Gas boiler service

They way it went was engineer called there to repair a warranty defect which may or may not require him to remove the case, he is a competent engineer, it all went wrong when he asked the customer for her benchmark book and she explained that the installer didn't leave it, being a good engineer he explained what the benchmark book was and how it worked to protect her from unregistered installers, after the engineer left she rang corgi to report the installer as she was worried he was a cowboy, the inspector called found no fault with the installation (he would have looked hard) but he then contacted the warranty engineer to tell him he was reporting him and raising a RIDDOR which is a bad, bad thing, the inspectors position was that as there was no proof of commissioning so the warranty engineer could not be sure if the boiler and system was safe and fitted to any standard, he instructed him to ring him every time he came across the same situation and then cap supply and do the paper work, the next day he had the same problem rang the inspector, informed the customer that he was cutting off the boiler, he then got kicked out of the house, followed by his tools. so he contacted the boiler manufactures, who contacted Corgi to clarify there inspector findings, without boring you to much they backed there inspector and said engineers "must" cut of boilers without benchmark, Corgi were then asked again which regulation they were working to.....
on the third letter they then admitted that it was recommend and there was no regs to enforce the inspectors instruction, so everything was dropped against the engineer.

I have to admit i have had no bad experiences, but i think it's down to being ex British Gas than my work bring better.

I would love to tell you where i did my GIS but as i am going back in a couple of weeks to do my GID and it's being taught by a electrician (electricians my mortal enemy) i will keep my mouth shut till i get my paper work, you now how small the gas community is.
 
Fair enough if you don't want to comment on the training school (assuming it's midlands based!! ;))

Could the warranty engineer not just run through the commision proceedure and sign it off? (to avoid all the hassle)
Or as it's warranty call and he is (all be it subbie) working on behalf of the
manufacturuer, not call the installer back to site and have it commissioned! (any warranty I have done here, I have always been supplied witht he installers contact details before I go on the job, as most warranties I have done have mainly been installer issues, with the odd exception)
 
He is a agent for the manufacture and wouldn't be in a position to take responsibility for the installers work as the installer would have to be the one to register the installation and fill in the benchmark book which asks questions like corgi reg number, was system flushed, what inhibitor used etc..
In the UK things are different because once the boiler is on the wall a installer won't be seen for dust and it's the customer who calls in and deals with a boiler breaking down and without the benchmark there is no record of the installer.

I would just like to say the midlands based training center is a very fine establishment which can get very cheap public liability insurance for any QUALIFIED gas installer, not that thats the one i attended and any electrician that might be teaching there would have a great understanding of the gas industry and it's products.
 
HAHA.....I love it!

I am amazed the installer can run off into the sunset like that, I assume he can be pulled by Corgi then (once he has signed of the installation) for any installer related issues, during the warranty period at least??

Inhibitor & flushing would seem to be dirty words to many Irish installers,
have one estate of 2000+ houses in my area, and everytime I do a call there I don't need to ask where the boiler is, I usually can hear it before the door is opens (bang,bang,bang) bought a new power flusher on the basis of that estate alone!

And while having a moan, I can't understand how installers are let away with installing so called 'semi-sealed' systems to cover any potential leaks they leave behind!!!!
 
I do heating and plumbing installations also and was once talking to a plumber about a system I had commissioned, ( commissioned oil burner, added inhibitor and balanced system) he asked me what was balancing a system. How can an installer spend weeks on a job and not finish it properly?

With regard to the "semi-sealed" systems I have never seen them in the UK and was surprised when I saw them here. I would suspect that they are illegal as if the NRV fails (sticks/or jammed open) there would be a certain case of cross contamination.

My papers are good until 2010 so I will have to resit them then. Is it the same as the UK where you can just do the exams over 2 or 3 days and be done with it?
 
Yeah, resits can only take a day or two (depending on where you go)
lot of training centres are not too geared up for them, as they are only
newish in operation and haven't got the second wave yet.......
.....most a pretty booked out as Jan 1st looms......every untrained installer coming out of the woodwork......

as for your oil commissoning..hope you got yer Oftec 101 too!!
(as everyone else in Ireland does:rolleyes:)
 
Very few installers flush a system and add inhibitor and because of this the words "warranty null and void"come out of my mouth far more often than they should, but who's to blame, some installers yes, but also the customers who are so fixated on price that they won't pay the decent engineer who wants to flush the extra for it, when the fella down the road who used to fix cars will fit it for cash and the only thing being flushed is their money down the drain.

A bigger problem for me is all the unvented cylinders that are being fitted in a dangerous manner, i have called to a lot and not one would meet the British G3 safety regs, the one i worry about is a 10Lt unvented over sink water heater fitted in a crèche in Dublin, with little people toilets and sinks and the 8 bar discharge pointing at the kiddies sinks, not good.
 
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My papers are good until 2010 so I will have to resit them then. Is it the same as the UK where you can just do the exams over 2 or 3 days and be done with it?

As you got the crossover paper you have to do the training as well, don't shoot the messenger.
 
As you got the crossover paper you have to do the training as well, don't shoot the messenger.

Why? It is exactly the same thing (between Ireland and UK). I could pass the exams with a refresher course of one day. Do you have to do the full course? how long does that take? Bet it doesn't come cheap!
 
You need gas installer safety to sit gas installer domestic and GID minimum to be RGI, crossover paper is not excepted as per W.W at Bord Gais, I had to sit GIS which was 6 days and 750 euro as grant has been stopped for heating engineer, GID is 12 days and 1500 euro. I find Bord gais aren't overly interested as they are handing over to the unknown registration company at the end of the year, so you might be OK.
 
It was a up and running crèche that had been cleared for safety by who ever checks these things, i left it turned off because the installation met Irish regs and i left UK fitting instructions with the owner in the hope her husband (who fitted it) would refit it in a safe manor, she promised to get it sorted when i rang her the next week.
 
THe other day, we got a photocopied page through the letter box from "GRATE GAS SERVICES". It went like this:

"Grate Gas, on behalf of Bord Gais and Enterprise, have been trying to gain access to your house in order to carry out an essential safety check on all your gas appliances. Unfortunately, we could not gain access and we would be grateful if you could contact the number below to arrange a convenient time for us to visit.

There are two names and mobile numbers given.

We were puzzled as we hadn't made a call to Bord Gais about servicing our appliances. So, just to check, I rang Bord Gais and they said that they knew nothing of it. Their service engineers only come out if the customer requests it and the only way they advertise the servies is on TV and in leaflets accompanying bills.

I'm just posting this to make folks aware - I just hope that the elderly folk in our community aren't fooled into this...
 
I would report this to police if I was you, sounds like it may be a case of fraud to me!

Well done for alerting people.
 
I received that same letter and I got on to Grate Gas Company in Galway and asked them to verify if they were contracted by Bord Gais and they verified same and confirmed that the notification was genuine! The letter did indeed look dodgy, but I thought because there was so much upgrade work being done in the area (Drimnagh) over the last few months on the gas network that it sounded plausible, and from experience, Board Gais - one division doesn't know what the next one is doing, so I figured enquiring with the company directly was the quickest route...
 
I received that same letter and I got on to Grate Gas Company in Galway and asked them to verify if they were contracted by Bord Gais and they verified same and confirmed that the notification was genuine!
They would say that, wouldn't they?
 
Why would they? I got the number of the company from Golden Pages - the numbers on the letter I received were two mobile numbers, so there would be no connection.
 
Why would they? I got the number of the company from Golden Pages - the numbers on the letter I received were two mobile numbers, so there would be no connection.

Ok, so the letters were genuine in that they came from that company, but did they confirm that Bord Gais had approached them to carry out this work? I would find that very unlikely and indeed howmuchunder has confrimed that BG knew nothing about this. I wouldn't let these people into my house.
Leo
 
I emailed them telling them I had received a circular that didn't look very genuine and could they confirm that they had been contracted by Bord Gais to carry out safety checks and they said yes they had and if I had any further questions to contact Bord Gais, which I will do just for my own safety. I remember contacting Bord Gais before about meter upgrades in the area carried out by Bord Gais and the people I spoke to had no idea, so unless one gets on to the right people, one won't get the right information, but unless I actually get confirmation from them I won't contact these people. Just want to make sure I'm not missing out on safety check after Bord Gais ripping up all the roads in Drimnagh changing all the gas pipes...
 
Just want to make sure I'm not missing out on safety check after Bord Gais ripping up all the roads in Drimnagh changing all the gas pipes...

Any work Bord Gais have done in this area will not affect the safety of your installation. They did similar work in Crumlin recently and there was no such notices distribued.

If Bord Gais have asked this company to do a safety check, make sure they agree that BG are paying for it! If not, then I'd avoid them.
 
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