply & Fit, Repairs & Service, Combi Specialist and so on.

PEDANTICVINDICTIVEMAN states: The other problem is society needs to decide what it wants, plumber, gas fitter, heating engineer, electrical engineer, electronic engineer ect.

Clearly the guy I used believes he has it all, but he obviously doesn't.
I am willing to pay a decent price to someone who knows what they are doing and I am sure there are engineers out there who do know their trade and do it well, but how do we, the customer, know who's good and bad? Well we keep getting told that we should use GORGI registered engineers, even the telephone book tells us this. I feel sorry for the registered engineers who know what they are doing but just like other trades they have the idiots who get them a bad reputation. I am not clear what you have to achieve or prove before GORGI allow you registration but it would appear that you don't have to show you can diagnose a boiler fault. Maybe a GORGI registered engineer can explain. Until then I still say GORGI registered, so what!

PS. I did phone GORGI to check this guy out before I called him and I was told that yes, he is registered with them.

 

[ollski]

Corgi is all about gas safety, the registered engineer will know the basic principles of the appliance and the regulations surrounding its installation and operation as a minimum, but the whole point is safety...the actual fault finding on a boiler comes either through experience or following the fault finding guides!

 

[Nobby^1]

Check the corgi card it tells you if they are qualified to work on an appliance

Sorry I missed this bit, I'll do this next time

 

[Nobby^1]

To be honest if I was working on your boiler and you were stood behind me analysing everything I did, I would have probably have made a rushed diagnosis just to get out of there......it's very, very off putting!

Interesting! I think I had every right to stand over this engineer. Far too often we, the customer, get ripped off. You only have take a look at the TV docs exposing rip off tradesmen, heating engineers included. If you know what your doing why would it be a problem to have the customer watching?