gas spillage test

[quincemeister]

we had the fire serviced and it failed the smoke match test as some came back in the lounge...............all the doors and windows were shut and most of it went up the flue..but every so often a bit came back .now conditions outside were blowing a severe wind off and on. so he now tells me i need a rotovent to sort it out .the houses have been here 20 years and no one else has got one fitted.........maybe no one else has had their gas fire serviced i don't know.i am being told that he should have done the test with the doors or windows open as well to see if it was just a lack of ventilation? anyway he has disconnected my fire and sort of capped it off.i mean if i turn the gas supply on it will come out of the bit he has supposedly capped. is something not right with the test or is it all correct,they did not try to sell me a rotovent ,just said he rang his boss and he told him thats the answer........he his corgi registered as i saw his id .......................any offers of advice or indeed anything would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Steve]

Perhaps better on the plumbing forum - gas engineers live there.

 

[powell30]

The RGI was correct in his actions. I do appreciate that in some conditions fires may spill and then the next day not BUT he can only test when he is there.....if it fails it has to go off.

From your post you sound as tho you may be thinking of switching it back on.....you would be very foolish to do that. Carbon monoxide kills fast and you won't know a thing about it. He has a duty of care to you (the public)......put the question another way, if he didn't turn it off and it killed someone would you blame him.....i think you would. Leave it off.

 

[namsag]

The proper way to do a spillage test is with all doors and windows closed if it then fails a window should be partially opened and if it then passes the opening in the window should then be measured and equivalent size vent fitted.

But then you will complain about a vent that lets in cold air all year round whether the fire is on or not.

Rotovent terminal is excellent and certainly improves flue pull and you dont then have a draughty vent.

You can have 2 houses next door to each other with same fires and same chimneys and one will pull and one won`t so just because no else has one does not mean you don`t need one

 

[BOB D.O.L.E]

Sounds to me he has not heated the flue up properly did he run the fire first for 10 mins.

 

[ollski]

sort of capped it off.i mean if i turn the gas supply on it will come out of the bit he has supposedly capped.

Are you saying you've been left with an open ended gas supply ie no plug in the outlet of the bayonet?

 

[BOB D.O.L.E]

sort of capped it off.i mean if i turn the gas supply on it will come out of the bit he has supposedly capped.

Are you saying you've been left with an open ended gas supply ie no plug in the outlet of the bayonet?

Its costing me a fortune in scaffold and rope looks like we got another fish to fry here.

 

[WDIK]

sort of capped it off.i mean if i turn the gas supply on it will come out of the bit he has supposedly capped.

Are you saying you've been left with an open ended gas supply ie no plug in the outlet of the bayonet?

Its costing me a fortune in scaffold and rope looks like we got another fish to fry here.

here BOB borrow mine, cut the previous scally down first

 

[quincemeister]

no it has been capped but not correctly as it swivels loosely and if i turn the gas tap on just to test if gas escapes it does .i did not mean to imply i was going to turn it back on. we have got a carbon monoxide meter so if there is a problem in the future we will know. i have also bought a mini rotovent to put on galvanized steel flue just got to try and get the old top bit off first. he did not open a window to try the ventilation test.

 

[Corgigrouch]

There aint a gas fire made that I haven't wanted to cut, cap, rip out and crush.... They have no place in a modern world.... Why would anyone wish to pay to heat the outside of their house?

And as for inset flame effect sh1t... Their only use is for target practice

 

[ollski]

he did not open a window to try the ventilation test.

Sometimes common sense has to take over procedure, even if it passed with the window open it is still capped and disconnected as it fails in the normal scenario. You will just have the knowledge that your fire is trying to kill you but with a new vent it may take a few months more.

 

[BOB D.O.L.E]

There aint a gas fire made that I haven't wanted to cut, cap, rip out and crush.... They have no place in a modern world.... Why would anyone wish to pay to heat the outside of their house?

And as for inset flame effect s**t... Their only use is for target practice

I totaly agree, these things are a joke, they should be all banned and trashed in the nearest skip, why would anyone want to try and heat a front room with this dino when they have rads on the wall.

Monster of all homes two seprate gas fires down stairs, wall heaters in all upstairs rooms and a soddin water heater what was he thinking of.

 

[BOB D.O.L.E]

no it has been capped but not correctly as it swivels loosely and if i turn the gas tap on just to test if gas escapes it does .i did not mean to imply i was going to turn it back on. we have got a carbon monoxide meter so if there is a problem in the future we will know. i have also bought a mini rotovent to put on galvanized steel flue just got to try and get the old top bit off first. he did not open a window to try the ventilation test.

what make and model is the gas fire

 

[John506]

Think when I'm all qualified and Corgi registerd I'm just going to refuse to fit open flued gas fires, don't think I could live with the guilt if someone died from my work.

My dad fitted our gas fires when I was living at home, with only knowledge of turning the gas off, a bit of soldering, and connecting a flue, he didn't have a clue on any tests, it really hits home, we could have died.

 

[Corgigrouch]

Think when I'm all qualified and Corgi registerd I'm just going to refuse to fit open flued gas fires, don't think I could live with the guilt if someone died from my work.

My dad fitted our gas fires when I was living at home, with only knowledge of turning the gas off, a bit of soldering, and connecting a flue, he didn't have a clue on any tests, it really hits home, we could have died.

Lets hope that they have been banned by the time you are in the trade... I have a customer who heats her home with a couple of B&Q Focal point inset flames. She just couldn't grasp that 80% of what she was paying for just went up the flue and that they weren't heating appliances anyway...