central heating boiler service ??????

[Salu]

I use Safegas. Cheaper than BG and were the only company to replace the boiler in the event of them not being able to repair it.

http://www.central-heating-maintenance.com/

[etccarmageddon]

if you have a COMBI boiler the life span is shorter and they breakdown more often - they're also more expensive to replace!

[Mr_love_monkey]

Originally Posted by goldoni

Regarding me recommending a member of the Institute of plumbing, this would mean the person who turns up at your door will be qualified and you have some comeback if your not happy with what that person has advised or done. Please note not all members are CORGI registered.

I thought the rule was that only people who are CORGI registered should be servicing your boiler, is that right?

[etccarmageddon]

Originally Posted by Mr_love_monkey

I thought the rule was that only people who are CORGI registered should be servicing your boiler, is that right?

yes that's right but a plumber can work on non gas jobs only in which case it doesnt matter. if someone services your boiler and they arent corgi then I suspect they are commiting an offence.

http://www.corgi-gas-safety.com/sect..._installer.asp

http://www.corgi-gas-safety.com/sect...aw/the_law.asp

[bopdude]

Originally Posted by etccarmageddon

yes that's right but a plumber can work on non gas jobs only in which case it doesnt matter. if someone services your boiler and they arent corgi then I suspect they are commiting an offence.

http://www.corgi-gas-safety.com/sect..._installer.asp

http://www.corgi-gas-safety.com/sect...aw/the_law.asp

AFAIK, a plumber can do everything as etccarmageddon so rightly says, but he can't / isn't allowed to even hang a boiler on the wall, a corgi registered guy must do that, I can't see why, as long as the gas connections are left but hey, thats just my understanding, could be wrong

Originally Posted by bopdude

AFAIK, a plumber can do everything as etccarmageddon so rightly says, but he can't / isn't allowed to even hang a boiler on the wall, a corgi registered guy must do that, I can't see why, as long as the gas connections are left but hey, thats just my understanding, could be wrong

You are correct Bop.

btw are you still in the electrical game ? if so are you affected by part p of the building regs (item 4)

[bopdude]

Originally Posted by yesman

You are correct Bop.

btw are you still in the electrical game ? if so are you affected by part p of the building regs (item 4)

Not as such, sorta kinda between jobs at the mo, will give the link a coat of looking at a bit later, trying to cook dinner, and by a quick skim through I can see that it's going to be typically long winded

[iadom]

Originally Posted by paulyoung666

i have had cause to use them and was suitably impressed , polite efficient and they knew the score

Just don't let British Gas anywhere near your kitchen appliances, they are absolutely clueless, I have several horror stories from people that have the "Kitchen Cover" that BG sell.
I had a customer with a faulty oven, who was on the BG kitchen cover, they told him that the fan motor and door seal had failed and the cooker was obsolete. The description of the fault led me to suspect that the fan motor was OK and the fault ( a motor noise, many hours after cooking ) was due to a possible failure of a stat used to activate cooling fans for the control panel.
As this cooker was an 8 year old Creda, I had access to the full specs via a CD Rom that is supplied to me by Hotpoint/Creda.
I confirmed to the customer that all the parts where still available, that it had two different fan motors, but that I did not think the fan was faulty. I advised him to ring BG and insist on a repair. Some two weeks later I got a phone call from BG in Birmingham, the guy I spoke to was very polite, but I was gobsmacked when he asked me if I could provide him with the part numbers.
This I did but advised him that (1) I did not think the motor was faulty and (2) the only way to identify which of the two motors required (not) was to remove the inner panel.
Another three weeks passed and the customer said," its about our cooker ". I informed him that I had given BG all the details. He said that he was aware of that but BG had told him that it would cost to much to send out another engineer to check on the part and said that they would like me, a self employed, one man band, to complete the repair. I was given a Stockport contact number for BG and did indeed do the job. My diagnosis was correct, it did not need a very expensive fan motor but a £5.00 stat that had shorted out.
Needless to say it took them 3 months to pay me.

[goldoni]

Originally Posted by Mr_love_monkey

I thought the rule was that only people who are CORGI registered should be servicing your boiler, is that right?

You are 100% spot on, To obtain your GORGI registration is quite easy so if you get a registered plumber from the Institute of Plumbing that is CORGI registered you know you have got a person who has at least had a few years experience and is qualified as a plumber. Plus they must act professionally at all times.

When I did my CORGI modules a few years ago for the second time the course had a few people that had never touched a boiler and did not know the first thing about gas yet there they were doing the course. So I pity any person who had him turn out to a boiler breakdown.

These people have heard how much COGI registered plumbers charge so they want to become Gas fitters the only problem is you also need a little experience.

Just because a person is CORGI registered does not mean he knows the first thing about your boiler so watch out.

As one CF member has as his signature: After all those horses get out of the way, we'll have your barn door fixed in a jiffy.

[zoombini]

Originally Posted by goldoni

Just because a person is CORGI registered does not mean he knows the first thing about your boiler so watch out.

I'll 2nd that!

I had 3 round to look at my combi boiler & none of them could figure out what was wrong with it.
Proberably because it was an electrical fault rather than a plumbing one.

Fan switch relay on PCB was carbonised etc so fan was not switching on, I had to replace the relay & modify the PCB to ensure that it did not do that again.

Same thing when the diaphram went, Corgi chap wouldn't even consider replacing just the diaphram, wanted £150 to replace the whole valve assy.
Cost me £17.50, took 1/2 hour & has been fine for the past 5 years.

[etccarmageddon]

Originally Posted by bopdude

...I can't see why, as long as the gas connections are left but hey, thats just my understanding, could be wrong

because gas is such a dangerous thing - you dont just blow yourself up but next door!

[bopdude]

Originally Posted by etccarmageddon

because gas is such a dangerous thing - you dont just blow yourself up but next door!

I think you've missread what i said , I was saying that nowadays the plumber can't hang the boiler the corgi guy must do that as well, it used to be that all the corgi guy would do was the gas connection to the boiler, not mount it on the wall as well.

Nothing dangerous about hanging a boiler on a wall

[SMHarman]

Originally Posted by bopdude

I think you've missread what i said , I was saying that nowadays the plumber can't hang the boiler the corgi guy must do that as well, it used to be that all the corgi guy would do was the gas connection to the boiler, not mount it on the wall as well.

Nothing dangerous about hanging a boiler on a wall

I suppose because the plumber may not take into account all gas / ventilation considerations when hanging the boiler?

[goldoni]

I will let you into a little secret. As it stands at this moment in time, Joe public can go to Wicks or any of the sheds and buy a gas boiler, he can take it home and he can fit the said boiler providing he is competent to do so. The only person who can say he was not competent is a coroner. This is a fact

The British Gas employee (most are deemed to be competent) who comes and services/repairs your boiler is not able to work on your boiler privately and charge you money unless he/she is CORGI registered in his/her own name. This is a fact

Your next door neighbour who fitted his own boiler that has been working for years so you ask him to fit yours will only get taken to court if he charges you money and it can be proved he contravened gas safety regulations/ British standards. This would only take place if you reported him yourself to CORGI. This is a fact

Lets just say I lean that your neighbour who I know is not registered has fitted your boiler so I report him to CORGI guess what CORGI will do? They will send documentation so he can apply to be registered.

Lastly CORGI registered fitters or Registered Plumbers do not have to have insurance, so if they blow your house up and they live in rented accommodation you are stuffed. The insurance industry doesnââ‚ƚ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t help the situation by not issuing a certificate for public liability.

That all being said CORGI have made it a little safer than it was ten years ago.

After all those horses get out of the way, we'll have your barn door fixed in a jiffy.

[Mr_love_monkey]

Originally Posted by goldoni

Lastly CORGI registered fitters or Registered Plumbers do not have to have insurance, so if they blow your house up and they live in rented accommodation you are stuffed. The insurance industry doesnââ‚ƚ¬Ã¢â€žÂ¢t help the situation by not issuing a certificate for public liability.

I find that shocking.... so do plumbers, etc, that have insurance, carry proof around with them, i.e. the way CORGI fitters have a card, that you ask for, do they have insurance proof that they can or have to carry with them?

I'm feeling less inclined to let anyone into my house to do any work....