Do I really need to engage a gas safety engineer?

[doitall]

Interestingly probably only 50% of RGI are qualified to work on the wet side.

Because they are Gas registered, means the can work on whatever appliance etc is on their card.

I would even go as far as to say, there's a lot of RGI's that I know that are quite useless working on a heating system.

 

[richard7761]

One of the conditions for permission, that relates to the radiator, is that the gas safe registration number is obtained and the name of someone who does the work.

That condition is not enforceable with private housing, but looks as if it may with social housing.

So, the DIYer asks is this condition necessary.

If the OWNER of the house wants to specify the qualifications of anyone who is to carry out alterations to THEIR property then they certainly have a perfect right to do so.

If the OCCUPANT doesn't like it, they can always go and rent somewhere else!

Yes, I think that's about right. With council housing there is a right to make alterations. A condition would be wrong if it was totally unreasonable though and stopped exercising a right. It's probably no dearer to employ a gas safety engineer v a non gas safe engineer anyhow in this case.

 

[doitall]

Wrong, a Gas engineer will be double that of a plumber.

 

[richard7761]

Wrong, a Gas engineer will be double that of a plumber.

Haha, this is why I use this site, to get that kind of information.

I bet if I go to the council and say, cannot I just get a plumber to do the work, who is gas safe, and they may say, no, got to be a gas safe engineer (whatever a gas safe engineer is).

Maybe what the council should be telling me is to get a heating engineer, or a plumber, rather than gas safe engineer.

I mean, the council own the central heating system, a radiator has got to be re-sited -which persons out there are reasonably qualified to do that work? What makes a "gas safe engineer" so peculiarly qualified? What is such a person, taking into consideration the work I want to do, which is moving a radiator?

I am beginning to wonder if the council asking for a gas safe engineer is misguided. And that the requrement for a tradesman beeing "gas safe" is wrong. Unless it's the only way, (by way of the gas safe registration number) to identify a competent person.

 

[swbjackson]

A gas safe engineer may not even do any wet trades. A gas safe registered engineer could easily just fit catering appliances and never touch a boiler or heating system.

It's another one of those things that people commonly misunderstand. Many years ago I went to building control to get building regs to install an unvented cylinder. They told me that as I was Corgi registered I could self certify the install although Corgi had nothing to do with unvented installs at the time.

 

[mointainwalker]

With council housing there is a right to make alterations.

The above cannot be true as it stands.

Whilst I can believe they will allow you to decorate in the colours of your choice, I absolutely don't believe you are allowed to touch anything technical i.e. water , gas or electrical systems.

 

[richard7761]

With council housing there is a right to make alterations.

The above cannot be true as it stands.

Whilst I can believe they will allow you to decorate in the colours of your choice, I absolutely don't believe you are allowed to touch anything technical i.e. water , gas or electrical systems.

The way I look at this is, what is needed is a competent person, and in the case, that would be CH engineer. Now, if it's not possible to be a CH/gas boiler engineer without being gas safe, I think that is why the council need a gas safe registration number.

I think the council's use of the term "gas engineer" is probably unfortunate, it ought to have been heating engineer. I reckon.

 

[richard7761]

With council housing there is a right to make alterations.

The above cannot be true as it stands.

Whilst I can believe they will allow you to decorate in the colours of your choice, I absolutely don't believe you are allowed to touch anything technical i.e. water , gas or electrical systems.

You can do things more than just paint. Such as you can do small jobs, such as adding a socket or a light switch to an existing circuit.

But, you are correct, one is severely limited is what you can do regarding services, electrics, plumbing, gas etc.

 

[mointainwalker]

Such as you can do small jobs, such as adding a socket or a light switch to an existing circuit.

Sorry . Don't believe this. There is no way an authority would either endanger its property or open itself to potentially huge legal claims by saying the tenant can do this.

At the very least they will say "competent person" and I'm not going to discuss "competent" as there are dozens of pages on that topic, mainly in "Plumbing" forum.

Would you like to post what you have from the council in writing that makes you think you can do as you say ?

 

[richard7761]

Such as you can do small jobs, such as adding a socket or a light switch to an existing circuit.

Sorry . Don't believe this. There is no way an authority would either endanger its property or open itself to potentially huge legal claims by saying the tenant can do this.

At the very least they will say "competent person" and I'm not going to discuss "competent" as there are dozens of pages on that topic, mainly in "Plumbing" forum.

Would you like to post what you have from the council in writing that makes you think you can do as you say ?

http://www.haringey.gov.uk/electrical_safety_in_dwellings.pdf

See page 2.

 

[mointainwalker]

As far as I can see that is a standard general document for all dwellings, including private and commercial, not specific regulations from the council for its tenants in council property.