From Bernard Green DIY gas work

[Aquaheat]

• As I read the HSE documentation DIY gas work in ones own home is NOT illegal.
  
  That is also the opinion of an accident investigation officer who has investigated gas related incidents for insurance companies and in cases where criminal prosecutions were being considered.
  
  He does agree that DIY gas work does create risks and that is why insurance companies will not insure if they are aware of DIY gas work having been done.
  
  He has investigated cases where registered technicians have been less than competent and injury / loss of property has resulted from their work being at fault. The insurance company have no option but to pay the house owner's claim and try to recover that from the registered technician and / or the organisation that declared him or her to be competent.
  
  
  Regards
  
  Bernard
  
  bernardgreen, 6 minutes agoReport
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• 
  Aquaheat
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  Please continue this and post it in the open forum. I have never once said that DIY gas work is illegal. What I have stated is that there has to be proven competence. By asking on a DIY forum the level of competence (incompetence) has already then been proven.
  
  Jon
  
  Aquaheat, A moment agoEditReport
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[ollski]

• 
  
• By asking on a DIY forum the level of competence (incompetence) has already then been proven.
  
  Jon
  
  Aquaheat, A moment agoEditReport
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Id have to disagree, over the last decade or so I have seen many competent professionals on here ask for advice and receive it.

 

[bernardgreen]

I wrote privately to Aquaheat to avoid mentioning in open forum that DIY gas work on one's own property can be legal.

That does NOT mean I endorse any DIY gas work as the level of competence required to make an installation safe is much higher than most people realise.

I also wanted to avoid mentioning that some of the Register Gas Installers on this forum have an attitude problem when it comes to discussing gas related problems that are posted.

A Gas Registered Installer will have been trained in a skill set and knowledge for installation work that will ( should ) be safe.

Routine appliance ( inc boilers ) servicing, fault diagnosis and repair require different sets of skills, knowledge and ability.

Some Gas Safe Registered people on this forum seem to have the opinion that anyone without that registration is incapable of knowing the hazard and dangers in gas work.

Some Gas Safe Registered people on this forum have closed ranks around one of their brothers when that brother left the sampling port on a boiler open the room. The same people tell DIYers how dangerous it is to open panels on boilers or tamper with condensate drains as this will allow carbon monoxide to leak into the room and this would be likely to prove fatal.

This attitude of these Gas Safe Registered people will drive people away and they will do their own gas work un-aware of the dangers.

A blunt and sometimes rude statement "DO NOT DO IT " is likely to be ignored.

An explanation of the dangers that have to be taken into account when working with gas is more likely to deter the person from doing the work themselves.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Some Gas Safe Registered people on this forum seem to have the opinion that anyone without that registration is incapable of knowing the hazard and dangers in gas work.

Like your soapy solutions?

You are arguing fro Ma very weak point of view simply on merit of your own idiocy.

Some Gas Safe Registered people on this forum have closed ranks around one of their brothers when that brother left the sampling port on a boiler open

No, the oversight was pointed out and criticised. There are plenty of examples of the professionals criticising poor workmanship and knowledge.

 

[Agile]

As far as this forum is concerned, there is only one aspect about DIY gas work.

That is quite simply that the Forum Rules do not permit giving advice to assist a DIYer to do gas work.

In my view that is a very sensible rule!

 

[bernardgreen]

It is not ostensibly illegal to do gas work, if you are competent. But how does one prove competence? Bernardgreen is completely incompetent as proved by his advice yesterday on checking gas leaks with soapy solutions.

I did not advise looking for leaks with a soapy solution. I suggested that when a bayonet coupler is removed from its socket then a test to ensure the socket has sealed would be sensible. Since very few people keep a bottle of GasSafe approved leak detection fluid in the tool box the next best alternative is soapy water. Or should they leave the socket, possibly leaking , until they can get a bottle of leak detection fluid.

And are you telling me that Gas Safe Registered technicians in domestic work never ever use soapy solutions ? Get real Dan.

Any what is this superlative leak detection fluid ? If I recall correctly that used for finding leaks on compressed air lines ( industrial ) was a combination of soaps and oils formulated to be non corrosive to the materials used in the airlines and to indicate with bubbles for very small leakages and "dis-appear" when the leak was anything more than a slight ouzing. At the low pressures in domestic gas work bubbles would almost certainly be adequate, if the leak was large enough to burst the bubbles in the fluid then the amount of gas leaking would be enough to be detected by smell. The regulations would need to take into account plumber with no sense of smell hence a more complex formulation would be needed.

 

[bernardgreen]

o, the oversight was pointed out and criticised. There are plenty of examples of the professionals criticising poor workmanship and knowledge.

The critism included dismissive comments like " any one can make a mistake "

 

[Agile]

I did not advise looking for leaks with a soapy solution. I suggested that when a bayonet coupler is removed from its socket then a test to ensure the socket has sealed would be sensible. Since very few people keep a bottle of GasSafe approved leak detection fluid in the tool box the next best alternative is soapy water. Or should they leave the socket, possibly leaking , until they can get a bottle of leak detection fluid.

You seem to be missing the point of bayonet gas fittings.

They are intended as a method of connection for gas cookers.

They are not intended as a method of sealing an otherwise open gas pipe.

A householder is permitted to disconnect a cooker for cleaning on a TEMPORARY basis. So a leakage test is not required for a short time while cleaning is being done.

Tony

 

[Dan Robinson]

And are you telling me that Gas Safe Registered technicians in domestic work never ever use soapy solutions ? Get real

They shouldn't, I don't.

Since very few people keep a bottle of GasSafe approved leak detection fluid

They don't need to.

GasSafe approved

And what pray tell is "Gas Safe" approved?

Any what is this superlative leak detection fluid ?

The clue is usually in the name on the bottle.

formulated to be non corrosive

Formulated being the operative word.

if the leak was large enough to burst the bubbles in the fluid then the amount of gas leaking would be enough to be detected by smell

FFS

 

[Agile]

Bernard, a leak detection liquid is not the way to test a gas system for leakage. That is done with a pressure drop test.

Leak fluid is for identifying exactly what is leaking to enable it to be repaired.

It should also be used to test that a pressure test point has sealed when it has been replaced.

Tony

 

[bernardgreen]

to test a gas system for leakage. That is done with a pressure drop test.

Yes I am aware of that.

But checking that a bayonet socket has fully closed is not the same as testing for leaks in the entire system.

 

[Dan Robinson]

Really?

 

[Dan Robinson]

(6) Where a person carries out any work in relation to a gas fitting which might affect the
gas tightness of the gas installation he shall immediately thereafter test the installation for
gas tightness at least as far as the nearest valves upstream and downstream in the
installation.

Wonder where the next upstream valve usually is on an installation from the Bayonet?

 

[dilalio]

As far as this forum is concerned, there is only one aspect about DIY gas work.

That is quite simply that the Forum Rules do not permit giving advice to assist a DIYer to do gas work.

In my view that is a very sensible rule!

You seem to be missing the point of bayonet gas fittings.

They are intended as a method of connection for gas cookers.

They are not intended as a method of sealing an otherwise open gas pipe.

A householder is permitted to disconnect a cooker for cleaning on a TEMPORARY basis. So a leakage test is not required for a short time while cleaning is being done.

Tony

+1
Spot on Tony.

Forum rules supersede HSE/UK law.
Bayonet fitting and oven hose is not a suitable method of terminating a gas supply.

 

[ollski]

Leak detection fluid is not non corrosive, that's why you are supposed to wipe it off.