Should I fit it? bayonet valve

[Stevey]

Guys,

A lady from over the road has asked me if I could fit a female bayonet valve to the existing cooker gas pipe which has a blank in it at the moment.

She had a contract gas fitter come round a few weeks ago, who did some work on her meter. He also condemned her gas cooker as it was putting out orange flames (carbon monoxide?)

The gas fitter removed the female bayonet fitting from the rising gas pipe and put a screw-in type blank fitting with gas paste around it.

I sold her a little used gas cooker at the weekend and told her I would connect up the pipe to the bayonet fitting, no problem. Only then did I realize the female had been blanked-off.

Being reluctant to fit the new valve, I told her to ring the council and tell them that the gas fitter who did the work left them without the ability to plug in a new cooker. I thought with it being a council house they would be responsible for providing that facility???

They told her no. So she is in the situation of being charged £108 for a new valve fitting. She's a single parent, doesn't work, and I know she can't afford to have it done.

The lady called over this morning asking if she got a valve could I fit it for her, I reluctantly said yes. I'm confident enough to change the valve with paste, but I don't know how to check for gas leaks. I wouldn't want them to come to any harm as a result of something I had done myself.

So... What do you think, should I do it or not?? and why?


Advice appreciated.

 

[GPlumb]

Its not a hard job but if you can't check for leaks then don't do it.

Just wait till the RGIs see this post!!!!!!!!

 

[seco services]

leave it as your not rgi and not confident or you wouldn't ask.
and its illegal.

 

[ajsdoc]

If a council flat, think she should push them harder to sort it out...

 

[powell30]

I would politely refuse. It's illegal unfortunately.....and as much as some would make light on here of the law and regs if anything goes wrong you could be criminally liable.....plus.....unless you/she has the manual for the cooker you won't get an RGI to fit it either....

 

[bengasman]

Council flat? Single mum? No money? I know what I would suggest

 

[Softus]

Council flat? Single mum? No money? I know what I would suggest

Spell it out then.

 

[gas_man_gaz]

noooo, there are new regs on cookers in flats relating to the ffd's. more seriously, would you be confident leaving it not knowing for certain it is safe?

 

[Stevey]

To those of you who responded with helpfull comments... Thanks!

I won't fit it, as helping them out won't be seen as helping them out if they end up dead will it.


I was gonna waste my time retorting to your comment ben, but I have better things to do....

 

[bengasman]

Council flat? Single mum? No money? I know what I would suggest

Spell it out then.

OK

NO money whatsoever, so you are going to work on a lost case.
Council owned so chances that you will be blamed for anything problem that has remotely to do with this are pretty good.
If she goes to the social with baby on arm and says: boohoo, my poor kid needs feeding, they will be falling over themselves to get the connector sorted, AND give her a new cooker.
In other words, walk out as fast as you can

 

[Softus]

I suppose that's one option.

Perhaps it would be more neighbourly to offer to draft a letter to the council, explaining the technical situation and the serious impact of that upon the tenant.

Or maybe your suggestion of just p*ssing off and leaving a single mother to cope with everything on her own is the better one.

Hey! Maybe in sixteen years time you could come back here and moan about our insular society and the uncaring youth of 'today'.

 

[scatmanjohn]

there are new regs on cookers in flats relating to the ffd's

Daft as it is, that only applies to "new" cookers

 

[gas_man_gaz]

ya sure? i thought any cooker (new or pre-owned) that was installed now had to conform to the new regs, any that had been installed prev would be marked up as ncs..
just got me thinking, do ya have to register the new install of a pre-owned cooker?

 

[Agile]

Since it is a new installation in that property then it has to be notified if its installed by a CORGI.

However, I think that I am correct to say that even if its a house, it still has to have FFDs if the property is rented out.

If I am right, or if its a flat ( or some masonettes ) then this second hand cooker is unliklely to be suitable and can never be installed there!

Thats the problem with DIYers!

Luckily most councils are very strict with annual inspections and so it will be capped off at the next inspection if its does not comply with the latest regulations.

Tony

 

[namsag]

No wonder people want to do this themselves when people quote a 108 quid to fit a cooker to point absolute rip off.