gas engineer in 8 weeks!

[keyplayer]

No, I got it flushed by someone else,non corgi registered, got round in no time! And anyway have sold that property so not my problem.

As an aside, the last gas related fatality that I was aware of was a cyclist who was run over by a heating engineer driving his tranny whilst on his mobile phone. Maybe there should be an organisation called CORD .

 

[ChrisR]

7 grammes? Blimey where did that gem come from? I think I'll get 7 g and show people. Um er, 7g would occupy just under 1cc. If I use a urine sample bottle at least the punters will remember it!

AB my start was very similar to yours (Not counting the odd boiler I put in over the last 20+years). Though more like 8 days than 8 weeks before I went live on my own. No real gas cockups, but very slow. Have been stumped by many a problem on an old combi, but nothing unusual there it seems.

Even WITH the current requirements, gas is still a heck of a lot easier to get into than sparks - apprenticeship mandatory for full NICEIC quals.

 

[ollski]

No, the price is not the issue with me , it's availability. Most recent personal case was a new combi boiler to replace an old knackered one. Types are irrelevant I think, but having phoned every heating engineer in the phone book and learned the earliest available would be 4 weeks off, finally had to call in a favour to get it done ie friend of a friend(yes, corgi). In January too, so quite urgent. Paid 1200 quid inclusive, Vaillant boiler, but no power flush - he didn't have the time, although I suppose that's not really a gas issue. Now I make that 400-500 quid for a days work which can't be too bad, so why the wait? Shortage of qualified fitters surely?

That's the problem you ran an old knackered boiler into the ground knowing it was on its last legs...if you had planned in its replacement a couple of months before there would have been no problem. Most good engineers keep a full book of work a month or two ahead, you cant expect anyone self employed to work day by day. Its fair to say most engineers are selective wih the work they do and the customers they do it for....as for the rest of it, well we leave that to the trainee gas men

 

[traineegasman]

RIGHT THEN........ Here we go.... stand by....... in reply to your comment keyplayer about me totally climbing down....... the answer to that comment would be ..................erm.............. yes.....happy now? to the rest of you still going on about coming on, mouthing off, as I have said before it did not start that way, & I`m not going to keep on apologising, BUT...... when somebody posts with a helpful point, or a point that they think may be helpful, there`s no need for some to hit back with a barrage of sneering, condescending remarks about how crap whatever amount of hard effort you have put in is, & how poor the standard of trainees qualifying are. That surely is not the case for every course & every trainee. My growing frustration is with the looking down your nose, & `just carry my tools son` attitude of SOME engineers I have had to train under. Put it this way, There are some engineers working out there, who should be locked up for the kind of work they are walking away from, & they are supposed to be experienced with many years in. I suppose that would make me arrogant now. Just don`t expect people to sit back & have to endure this kind of verbal. Not everyone who has not been an engineer for 20 odd years is an incapable idiot who does not even deserve the chance to be holding a u gauge. So please don`t talk to them like one.. LOOK... see what you`ve started now!.......

 

[DAVE BRILEY BHE]

Why does everyone keep going on about a shortage of gas installers, there is no shortage, never has been, just because you ring a plumber and he can't fit you in for a couple of weeks, does not mean there is a shortage of plumbers, how many times have you rang to book your car in for a service or repair work to be told bring it in today, never I bet, you have to book it in for a week or more sometimes in advance, it does not mean there is a shortage of mechanics does it.

YOUR dead right silverback there is no shortage they con everyone into thinking there is they want paying trainee,s lancashire area is being run by american corporations and franchises they change there business names when they loose there contracts and start other contracts in other parts of the country using different business names its all corrupt
But you wont see this on rough traders, they are trying to put the sole trader out of business you wont see any small company or sole traders winning any contracts

 

[DAVE BRILEY BHE]

Disagree totally, if there's no shortage of gas heads then you certainly must be quite selective about the jobs you take on. I've personally struggled to get corgi bods in to do minor tasks at a realistic price. And the difference with cars is you're legally allowed to DIY.

how can you disagree when you are not even in the trade
its all bollacks there is no shortage

 

[keyplayer]

how can you disagree when you are not even in the trade

What's being in the trade got to do with it? If I can't get someone round to cap a gas pipe quickly enough, then that suggests a shortage to me.

 

[keyplayer]

That's the problem you ran an old knackered boiler into the ground knowing it was on its last legs...if you had planned in its replacement a couple of months before there would have been no problem.

Not so , this was a house I'd just purchased.

 

[DAVE BRILEY BHE]

how can you disagree when you are not even in the trade

What's being in the trade got to do with it? If I can't get someone round to cap a gas pipe quickly enough, then that suggests a shortage to me.

the trouble with people like you ,,you always want it done on the cheap
why did you not phone b.g or transco. no ill get it done cheap from the local paper try the yellow pagews or is it to dear for you

 

[keyplayer]

why did you not phone b.g or transco.

Nothing to do with money, they're just too unreliable. Besides, I've got an oil fired boiler now and a very nice man comes round once a year to sort it.

 

[Baxi-Remeha]

there might not be too much of a shortage of engineers, but according to the stat's, its an AGEING trade. ie, there's there has been a long strech with more retiring than joining,

 

[traineegasman]

Silverback, your comment about myself not knowing much about the heating game because I don`t know about a particular model is incorrect. How many of you experienced guys know all there is to know about condensing boilers? Models change all of the time, the principles of installation of ALL boilers remains the same, does it not. They ALL require gas ( not talking about oil in my particular case) they ALL require water, be it a system boiler, conventional boiler, combi/condensing, whatever. They ALL require a circulatory system. My point is this, if you were an engineer in nineteen- o- plonk & you are an engineer today, would there be a huge difference in the way that these systems worked or indeed installed? I don`t think so.
The point that is being made time & time again on this site by experienced engineers is repeated once again by yourself. I have worked on open flued boilers, warm airs & such, but do you know what? It`s all over for them my friend, bygone appliances being binned for a bygone age. My Grandad had a penny farthing bicycle, he never wrote to Harley Davidson & told him how to change a wheel. ( I know it`s different generations but you get my point).
Stop living in the past. How many engineers today, will pass their gas exams in ten years time, ( me included )? Will there be any frikkin` gas left?
The point is, I don`t need to know the intricate workings of an appliance made 20 years ago to be a good engineer, & to be fair, the older they are, the less intricate. I need to know how intricate they are now, so do you, & so does every engineer posting on this site. If you are all honest with yourselves, you are all just starting over.

 

[ollski]

I have worked on open flued boilers, warm airs & such, but do you know what? It`s all over for them my friend, bygone appliances being binned for a bygone age.

Bloody ell there will be a few guys over at johnson and starey having a bit of a heart flutter at that bombshell

 

[kevplumb]

the phrase hole in your arse comes to mind son
as in you will never be

go and do your courses they aint worth jack **** experience is what counts if you dont know how it works you cant repair it

as i have said before go and play with the old vaillants
all hydraulic
better boiler than the crap getting knocked out now

 

[traineegasman]

Best bit of fishin` I`ve done tonite, I KNEW you would be watching this thread, just waiting for the rest of the guys to jump in, any takers! heh, heh, by the way not just a fly by night poster boys, gonna be winding you up FOREVER!!