Yes quite a few boilers don't have pressure sensor these days. I was powerflushing a vky compact yesterday and wanted to heat the water with boiler for better effect, with a head of just a few feet (because my tool would flood if I pressurised the system) boiler worked away happily. In some cases a benefit, but when boiler is uppermost, considering householders ineptitude with sealed systems, a disaster waiting to happen.
Suddenly realised that what must have damaged the recouperator in another compact I fitted where it's in an outhouse and the pipes up and opver from it. Old lady overpressurising it so dripping prv, resultant low pressure, so 35kw burner raged on... Now I see what happened.
I know it was 2 years ago now that I had an anual refresher day but I was told then that the ballastrade was only necessary if there weren't any roof structures handy to grab in the event of a fall around the hatch, and not necessary between hatch and boiler if sufficient floor covering more than a walkway. When most repair men have come from installing background at some time or another we're so used to monkeying around in lofts purched perrilously on joists trying to solder a joint we can barely see without seting fire to the house, the issue is muchly nanny state overkill. I agree to a decent floor and a good light, and I don't think I should have to put two dining chairs back to back to give me a start or walk up the walls one leg one side one leg other (both of which I have done, aswell as the leg up off yer mate method), but I don't have a problem with the ladder the customer goes to the garage for as long as it reaches into the loft and leaves me enough space to get my toolbag up. Step ladders not adequate. These are not "the rules", but in these days of the gas industry being totally stifled with rediculous legislation, though I wouldn't install to this slack standard I won't walk away and leave an old couple without heat, when next week I might be pulling myself up into an unfloored loft after a leg up to change a float valve.
Or are the regulators now going to say don't go up into a loft at all as a workman until the joiner has paved the way. Who is to protect the joiner?
Complete bumcum.
I doubt I am the only one avoiding installs like the plague. There will be a backlash sooner or later when people can't get anything installed correctly for a value for money fee because of the simple economics of supply and demand. When the price in my area reflects the true difficulty I'll start installing again. Until when you can either ask the government to deregulate and allow us to work intelligently, or you can get in the dodgy folk.
A recent estimate in whicj I pointed out all the pitfalls includiung the need for a large section of 28mm gas pipe up the outside of the block of flats and the cost of copper these days and all the other required conformities, my price was about three times the one another local firm advertises boldly in the paper. Of course I never heard anything, I expect the foreign worker who was appealing to me that the gas supply would be OK because it had been fine with the old boiler would probably be "advising" the client, and quite likely doing the job.
