Regs on working on Boilers

S

shamone79

Hi. I am seeking advice as to a repair on my boiler. I am not a qualified plumber/ central heating engineer and I would NEVER attempt to work on the gas side of any systems fitted in my house. I am however adept at repairing electrical appliances etc and do so professionally in my line of work.

I am seeking advice as to where I stand legally if I was to replace the fan on my boiler. It has become very noisy and I have already taken the fan apart and lubricated the bearings which are the cause of the noise. It has worked fine for the last year but has started grumbling again and I wish to replace it.

Now please don't get me wrong as I am a professional in my trade and there are some jobs which I consider myself to be best left to the professionals, and I don't mind paying for the job, but removal/refitting of the fan is very simple and as the fan itself is quite pricey, I am loathe to pay someone to charge me an hours labour or whatever to undo 4 nuts. Now if the system had a fault or was inoperative then I would not hesitate to call in the professionals and leave it to them, but as for it just being the fan a bit noisy, am I able to replace this unit legally myself?

Many thanks for any advice received
 
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Technically the fan is part of the "gas train" or a major component involved in the combustion process within the boiler.

Therefore anyone involved in working on boilers should be CORGi registered to carry out the task of replacing the fan.

However if you are doing the work in your own home where you live you only need to "be competent".

Whether or not you are competent is not so easy you define. Obviously anyone who holds the qualifications required for CORGI registration would be deemed competent. Anyone else would be competent if nothing went wrong!

So if you think you are competent then change the fan yourself.

Tony
 
Many thanks for the reply. I understand things like this can be a bit of a 'grey' area sometimes, as are many other things when it comes to UK law! Hopefully this means that I am ok to change the fan on a legal basis? Who knows! Thanks for your help.
 
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to change is not necessarily to know.if you know how to test true function and process , fine.i can change many parts on many types of electrical and mechanical machines,but i wouldnt know on a lot of them how to test if it was working correctly.thats why we have trade qualifications.each to their own.
 
Papion said:
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=60746 for the code of Practice.
Er, this topic is about gas, Papion. :rolleyes:
 
fitz1 said:
to change is not necessarily to know.if you know how to test true function and process , fine.i can change many parts on many types of electrical and mechanical machines,but i wouldnt know on a lot of them how to test if it was working correctly.thats why we have trade qualifications.each to their own.

Thanks for the comment. I fully appreciate qualified engineers experience as I am also a qualified person in my field of expertise. As I stated in the first post however, this topic is basically about changing a fan because it is noisy, there is nothing inoperative or faulty with the boiler itself, and as I also stated I would never be inclined to fiddle with anything I did not know about. However, seeing as it is only the fan that is noisy, and the fact I have already removed/repaired/refitted it once already, I consider myself competent enough to be able to change this singular component and able to tell if everything was fitted correctly etc afterwards.

My query was though, whether this was ok to be carried out on a legal basis, with regards to having to be CORGI registered etc?

Thanks again.
 
Just in case you're still in any doubt about it, the law doesn't require to be CORGI registered as long as it's your own boiler in your own house, in which you live.

That much is black and white. The grey part is that although the legislation requires you to be competent, it doesn't define what the word "competent" means, hence the advice that you should exercise caution and not make any mistake that might show you to be incompetent.

For example, thinking that you can remove the fan and install a new one without affecting anything is one thing, but having an understanding of the role that the fan plays would be a good way to both illustrate competentence and also have confidence in what you're doing.
 
How 'bout you post under your more commonly known user name so that we all know what's going on?
 
//www.diynot.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=60746 for the code of Practice.

http://www.opsi.gov.uk/si/si2006/20060652.htm

Unless my interpretation of the laws is wrong, the above are clearly defining the go and no go area of Buildings to include gas and electric.



At the time of writing (April 2006), the following work was classed as not needing notification to LABC:

Code:
1. Work consisting of -


Section (f) in heating or cooling systems -


(i) replacing control devices that utilise existing fixed
control wiring or pneumatic pipes;

(ii) replacing a distribution system output device;

(iii) providing a valve or a pump;

(iv) providing a damper or a fan;
 
Papion said:
Unless my interpretation of the laws is wrong, the above are clearly defining the go and no go area of Buildings to include gas and electric.
It is wrong - not only are you misinterpreting the legislation that you've referenced, but you aren't referencing all of the relevant legislation.

For one thing, the ban-all-sheds post that you seem to hold in such high regard, whilst excellent, does not define anything. It's someone else's interpretation of the legislation covering electrical work, and doesn't cover gas.

This legislative ground has been covered many times on the forum Papion - why not search before you leap in?
 
I am just waiting for water systems to wake up :)

My advice is if you aint sure as sure dont do it
 
Someone had better say, there is always a danger that you won't know about something or other.
For instance, if the seal on the boiler case isn't 100% effective on some boilers, you can get Carbon Monoxide into the room. You might not think to look at the seals, or realise that what looks like "fresh air" from outside, can be dangerous.

If you don't know whether your boiler is a "positive pressure" one or not, perhaps that means you aren't competent?

Surgery on the cat is easy too, you stick a knife in, move it about, and do some sewing - I can do that, surely?
 

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