Landlord's gas safety certificate

[bjarvis]

Hi,

Just a question regarding what is included in the landlord's gas safety certificate. I've just had one done, and am being charged £150 extra over the certificate fee to replace the foam insulation on the inside of the front cover. I'm being told that it needs replacing to provide air tightness. I'm not sure I understand this explanation as air needs to be able to enter the boiler body to provide air into the burner via the internal inlet pipe. The foam was damaged previously when the burner developed a leak, the leak was fixed by my boiler protection provider but the foam wasn't replaced (I presume was thought to not being a problem then).

Now I'm left wondering is the replacement of the foam really even part of the procedure for the certificate. Seems a lot to replace the foam as well.

I'd appreciate any clarification on whether this is part of the gas safety certificate.

Many thanks

Barry

 

[Phill Peck]

Boiler make and model?

Some gaskets etc are very expensive to buy Can't comment on costs till I know what is involved

If the engineer serviced the appliance or found analyser reading to be incorrect then he would find issues with seals/gaskets etc

It would be normal procedure to get permission for remedial work at extra cost

 

[Tibbot]

Anything could be part of the gas certificate if it's required to make the appliance safe to use.

Alternatively you can always have said appliance deemed unsafe and stop using it.

 

[namsag]

No its not, a certificate is purely that to say if it is safe or not , it is not a license to do work that has not been approved by the owner.

 

[Tibbot]

As I stated. It can be deemed unsafe and not used. eg. landlord choose for no work done.

If the landlord wants to use it then the work would be required. Perhaps you can expand on how the xxxx any of that is incorrect.

What the OP might be driving at is for the work not to be done and the RGI issue a certificate of safety for fun.

 

[namsag]

Its simple the guy was employed to carry out a certificate not to repair the boiler and charge what he thought he could get away without running this past the owner first.
So any additional work has nothing to do with thecert which would be billed for any ways pass or fail and left on or turned off

 

[Tibbot]

You're right. He may be incorrectly assuming the OP wants to be able use the appliance.

 

[Agile]

This seems to be a Vaillant Ecotec style boiler.

The OP is apparently one of those landlords who does not bother to get the boiler regularly serviced properly and the seals ( subject to a recall to registered installations! ) replaced regularly with the revised design.

The foam on the inside of the door is to provide sound proofing as well as the combustion case seal. It is part of the door!

The door with seal costs about £70 the last time I priced one.

To charge £150 extra if it really was that much sounds a little expensive to me but not unreasonable.

I charge *******************
Tony

 

[bjarvis]

Thanks for the replies so far - although I'm not sure if I'm being understood. What I'm wondering is whether I have a case to challenge whether the replacing of the foam that he is saying needs replacing has anything to do with the gas safety certificate. He said it did and that he couldn't issue a certificate until the foam was replaced at the extra cost of £150 (£70 for some foam which he has gotten from another boiler, and £80 for glueing it in place). But in my eyes the foam serves only to provide sound insulation on the inside of the boiler body, and is nothing to do with the burner or gas system. I'm struggling to see what it has to do with gas safety certificate. My tenants can't move in until I have a certificate, and the engineer is aware of that, and perhaps he is trying to take advantage of the urgent situation and the fact that I don't know the gas safety regs/procedure?

 

[Tibbot]

Balanced or RSF boilers still need the air side to be sealed from the room as all the combustion air must only come from outside. It will depend if the foam is for that purpose.

 

[bjarvis]

Thanks again. Forgot to mention its a Valiant EcoMax boiler, not sure if that helps at all?

 

[Agile]

The foam on the inside of the door is to provide sound proofing as well as the combustion case seal. It is part of the door!

Tony

How many times do we need to tell you?

He should not be sticking other foam onto the door. They come ready assembles and should be replaced whole !

Tony

 

[petit_pablo]

I would suggest it is the RGI that doesnt know the regs.

He can still issue a gas saftey cert just not a pass on the boiler if the foam is really needed.

 

[namsag]

Its doesnt matter what you think foam is for as you are not qualified to make a judgement hense why you employed an RGI.

But

Basically you have been lied to no its not part of issuing a certificate in anyway whatsoever.
if the boiler was dangerous then he should have turned it off and sought your approval to repair it or left it to you to get someone else.

 

[Corgigrouch]

A CP12 is simply a statement of what the RGI has found on his visit based on a few basic tests and observations... A cert is always issued, what the land lord does with the information given is his business but if an appliance is found to be in poor condition then the RGI is bound to act accordingly and either turn of or cut and cap leaving documentation of what has been found..