Whether it’s a safety check of service, checking the flue remains the same, because the flue is owned and maintained by the landlord, so it’s would still need a flue flow test (bomb up the chimney) and spillage (the match at smoke tube).
Baxi smoke tube
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The fire must come out to safety check the flue/backboiler/fire condition and to smoke test the flue.
If the fire was not performing correctly (or is likely to be unsafe during the next year) then I would always service.
On most radiant fires that means a minimum of cleaning the lint arestor (a metal gauze to trap dust etc see the manual). Ignoring a blocked lint arrestor can lead to serious carbon monoxide production etc.
The numerous checks required to ensure the fire is safe to use are also those checks that you'd carry out as part of a service but you might not necessary tick the service box.
For all the hassle (incorrect use by tenants, blocked vents, poor flue conditions, many are ancient, landlords won't pay the time etc) I will nearly always disconnect fires where alternative heating is provided.
You must realise that many managing agents are corrupt...ripping off the gas eng/tenant & landlord.
Often a sizable bung is paid by the gas eng. to obtain the gas safety checks. The gas eng. may also have to inflate their invoice as the agent will deduct a further amount for themselves.
Agents want clean gas safety records with no problems, a tenant kicking up a fuss is not what anyone wants to hear
If the fire was not performing correctly (or is likely to be unsafe during the next year) then I would always service.
On most radiant fires that means a minimum of cleaning the lint arestor (a metal gauze to trap dust etc see the manual). Ignoring a blocked lint arrestor can lead to serious carbon monoxide production etc.
The numerous checks required to ensure the fire is safe to use are also those checks that you'd carry out as part of a service but you might not necessary tick the service box.
For all the hassle (incorrect use by tenants, blocked vents, poor flue conditions, many are ancient, landlords won't pay the time etc) I will nearly always disconnect fires where alternative heating is provided.
You must realise that many managing agents are corrupt...ripping off the gas eng/tenant & landlord.
Often a sizable bung is paid by the gas eng. to obtain the gas safety checks. The gas eng. may also have to inflate their invoice as the agent will deduct a further amount for themselves.
Agents want clean gas safety records with no problems, a tenant kicking up a fuss is not what anyone wants to hear
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Thanks Chris. What I really meant was does the fire need servicing every year......or is a landlord safety record the one and only annual check the fire needs? Do you do both? Service and safety check?
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Yes I hate being the tenant kicking up a fuss. My landlady as I said before wants to send 'her own' engineer and a sweep. I called the engineer a week ago but have had no reply. I'm thinking I should just leave them to it and she can fork out the money to get these boys in when there is possibly nowt wrong with the chimney/flue and then the new engineer will do the correct test and everyone will be happy (except me). The original bad guy will be delighted as he will be off the hook. Ach, it is just a mess. I do love my gas fire, the radiators are just not big enough so I really love having the fire. I don't want it to be causing a fuss.
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There is a legal requirement to carry out a gas safety check every 12 months, there is no requirement to carry out a service, but your fire has to be removed to carry out the gas safety check
As per others, there is no requirement for a “service” . Like others, my person policy is to only do LLGSR’s if they will
pay for any Open Flue appliance to be serviced .
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Good to know, thanks guys.
Also if the fire was operational when you first moved in, then the landlord is duty bound to get it repaired, it's no different to having a broken down boiler. If it cannot be repaired then you are quite within your rights to request a new fire as a replacement.
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Update - the new gas engineer my landlady asked me to call two weeks ago is now not available.....so I am getting another new engineer round in the next week hopefully. I will watch him closely. He is coming to do a landlord's safety check. If the fire works fine when he does the spillage test does he then have to check the chimney...or would folk not bother? There is nothing on the form to tick to say the chimney has had a smoke test is there?
I read a few answers where you say a chimney/flue test should always be done when carrying out a safety check. It's all good ammunition for going back to the original guy and asking why he didn't do that if he should have as a matter of course. I'm still fuming about it!
Anyway, I will keep you all posted, fingers crossed it will happen within the next seven days and the fire will sail through the test perfectly.
I read a few answers where you say a chimney/flue test should always be done when carrying out a safety check. It's all good ammunition for going back to the original guy and asking why he didn't do that if he should have as a matter of course. I'm still fuming about it!
Anyway, I will keep you all posted, fingers crossed it will happen within the next seven days and the fire will sail through the test perfectly.
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Hi everyone. What a great Monday morning! I was so cosy last night my living room temperature passed the magic 20 deg C!
Last week after bugging the leasing agent to speed up the 2nd gas engineer I got a call from another 3rd engineer. He could do it on Sat. He came round, put down a cloth, took 5 mins to remove the fire from the wall, heated the flue with his burner bottle and then did a smoke bomb test up the flue. It passed perfectly! Then he checked all around the opening, had a good look at everything else in there, cleaned the fire filters, dusted other bits and pieces, then put the fire back on. The first guy did none of this. Right enough a decomm back boiler was there so no chimney would need sweeping (you may remember 1st guy said chimney was blocked).
Then he told me all about the smoke tube etc. but he prefers to hold the match at the back as some of you mentioned. He said he had been servicing that particular fire for years and there is never anything wrong with it, although he suggested a new boiler a few years ago so the landlady put a combi in and got the back boiler decommissioned.
He was dumbfounded when I told him my tales of woe with the fire....he said he was on holiday that week. Bad timing for me eh?!!
Anyway my fire is fully functional, passed the spillage test with flying colours and has had a wee clean and a spruce up so I am delighted.
I thought you may like to know that the 1st engineer, being a young lad, is number 547000 odd so his register no. is over half a million. The lovely engineer who came on Sat, his gas safe register number is 500 something which is amazing. He used to work for the Gas Board. Real old school guy, just about to retire.
So chaps, thanks so much for all your advice. I would not have felt confident moaning to the letting agent about the bad workmanship without your help. It has made this young lady very happy. You are a great bunch.
No idea what the leasing agent will do when the landlady asks for a refund. Not my problem eh?! haha
Sadly the 1st engineer brought round his young apprentice so the poor young lad will go away thinking that holding a smoke bomb in front of the fire radiants is the 'proper' way to do a spillage test. Getting taught by an unprofessional, incompetent person is worrying all the same. Shame the gas safe register pay no heed to complaints.
Cheers guys
Last week after bugging the leasing agent to speed up the 2nd gas engineer I got a call from another 3rd engineer. He could do it on Sat. He came round, put down a cloth, took 5 mins to remove the fire from the wall, heated the flue with his burner bottle and then did a smoke bomb test up the flue. It passed perfectly! Then he checked all around the opening, had a good look at everything else in there, cleaned the fire filters, dusted other bits and pieces, then put the fire back on. The first guy did none of this. Right enough a decomm back boiler was there so no chimney would need sweeping (you may remember 1st guy said chimney was blocked).
Then he told me all about the smoke tube etc. but he prefers to hold the match at the back as some of you mentioned. He said he had been servicing that particular fire for years and there is never anything wrong with it, although he suggested a new boiler a few years ago so the landlady put a combi in and got the back boiler decommissioned.
He was dumbfounded when I told him my tales of woe with the fire....he said he was on holiday that week. Bad timing for me eh?!!
Anyway my fire is fully functional, passed the spillage test with flying colours and has had a wee clean and a spruce up so I am delighted.
I thought you may like to know that the 1st engineer, being a young lad, is number 547000 odd so his register no. is over half a million. The lovely engineer who came on Sat, his gas safe register number is 500 something which is amazing. He used to work for the Gas Board. Real old school guy, just about to retire.
So chaps, thanks so much for all your advice. I would not have felt confident moaning to the letting agent about the bad workmanship without your help. It has made this young lady very happy. You are a great bunch.
No idea what the leasing agent will do when the landlady asks for a refund. Not my problem eh?! haha
Sadly the 1st engineer brought round his young apprentice so the poor young lad will go away thinking that holding a smoke bomb in front of the fire radiants is the 'proper' way to do a spillage test. Getting taught by an unprofessional, incompetent person is worrying all the same. Shame the gas safe register pay no heed to complaints.
Cheers guys
Sorry you had a clueless imbecile in your house, who claimed competency.
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