Baxi smoke tube

[picasso]

Just as a matter of interest do you have a boiler any where else on the property ?

 

[ianmcd]

As you are in a rental by law a CP 12 gas safety certificate must be issued to you, take a pic of last years one, and post it and it will tell us everything we need to know to advise you

 

[June Johnstone]

Yes I have a lovely fabulous boiler in the hall cupboard which I think was replaced in Sept 2019. It replaced a boiler which was up in the attic.

 

[June Johnstone]

I don't have last year's certificate - I have asked the leasing agent today to send it to me. It was done just before I moved in a year ago but I didn't get a copy. I realise now that the gas fire should have been SERVICED last week as it is a year since it was last done. Not just a gas safety check. Should he have removed the fire and checked the flue as matter of course for a service?

 

[June Johnstone]

Thanks gasguru, I didn't see your reply until now.. I don't know if there is a decommissioned back boiler behind the fire or if it was removed or even ever there. No idea until someone removes the fire. The engineer last week did not mention a BBU and he was supposed to be servicing the fire. I am so disappointed in all this but I have emailed the leasing agent to voice my concerns and ask the engineer why he didn't take the fire off and check the chimney before we get a sweep out. I doubt if she will do anything - she will just make me wait weeks until the sweep and the 'next' gas engineer turn up.

I have a boiler for hot water and heating and it all works well but I have an old, cold house and my gas fire is fantastic. Never had a problem with it. I'm hoping to get last year's cert and I will maybe call the engineer who did it then if he could come and do another check soon.

 

[June Johnstone]

Also gasguru I'm sorry if I am useless at explaining. The engineer last week just lit a smoke pellet and held this using a pair of grippers in front of the radiants. Fire was on. The smoke billowed into the room. He didn't put a smoke match up the smoke tube as he had never heard of a smoke tube until I showed him the instructions which I got online. He didn't have any smoke matches with him anyway. He tried to put the pellet up the smoke tube then said he couldn't get into the tube as the side of the fire was in the way! Then he said the chimney was blocked and that was the end of that. I would need a sweep. He only had two pellets in his toolbox to start with and he used both of them.

I have a separate very good boiler but nobody has any idea if the back boiler is still behind the fire.

 

[ianmcd]

I'm sorry if I am useless at explaining. The engineer last week just lit a smoke pellet and held this using a pair of grippers in front of the radiants. Fire was on. The smoke billowed into the room. He didn't put a smoke match up the smoke

Well he hasnt a clue, you remove the cover of the fire and run the fire for 5-10 mins, the insert the smoke match in a part of the fire designed specifically for this, you do not use anything near the radiants , and never a smoke pellet, you have an idiot that hasnt a clue what he is doing

 

[gas112]

lay down pull the bottom trim off the fire and you should see the old controls for back boiler. It would be very very unusual for someone to have removed the bbu . And has been said you never use a smoke bomb to test a fire like this the guy is completely clueless and dangerous .

 

[Gasguru]

It sounds like these idiots may be working out of scope ie. they are not licenced to work on fires.
If the fire failed the botched spillage test (you don't use a smoke pellet) it should have been disconnected, labelled up not to use and a warning notice issued. Look at the companies details and find them on the gas-safe website...you can see the areas of gas they are permitted to work on.
The boiler and cooker/hob were thoroughly checked too?

 

[June Johnstone]

This morning I have emailed the leasing agent to voice my concerns and I have added a few bits of your comments to. Particularly the ones which said not to use a pellet to do a spillage test and to check the chimney is actually blocked before getting a sweep in. I've told them also that I have emailed the gas safety register for advice but not mentioned the company's name. I have actually done that but it may take ages for a reply from them. I have butterflies as I hate confrontation but it had to be done. The guy has no knowledge of Baxi's - why couldn't he just own up and say? It does mention that they are qualified to check fires in their Gas Safe blurbs. I don't expect young gas engineers to know everything about old fashioned fires but sadly he didn't even bother to pay attention to the instructions.

I will keep you all posted and I'm so glad I popped on here the other day. What a great site for women like me to ask a question without feeling stupid. Thanks guys. Pity none of you live up here in NE Scotland. It is 5 deg outside today!

 

[CBW]

Quite a few Scot’s on here, just not all have responded

 

[June Johnstone]

My leasing agent replied. She said she was not a qualified engineer and could not possibly comment on my email. Instead she would forward it to the boss of the guy who did the test. I told her no way was she to send it to him. It wasn't very complimentary although I only re-iterated what was said on here and I did give him the benefit of the doubt being a young lad with no experience of a Baxi. I've convinced her just to call his boss next week (on holiday at mo) and ask him to phone me for a chat. I worry that he will do exactly the same. Mind you, I think I have a good idea of exactly what he should do now thanks to all of you so I will watch with interest.

Am I correct in saying he has put the fire on for 10 mins, light a long smoke match and shove it up the smoke tube? If the fire is ok there would be no spillage. Would it come out the hole at the top? I did see the hole in the instructions but I didn't see it last week as the side bit of the fire wasn't removed. I could barely see the tube and couldn't see a hole. It made me think I was wrong when he was sitting there next to me so I didn't go any further by questioning it. On hindsight I wish I did!

It also says in the instructions "after a further 5 mins with both the boiler and the fire alight, insert a smoke match into the boiler down draught diverter". Does he need to do this if there isn't an operational back boiler?

 

[ianmcd]

Dont know what instructions you are reading, but they are not for a Baxi Bermuda back boiler

you are getting completely confused now,the fire cover is removed and the smoke tube is in there, the smoke match is just the same size as a normal match and it goes in this little tube, where in NE Scotland are you ? lots of us Scottish lads on here

 

[June Johnstone]

I'm in Aberdeen. These are the instructions below. My fire is a PW5 and I've been looking at Fig 6 on p7. I hope I haven't been talking complete nonsense guys.

 

[June Johnstone]

Also ianmcd, the guy had never heard of a smoke tube. It even mentioned it on a plate at the side of the fire...and gives instructions what to do I think....but he ignored it completely and said he had no idea what a smoke tube was.