Checking boiler safety

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doineedaRGI

I've had my boiler serviced each year (837 ecotec), the engineer inserts the sample probe into the flue turret & records the combustion readings ,thats all he does , I have purchased a sprint V2 analyser due to the fact it is costing me £98 per year for a service , WHY CAN'T I DO THIS? ,as far as i know all that is required is for the CO/CO2 ratio to be below .004 , as long as combustion readings are within tolerence what is the problem with testing @ the flue terminal myself? ,am also prepared to use my analyser on my neibours boiler too along with a nominal charge of £10 ,if i find CO/CO2 ratio exceeds action level then obviously time to call a RGI.

I am NOT asking for gas advice so please do not post back with 'we are not at liberty to advice',if this is the case i will push the 'ignore' button.

TIA.
 
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it isnt rocket science, but then again i have been working on gas for many years, it is the simple things that can catch you out, what if the seal is bust somewhere will you spot it, you prob didnt notice all the wee things he checked without bringing it to your attention etc etc, its always the same when you watch an expert they make it look easy, you can do what you want in your own house, but you have no proved competance to do this kind of work for anyone else, if you thik it is worth your familys safety go ahead, but do yourr neighbour a favour and leave theirs alone, there is also the cost of the analyser and the annual calibration to think about as a DIYer it aint worth it in my opinion
unless you fancy going along the street getting a tenner per house for checking them, it will increase your income and will also increase the chances of that one time where you muck up and kill a family but for a tenner a go who would blame you
 
I have purchased a sprint V2 analyser due to the fact it is costing me £98 per year for a service

It'll cost you at least that to have the analyser calibrated every year. :rolleyes:
 
Thank you Kirkgas ,I am well versed regards combustion theory so feel I am competent to carry out a combustion analyst.

I will down load the necessary boiler manuals that are reqiured for all my neighbours appliances, this will guide me in the direction of what CO/CO2 levels require actioning, if in tolerence then not an issue as far as i am aware?
 
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I have purchased a sprint V2 analyser due to the fact it is costing me £98 per year for a service

It'll cost you at least that to have the analyser calibrated every year. :rolleyes:

I already have the V2, charging for my services will pay for the annual calibration cert.

My question still stands regards using the anyliser on my neighbours appliances.
 
My neighbours Potterton neta-heat............

Co.0.015---Co2-6.5---Ratio....0.002
 
If you intend to charge your neighbours - albeit a nominal sum - for testing their appliances then you are assuming responsibility for the results.

Where do you think you would stand, liability-wise, if you told a neighbour that their boiler was safe and then a day, a week, or a month later one of them died of carbon monoxide poisoning?

Are you going to carry liability insurance to cover such an eventuality?

Are you even going to bother paying to get your test equipment calibrated annually in accordance with the manufacturers intruction?

It could even be argued that by doing this then you are actively discouraging your customers from having a proper service of their gas appliances carried out by a qualified and acredited RGI. That alone could lead to you being considered at least partially liable for any injuries or deaths resulting from a fault on an appliance which has nothing whatsoever to do with any "tests" you do carry out.

Do you think that the family of a dead neighbour is going to be convinced by you saying, "but I told your 80 year old Gran that I was only testing the gases that come out of the end of the flue, not checking whether the system was actually safe and fit to be used". No, they - and the prosecution barrister - are going to contend that you told Grandma that her boiler was safe.
 
They're also going to say "You should have had CCN1, Cenwat and CPA1 as well as being registered. But he already knows that, he's obviously a wind up merchant.
 
I

Where do you think you would stand, liability-wise, if you told a neighbour that their boiler was safe and then a day, a week, or a month later one of them died of carbon monoxide poisoning?

I am doing no more or no less than BG do when servicing my boiler, action level is .004 , ID is .008, unless you know otherwise?

Isn't this what British Gas do?
 
have purchased a sprint V2 analyser due to the fact it is costing me £98 per year for a service , WHY CAN'T I DO THIS?
You can.
Whether doing so actually achieves anything is another matter.

as long as combustion readings are within tolerence what is the problem with testing @ the flue terminal myself? .
There isn't a problem - provided all you want is to check what the readings are.

,am also prepared to use my analyser on my neibours boiler too along with a nominal charge of £10 ,if i find CO/CO2 ratio exceeds action level then obviously time to call a RGI.
For what purpose?
Doing that will fall far short of a proper safety check, and therefore won't be of any use to anyone.
There is a significant danger in that your neighbours may think their boiler is being checked for safety, when of course it is NOT.
They may think their boiler is being serviced - obviously it is NOT.
 
he's obviously a wind up merchant.

Probably.

Either that or he's an arrogant idiot who doesn't care if his "familiarity with combustion theory" kills himself, his family, or his neighbours. In which case he's going to ask advice but then carry on regardless when he gets an answer he doesn't like.

But I still thought it was worth replying for the benefit of anyone else reading this thread in the future - hopefully with a slightly more open mind and a greater appreciation of the potential consequences of even a genuine mistake when dealing with such things.
 
I

Where do you think you would stand, liability-wise, if you told a neighbour that their boiler was safe and then a day, a week, or a month later one of them died of carbon monoxide poisoning?

I am doing no more or no less than BG do when servicing my boiler,

Precisely. You are doing what they do - assuming responsibilty for the safety of the appliance. Something which you are not trained, qualified, or insured to do.

If there were to be a death after one of your "tests" you WOULD go to prison, the family WOULD sue for damages, and since you are uninsured this WOULD lead to you and your family losing your house.

All to save £100 a year.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:
 

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