Boiler installation problem. What to do?.

[Dan Robinson]

If there's a hole in the roof, and rain imminent then you might be forced to and not without reason.

Give him fair warning though as you will need to agree what he gets paid for and what he contributes to the finishing works, which with that mental price could end up with him making a loss on the job.

 

[propertydev83]

Thanks, I've contacted a few engineers.

I'll send him a message informing him of the situation and regarding the fees.

 

[simond]

I was wondering about the hole in the roof.

How high above ground level and how is it accessed?

Is it a flat roof or sloping tiles?

My pc cost for fitting the vertical flue may not have been enough. Of course with any real situation asking for a telephoned budgetary quote then I would have asked and been told.

Tony

There is something a bit unusual about you Tony.

The bloke's fretting about water coming through a gaping hole in his roof as the rain starts, and, in response, you are concerned that you may have misquoted for a fictitious job that you are never going to do. You even ask the chap to confirm details of his roof so you can requote!

I would love to know if you were expecting him to do this before, or after, he got the mops and buckets out?

 

[propertydev83]

I'm screwed.

Having read through your situation I strongly recommend that if you are unable to contact the installer then you contact Gas Safe on 0800 408 5500 and explain the situation to them. Gas Safe can send an engineer out to inspect the installation and report back on what needs to be done to ensure the installation conforms with current safety legislation. This is also advised in order to protect you and your family from a dangerous installation.

*Censored* would not be in a position to carry out any remedial work until Gas Safe had carried out an inspection and reported back to you and the installation engineer.

So I"ve either got to call emergency services as suggested in this thread, or gas safe?!?!

Someone kick me please.

 

[simond]

With other appliances connected and no smell of gas, then I'm not sure exactly why you are being directed to call Gas Safe.

Once the job is completed you can request an inspection from GSR. Or if you really wanted to, you could request an inspection now, but they won't rush over. I would get the job finished, ideally by the 'bargain' installer. Who, one could argue, didn't turn out so cheap after all.

Getting someone else to finish his work is unlikely to be easy. Not the sort of game most of us want to play.

Unless Agile is available of course. The 99th emergency service.

 

[propertydev83]

Mmm that's understandable that most would not want to finish someone else's work.

But where does that leave us. Now we are stuck in limbo... Nobody else will finish the job. I can't keep doing nothing because he may or may not turn up some time or another. And I don't particularly want the guy doing any more work here even if he could be contacted.

I've got some roof work being done soon so they will have to sort out the hole. In the mean time, I'll have to get up on the roof and try to cover it. There's some minor leaks elsewhere but this is a big hole and right above the boiler...

I've left the stopcock open now that the filler loop is closed, so we can use water again.

I've left the gas off, and the boiler switched off.

I haven't paid anything yet, so it is cheap...financially. Not so cheap in other ways.

 

[Agile]

I still don't know what the roof job involves, but usually needs an engineer if the flue needs to be dismantled which would usually be the case to fit a seal so not just a job for a roofer.

You are not in my primary coverage area but sound very close to our friend Dean!

Your installer seems to have ignored your contacts. In that case with the hole in the roof I would say that you are totally justified in getting someone else to sort it out as long as you keep the installer informed. Remember that we don't think he has been very naughty ( apart from apparently now not communicating with him ).

You should get him to fit a compliant filling loop though! His price is little less than my budgetary figure and I would always use the right filling loop.

Tony

 

[propertydev83]

i dunno. Well, the total list of ****ups is:

- The PRV / copper pipe outlet was not installed at all.

- The filler loop from the cold mains to the CH was left open.

- The filler loop only has a valve/tap at one end. There should be two valves/taps.

- Weeping compression joints at each end of the filler loop.

- The flue through the loft is not physically secured in any way, and the unecessarily large hole through the roof tiles has not been finished and made good, and rain can come in.

- Small gas leak as advised and possibly smelling gas later, until I switched the gas back off. Could not make contact to inform him as he requested, so they can reroute the pipes.

- Unable to make any contact.

- Promised to come first thing Monday to finish the roof opening before we do get any rain.

- Left us in a position where we can't get any help no matter which way we turn.

- The consequences could have been a lot worse considering the rate at which water was coming out from the bottom of the boiler in the middle of the night.

There are other minor things - like the shoddiness of the cutout for the condensate pipe coming through the plastic cladding on the front of the house and not being sealed around the pipe (luckily I am replacing the cladding anyway), and a few careless spillages of black water from the wet vac and whatnot (again, carpets are being thrown out so no big deal really).

 

[kittedup]

Pay peanuts......

 

[Razor900]

With other appliances connected and no smell of gas, then I'm not sure exactly why you are being directed to call Gas Safe.

I advised him to call the ESP. He's reported a smell of gas and the fitter has disconnected appliances, it's not clear if there are any old appliances connected to the supply at the moment.

If there are no old appliances, a 4mb drop and a smell of gas the fitter needs riddoring don't you think?

 

[propertydev83]

Pay peanuts......

......get a monkey.

I didn't realise it was THAT cheap. But what's done is done. I've learnt some lessons...

- Gas Safe registration doesn't really mean quality or competency.

- Always get recommendations or similar. I've been looking at checkatrade now instead and only considering those with 100+ reviews.

- I have further inceased my knowledge of boilers and related plumbing as a result of this nightmare.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Checkatrade is as useless as Which? Magazine

 

[propertydev83]

Checkatrade is as useless as Which? Magazine

Possibly... But I have no way to get trusted recommendations.

Of course online reviews are 90% bullshit or fake, but for those with very high numbers of reviews there is an ounce of truth somewhere. Besides using them to get contacts, get quotes, and go with the middle rather than the cheapest, I don't have many other options.

Until you've actually used a tradesperson, or you personally know someone who has used a tradesperson and can give a genuine recommendation, how can you ever know who is going to be worth their wage?

 

[Dan Robinson]

Comparisons with other estimates, references, portfolio.

All these things, I guarantee you would have had you choose another firm.

3 or 4 estimates with references etc should have shown that £1700 for that boiler and conversion was going to be a recipe for disaster.

References are not the same as online reviews.

 

[Razor900]

If you haven't paid him and he won't answer the phone I'd be arranging to have the boiler removed so he can collect it and a proper boiler fitted instead by a decent fitter.

Did I mention the Intergas will run without the heating side connected

Tony has already given you a price