Carbon monoxide alarm from gas fire

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Hi all

2 nights ago my parents had their carbon monoxide alarm sound late at night. The only gas appliance they have is the gas fireplace, a Flaval Windsor plus unit which was new last year.

They called the national grid emergency line and someone came out today, identified there was a carbon monoxide leak and isolated the unit.

The fire is still under warranty so my parents phoned the company number. They asked if it had been serviced which was a yes, then they asked if the oxy pilot assembly had been replaced at the service. This was a no, and so my parents were informed that the warranty was not valid. Having checked the guarantee card it does indeed say that replacement of this component annually is a condition of the warranty.

It was a gas safe engineer who they had service the unit previously, the same man who supplied and fitted the fireplace for them. My parents didn't know that this part should be replaced annually and I believe the engineer should have known that. Clearly we are now also questioning the competence of the fitter.

They will now have to pay for any repairs to the fire (don't yet know the actual cause of the CO leak), after which the warranty will be reinstated.

Obviously rather annoyed at the fitter and flavel themselves, and thankful for my parents having the alarm.

Any advice or thoughts on the issue appreciated.
 
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new to me that an oxypilot assembly has to be replaced at every service but I do not do many fires @FiremanT will read your post and will be able to advise you much better than me.
 
new one on me as well , warrantee means fook all these days . if they don't want to pay they will find some reason (n) . not saying what your saying isn't true mind
 
Yeah it says it on the warranty card - clear as day. Wouldn't have known to look at it of course, until it's needed.
 
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You could always call them again and when they ask if its been replaced just say yes, absolute nonsense though never heard that before and never replaced an oxypilot that hasnt failed.
Its far more likely that a co problem is from the chimney than the fire anyway to be honest.
 
They called the national grid emergency line and someone came out today, identified there was a carbon monoxide leak and isolated the unit.

Why call National Grid and not the original fitter? It wasn't a gas leak and stopping use of the fire would stop the co leak!
 
They have lost confidence in the original fitter, with good reason IMO. They called british gas first intending to get a service engineer out but British gas told them to call the national grid emergency line to get a free check.
 
My parents didn't know that this part should be replaced annually and I believe the engineer should have known that. Clearly we are now also questioning the competence of the fitter.

There is no question. The fitter did not carry out the manufacturer's instructions when servicing the fire. That is either incompetance or negligence. He is responsible and should refund any costs incurred by the customer due to his negligent work. He should also consider very carefully what could have happened if the carbon monoxide sensor had failed to wake the people in the house.
 
Why call National Grid and not the original fitter? It wasn't a gas leak and stopping use of the fire would stop the co leak!

Pretty sure written over all co alarms if alarm sounds call grid, with grid number in big writing on them, hence why they rung....
 
We don't know how much the servicer charged or how long he took.

He should have read the servicing instructions and should have noticed that.

But in a real world he managed to somehow overlook it.

I don't deal with many fires either and would not have expected to need to replace it if it was in good condition.

In fact it sounds to me like an additional money making tactic!

My view is to call him back and I would expect him to apologise and not make any labour charges for sorting it out.

As said if there was a CO problem far more likely to be associated with the flue or ventilation.

Tony
 
The situation now is they have arranged for a Flavel contracted fitter to come and examine the fire. Once this is done I should know more about the actual cause of the problem. If it turns out the installation of the fire or servicing is the issue then we'll consider a formal complaint against the fitter.

My parents did say that when he serviced the fire they had to call him back because it was loose in the surround. On checking this it is still loose now.

Will see what the inspection brings.
 
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so the original installer wasn't called then , why don't you ring him before reporting him as you may get a good outcome . just can't see that part being the problem . see what the valor engineer has said then you have information to discuss with the original engineer
 
The oxypilot would be tested to prove that it "fails safe" during the service. It would be unfair to bill someone an extra 50 quid or so every year for something that could last 10 years depending on usage. As for the manufacturers request, it is probably due to it being the only part likely to fail and therefore saving them a warranty call.
 
+1 on the pilot/warranty.

O.P., did the grid engineer positively confirm the presence of CO in the room?
 
so the original installer wasn't called then , why don't you ring him before reporting him as you may get a good outcome . just can't see that part being the problem . see what the valor engineer has said then you have information to discuss with the original engineer

Yes he was but after the grid engineer visit. My parents are rightly annoyed that the warranty could not be honored because the part was not replaced as stipulated. They also no longer trust him (can you blame them?)

The oxypilot would be tested to prove that it "fails safe" during the service. It would be unfair to bill someone an extra 50 quid or so every year for something that could last 10 years depending on usage. As for the manufacturers request, it is probably due to it being the only part likely to fail and therefore saving them a warranty call.

The previous installer did say that he had checked the device when my parents spoke to him. However what are they supposed to do? The warranty specifically says the part must be replaced annually. Now I agree this seems an unfair warranty term but what can they do? I'm sure given the choice they'd have had the part replaced to keep the 7 year warranty intact.

However, whats worse is that clearly something is wrong whether with the fire or the chimney and the previous servicer is the only one that had any influence here. It doesn't fill you with confidence - this could have killed them.

+1 on the pilot/warranty.

O.P., did the grid engineer positively confirm the presence of CO in the room?

I believe confirmed leakage from the top of the fire and there was a residue around the top of the fire where the silver trim had been discoloured. I don't know more as wasn't there in person.
 

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