dilemma

[buckley plumb]

this is the problem my mate rents a house - he called me a few nights ago saying the boiler has packed in no hw or htg he informed his landlord he knew me and was aking me to look at boiler free and give a price and fix if i could.got there 6.30am next day- glowworm compact pump run but no fan noticed tubes to fan and aps melted so boiler has overheated .pull on wires on aps and fan to test for voltage to make sure the pcb is ok and the wires pull out due to the aps and fan plastic being brittle from the heat.i explain the boiler is shot and remove thr fuse and isolte gas. gets a call tonight off his landlord saying i have deliberatly sabataged the boiler and they have had an independant engineer from the paper in - ask my mate who said the guy never showed a gas safe card.i explained to landlord the boiler would not work and was dangerous - the landlord said the engineer said i was wrong to pull the fuse and when he put it back and touched the desintigrated wire back onto the aps the boiler worked - how can a boiler with no aps tubes work i explained also if it worked why did he not refit the wire and leave it working.i asked for the guys gas safe number or name and they would not give it so i said dont worry i will call gas safe on monday and they will second that what i did was correct and safe and that if they cant supply a name for the engineer that said i had sabataged it they would not be happy.they said they would not allow access and it was nothing to do with me.this has ruined my wk end i acted on trust and my mate told them i would look at boiler but because they were not there they are now causing a scene. if i had fixed it it would have been another matter.dont know wether to call gas safe monday or not .

ant

 

[Rickster123]

One less job to worry about over the weekend ant! Open a beer and put your feet up! I'm wasted already and it's only 10pm!

 

[buckley plumb]

One less job to worry about over the weekend ant! Open a beer and put your feet up! I'm wasted already and it's only 10pm!

had 4 pedigrees at pub now just on a newcastle brown nearly there lol

 

[Dannypipe]

Thats hellish. A mate in a rented flat and a landord cutting corners.

Tell your mate to ask for the engineers 'Gas Safe' identification at the front door. No show, no go.

I carry my id in my wallet as standard. Im sure all Gas Safe engineers do too.

 

[Millsy 82]

I had something similar not so long back I think I posted something on here about it. Alot of landlords dont want to pay Or cant afford to pay the money out so get somebody who will bodge it back together for next to nothing (If it goes wrong though they will soon point the finger at them) What you did was right in my book I would have done the same the only thing wrong was that the landlord didnt ask you to do it (Although if a friend asked me to look at their boiler I would),

From what I have heard trying to get gas safe involved is worse than useless as they dont seem to be too bothered, A local bloke to me has been reported 3 times nothing has been done still servicing boilers without taking the boiler casing off (1 was a glow worm HXI seal shot to bits) but the landlord would not be able to deny access if your freind allowed them in.

Keep doing the right thing you cover yourself.

 

[Rickster123]

I've been gas safe or corgi for years and I can count the number of times I've been asked for my card on one hand!

 

[tamz]

As above. Carried a card since they were first issued and only once asked to show it (by a house sitter) on a pre visited arranged job which peed me off as i didn't have it with me that morning and had to wait 20 minutes for him to firstly (unsuccessfully try to contact his mate then start up his computer and check me out on the website). I was on the verge of binning the job as i had other things to do.

Learn from your experience. No matter if it is your mate, leave it to the landlord. It is his problem and you won't be thanked by him even if you fixed it for free.
There is nothing to report to gas safe even if you did right. A conflicting diagnosis or assessment of risk (engineering judgement) or failure to show an ID card? They will not get involved.
Forget it, enjoy your beer and leave the mate and landlord to it.

 

[AWheating]

other than advising your mate to check the engineers GS card/registration i would just forget about it. Landlords are ..... (insert swear word)

 

[Barry98]

landlords are the salt of the earth ?

 

[AWheating]

Male chickens??

 

[Dannypipe]

I've been gas safe or corgi for years and I can count the number of times I've been asked for my card on one hand!

Yep. No one ever asks for my card. With new customers I may offer it to them as I enter their property. No ones really interested!

Back to the issue with landlords and mates, I had one last week.

My mate calls me, and says his electric shower is knackered will I take a look. He can't get hold of his landlord who lives in India, but he would pay me and sort it with the landlord.

I pop over, the shower a Triton was put in on 2.5mm T&E. Mini trunked, but with cable exposed at the bottom of the shower. The isolation pull switch had the string missing.

Then the fuse board was the old, fashioned Wylex cartidge type with a fuse wire not an MCB. As you can guess, no RCD either.

I explained what would happen in a fault situation, that enough current would have to pass through him to blow the rather thick fuse wire backing it up, and no one would be able to pull the isolation cord as it was missing (not that it would matter as he'd have fried by then).

Gave him the number of a good sparky and bid him goodbye.

Saw him at the pub yesterday, asked if he called Nick my sparky. No, he spoke to the landlord who said he would send one of his own guys. I just know that the landlords own guy will do a staight swap as you can still buy the exact same Triton shower. I've warned my mate to not let that happen.

Tenants are fairly vunerable. I should know I rented for years and had some terrible landlords.

 

[AWheating]

tell him to get a copy of the minor electrical works certificate (whatever its called) when the work gets done and to ask him for proof he is a registered electrician before hes even in the door. If he gets a blank look i would advise him to get somebody in to put it right and take it off his rent.

undersize cable, re wireable fuse, exposed cables....... its asking for a fire or worse death imo.

 

[Dannypipe]

I know. I told him exactly what you said. Trouble is anyone can buy a minor works certificate book. It's ID he'll need in my opinion.

I wouldn't get under that shower, put it that way.

 

[PlumbBobBob]

i'm surprised the cable hasn't melted with the current needed. what size shower was it danny?

 

[Dannypipe]

8.5 Kw. I'm shocked too. Quite a short run and a single clipped cable. I reckon it would melt if you had a long enough shower.