The crumbustion chamber?

[Gasman28]

The problem with gas it that it's not just you and your family that's at risk when things go wrong. A gas explosion can and sometimes does take out your neighbours properties as well. Some people get a bit keen with d.i.y and think they can tackle anything. Problem is though they don't have a thorough enough knowledge and don't have the correct test equipment to check whether their d.i.y installation/repair is actually safe. As a result RGI's don't like giving out information to people who are potentially putting life's at risk.

When you work in the industry and see some of the dangerous d.i.y installations you'll understand why we aren't so blase about the information given out.

Good reply, especially if you consider the effects of open flued appliances.
Something that most diyers should not entertain. If not checked / serviced by an appropriately skilled engineer, these can be lethal. We as gas engineers / fitters, have to spend loads of time / money on our ongoing training / assessments and give safety advice, amongst other things, to our customers. Electrics, yes it can be lethal too, but how many other professions have to undertake our rigorous regime?
I don't read in the papers too often about a customer being killed by a dodgy kitchen fitter / carpenter/ tiler etc etc. Gas work, as stated previously, can be worked on by a ' competent person' This is of course without financial gain. Landlords are the worse - not having annual servicing on their appliances or, getting so called mates that know it all to work on appliances.

 

[cantaloup63]

Landlords are the worse - not having annual servicing on their appliances or, getting so called mates that know it all to work on appliances.

Nice to see you tarring us all with the same brush I have all appliances checked yearly by RGI's and replaced 3 four-year-old hobs last year to incorporate automatic cut outs at considerable expense. I also have the boiler maintained yearly and a BG contract. All landlord certificates are up to date.

 

[Gasman28]

Landlords are the worse - not having annual servicing on their appliances or, getting so called mates that know it all to work on appliances.

Nice to see you tarring us all with the same brush I have all appliances checked yearly by RGI's and replaced 3 four-year-old hobs last year to incorporate automatic cut outs at considerable expense. I also have the boiler maintained yearly and a BG contract. All landlord certificates are up to date.

With all due respects fella, if you ask RGI's who they would rather not do too much work for, I guess it would be Landlords or Estate Agents.
I'm glad that you have taken the sensible approach and conformed to your legal requirements - trust me, there are loads that don't and put their tenants at risk. No doubt Landlords of student accomodation must be high on the list. We as engineers have a few monthly magazines. In one section, there is a page full of unscrupulous Landlords that do not comply to the current recommended laws. As stated in another thread about the CC, you can know hopefully appreciate our concern. One death per year from a CO poisoning, is one death too many.

 

[cantaloup63]

It's a complete mystery to me why for a couple of hundred quid a year a landlord can keep everything hunkydory and safe, and sleep easy at night.

Someone once pointed out to me that he always told the truth, since it meant that he had less to remember. Always stuck with me, that pearl of wisdom.

 

[thatbloke]

I have 4 gas safe certificates here from my last landlord whom I rented from all of which contradict each other.
I will fish them out and post what was reported from them , I would appreciate a gas safe engineers advice on them.
The plumber I was working for at the time told me he could condemn the boilers (there was two of them) on the problems that were found.
yet four different ''gas SAFE'' engineers passed them over four consecutive years. Thats not just the odd one , that's four out of four.
Money talks , and signs paperwork.
I am just thankfull I dont rent anymore, and this was a rental agencie.

 

[Gasman28]

It's a complete mystery to me why for a couple of hundred quid a year a landlord can keep everything hunkydory and safe, and sleep easy at night.

Someone once pointed out to me that he always told the truth, since it meant that he had less to remember. Always stuck with me, that pearl of wisdom.

Yes, good quote. I guess it's the same old maxim - if you find a good engineer / handyman/ electrician/ carpenter etc, you will stick with him.
As stated before, the aim is to reduce the amount of CO deaths to zero. That is not an exhaustive list, it's just something that we, as gas engineers and other trade bodies, would like to achieve. Is it possible? There's another thread. I guess that other folk on here and other places might try to say that gas engineers charge too much. Look on the other side of the coin as stated earlier. Costs of assessments etc - do other trades pay so much?

 

[thatbloke]

It's a complete mystery to me why for a couple of hundred quid a year a landlord can keep everything hunkydory and safe, and sleep easy at night.

Someone once pointed out to me that he always told the truth, since it meant that he had less to remember. Always stuck with me, that pearl of wisdom.

Yes, good quote. I guess it's the same old maxim - if you find a good engineer / handyman/ electrician/ carpenter etc, you will stick with him.
As stated before, the aim is to reduce the amount of CO deaths to zero. That is not an exhaustive list, it's just something that we, as gas engineers and other trade bodies, would like to achieve. Is it possible? There's another thread. I guess that other folk on here and other places might try to say that gas engineers charge too much. Look on the other side of the coin as stated earlier. Costs of assessments etc - do other trades pay so much?

But sometimes a few hundred quid more far outweighs the cost of re-siting a boiler. Some engineers are willing to accept a few hundred quid more in order to keep the client happy and stop the client from spending their cash elsewhere.

 

[cantaloup63]

Strangely enough, although in one sense it is wise to use the same tradesman, it is also not the case. Thatbloke has highlighted some key issues, in particular that you are only likely to feel entirely satisfied that everything is as it should be if a variety of tradesmen all end up saying the same thing quite independently from each other.

 

[Alarm]

I love tha fact a "Gas Engineer" can sit a days exam and be suposedly more qualified than a time served "Sparky".

Then you have the odd death each year from a boiler coming live when the taps are turned on.

And they want a special forum, good luck to them. Its not rocket science that they do at the end of the day.

 

[joe-90]

I hope they stick to the gas regs better than they do the electrical regs. They take spurs off spurs - I've even see them tap into a lighting circuit.

 

[Nige F]

I am just thankfull I dont rent anymore, down in East Sussex it was.

I`m sure you know our most famous landlord then

 

[Nige F]

Charlie Mullins advocates All plumbers to be legally registered - or not be able to work - like in the USA ( small article in a monthly heating rag) He says it would get more £ into the treasury . Just imagine - my old C+G certs would actually mean something - and the cowboys would be gone - no more Bald Dom to watch on TV

 

[Nige F]

I hope they stick to the gas regs better than they do the electrical regs. They take spurs off spurs .

I got spurs that jingle jangle - Tex Ritter

 

[joe-90]

You are showing your age now.

 

[Beerlover]

I love tha fact a "Gas Engineer" can sit a days exam and be suposedly more qualified than a time served "Sparky".

Then you have the odd death each year from a boiler coming live when the taps are turned on.

And they want a special forum, good luck to them. Its not rocket science that they do at the end of the day.

Just wrong on a couple of points.

To take your ACS you need a proven history witwhin the gas industry (time served?) The exams last two days for just the basic level with additional units taking up to a day each. And this simple exam process requires a 100% pass mark allbeit on three attempts. I have seen people with decades of experience go to pieces while taking them.

And, it is not until you do this training that you realise how dangerous gas can be. Try it yourself before you comment on how easy our job is.