Just had some grant work done by the local council which included removing the CH boiler from the wall, rebuilding the wall, and refitting the boiler.
The 'gas fitter' turned up and didn't seem to know how to remove boiler. He disconnected the wrong pipes at first but finally figured it out.
Three days later, after the wall had been rebuilt, the 'gas fitter' returned and
refitted the boiler. When he was finishing off the work I noticed that the flue pipe on the inside of my house had a label on it which said 'TOP', this label was on the side of the flue facing me. I mentioned this to the fitter and he got the builder to rotate the flue 45 degrees clockwise so that the TOP label was at the top of the flue.
The fitter then pressurised the system but could not get the pressure gauge to show a reading. He then spent 30 minutes trying to figure out what was wrong. He finally removed a flange and refitted it the correct way. The pressure gauge now worked ok.
The boiler now started ok and the fitter left.
A couple of days later I asked the council appointed builder for the fitters name and Gas Safe reg number as I wanted to keep a record of everyone that had worked on the boiler. the builder gave me a name and number. The name he gave me was not the name that the builder had called the gas fitter. The builders explanation was that his name was ***** but everyone called him *****.
I became suspicious so I looked on the Gas Safe site but couldn't find the name or number. I phoned Gas Safe and a lady managed to talk me through getting the details of the name and number I had been given. On the screen was the persons name and registration number given to me by the council builder. My wife a I both looked at the photograph of the gas fitter and realised that this was not the person who had worked on our boiler. The Gas Safe person suggested I use the online form to report an illegal fitter.
About 30 minutes later a council employee arrived to inspect the building work. I showed the Gas Safe page on my computer and said that the photograph was not the person who had worked on our boiler. The council person didn't want to know and said I should sort things out with the (council appointed) builder. I then phoned the builder and he said that he was sorry and that the person who had worked on our boiler was in fact the father of the registered gas fitter and was not Gas Safe registered.
I again went through the menus on the Gas Safe site but could only get a page with the registered gas fitters name and details of what work he was authorised to do.
I phoned Gas Safe and was told that the gas fitters name, address, phone number, photogarph and email address had been removed. I asked who can do this and was told that the engineer could have removed the information as engineers are not required to post all their information on the site.(I don't know if this is correct)
I made a report to Gas Safe and a few days later phoned them to ask what was being done. I was told that no action was being taken because I had no proof. I was also told that because I had already got a Gas Safe engineer to check the boiler and issue a safety certificate, Gas Safe could take no action.
So now there is a man doing gas work who is not Gas Safe registered and clearly doesn't know what he is doing. I hope I don't wake up one morning and read in the local paper that a family have been overcome by fumes from a gas boiler and have all died and that the same illegal fitter had just worked on their boiler.
I know I should have checked the fitters Gas Safe card, but I thought that as the builder had been apponted by the local council, and that I had been told that the builders are all vetted, there was no need.
I think Gas Safe is a waste of time.
The 'gas fitter' turned up and didn't seem to know how to remove boiler. He disconnected the wrong pipes at first but finally figured it out.
Three days later, after the wall had been rebuilt, the 'gas fitter' returned and
refitted the boiler. When he was finishing off the work I noticed that the flue pipe on the inside of my house had a label on it which said 'TOP', this label was on the side of the flue facing me. I mentioned this to the fitter and he got the builder to rotate the flue 45 degrees clockwise so that the TOP label was at the top of the flue.
The fitter then pressurised the system but could not get the pressure gauge to show a reading. He then spent 30 minutes trying to figure out what was wrong. He finally removed a flange and refitted it the correct way. The pressure gauge now worked ok.
The boiler now started ok and the fitter left.
A couple of days later I asked the council appointed builder for the fitters name and Gas Safe reg number as I wanted to keep a record of everyone that had worked on the boiler. the builder gave me a name and number. The name he gave me was not the name that the builder had called the gas fitter. The builders explanation was that his name was ***** but everyone called him *****.
I became suspicious so I looked on the Gas Safe site but couldn't find the name or number. I phoned Gas Safe and a lady managed to talk me through getting the details of the name and number I had been given. On the screen was the persons name and registration number given to me by the council builder. My wife a I both looked at the photograph of the gas fitter and realised that this was not the person who had worked on our boiler. The Gas Safe person suggested I use the online form to report an illegal fitter.
About 30 minutes later a council employee arrived to inspect the building work. I showed the Gas Safe page on my computer and said that the photograph was not the person who had worked on our boiler. The council person didn't want to know and said I should sort things out with the (council appointed) builder. I then phoned the builder and he said that he was sorry and that the person who had worked on our boiler was in fact the father of the registered gas fitter and was not Gas Safe registered.
I again went through the menus on the Gas Safe site but could only get a page with the registered gas fitters name and details of what work he was authorised to do.
I phoned Gas Safe and was told that the gas fitters name, address, phone number, photogarph and email address had been removed. I asked who can do this and was told that the engineer could have removed the information as engineers are not required to post all their information on the site.(I don't know if this is correct)
I made a report to Gas Safe and a few days later phoned them to ask what was being done. I was told that no action was being taken because I had no proof. I was also told that because I had already got a Gas Safe engineer to check the boiler and issue a safety certificate, Gas Safe could take no action.
So now there is a man doing gas work who is not Gas Safe registered and clearly doesn't know what he is doing. I hope I don't wake up one morning and read in the local paper that a family have been overcome by fumes from a gas boiler and have all died and that the same illegal fitter had just worked on their boiler.
I know I should have checked the fitters Gas Safe card, but I thought that as the builder had been apponted by the local council, and that I had been told that the builders are all vetted, there was no need.
I think Gas Safe is a waste of time.
