DIY Gas Boiler Installation I used to be CORGI registered

drm0347 · Jul 4, 2012

Up until approx 20 years ago I was CORGI registered for a number of year working mainly on central heating and spending many hours fault finding.

I would like to install my own boiler and necessary rads etc, I understand I must have the gas work installed and tested by a Gas Safe Fitter as I am no longer qualified, I can't see any problems with mounting the boiler myself and coupling it up to the wet system but can't seem to get the legalties regarding mounting the boiler. Feed back I have had says I am not allowed to mount the boiler, Is this just a ploy for an installer to make more money.
So my Qs are
(1) Can I mount the boiler and couple up to heating system providing I have the Gas work installed and commissioned by a Gas Safe Installer.

Can anyone help?

mountainman · Jul 4, 2012

Good luck with that one my friend.
There has been much debate on this topic.
My take on it is No, you can't touch the boiler or gas installation unless you are doing it under the direct supervision of a GSR.
it's not so installers get more money (lol), it's because it's the law of the land.

P J F PLUMBING · Jul 4, 2012

what ?

jtsplumbing · Jul 4, 2012

I understood it to be, you can do it as long as it's not for gain (Getting paid) so putting in your own boiler would be ok ! getting it registerd would be the problem, It's still a gray area (CORGI / Gas Safe favourite Saying) meaning they wont give a definite answer, Have you still got any mates who are Gas Safe ?

stevetheplumber · Jul 4, 2012

have i had a thread removed ?

stevetheplumber · Jul 4, 2012

i thought i had posted this once such is senility
why not do as much as you can and just get someone registered to fit boiler and commision ? cut hole for flue, flush system ,fit magna clean , fit scale reducer and leave them to hang and comission you could even do the making good provided you dont get in the way and its done when his ready to sign boiler of
id have no problem doing this as it normal on sites to hang boiler to pipework thats fitted by persons unknown we just test it all

diamondgas · Jul 4, 2012

stevetheplumber said:
have i had a thread removed ?

Me thinks this is a duplicate Steve 🙂

Inverness · Jan 17, 2015

Can some one give me the reason to why I couldn't replace the pressure relief valve in my combi boiler? I am not yet gas safe but I am in my second year doing a svq 3 in plumbing. The reason why I ask is my boss say I can and I'm not breaking any law because I'm not touching any gas pipe. But people on this forum are saying its only gas safe engineers that can only go near any gas boiler.

I'm a bit confused can someone let us know where I can get a copy of the law that states this. Thank you

Dotty · Jan 17, 2015

Because you have to remove the casing and these now more often than not form a combustion seal.

IDCHAPPY · Jan 17, 2015

Your boss is some cookie...

AlexGas · Jan 17, 2015

Inverness said:
Can some one give me the reason to why I couldn't replace the pressure relief valve in my combi boiler?

Cos the Regs say you need to be Gas Safe.

AlexGas · Jan 17, 2015

Inverness said:
...I'm a bit confused can someone let us know where I can get a copy of the law that states this. Thank you

You need to get: Safety in the installation and use of gas systems and appliances Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998.
The book is available from all good bookstores.

AlexGas · Jan 17, 2015

drm0347 said:
...Can anyone help?

What would be your answer to a person at your front door who tells you – “Up until approx 20 years ago I was CORGI. I’m not Gas Safe. But I’ll be installing your gas boiler”?

rpm · Jan 17, 2015

Whats the difference if say an apprentice does it?

AlexGas · Jan 17, 2015

rpm said:
Whats the difference if say an apprentice does it?

See the post #2.

rpm · Jan 17, 2015

AlexGas said:
See the post #2.

Or #4 & 6, it just goes round n round.

basildog · Jan 17, 2015

I seem to remember it states a competent person ?
As long as not being carried out as a business ?
The joke is in the caravan industry has a competent person scheme ,then they can test the gas instalation , that is all they have to prove on a day or so course then off they go !
The law is a joke really as you can be killed just as easily in your caravan ?

AlexGas · Jan 17, 2015

rpm said:
Whats the difference if say an apprentice does it?

That would be under the direct supervision of a GSR.

AlexGas · Jan 17, 2015

basildog said:
I seem to remember it states a competent person ?

And how do we know if a person is competent?

basildog · Jan 17, 2015

AlexGas said:
And how do we know if a person is competent?

Well that is where the law takes over I guess but I cannot see that a judge would decide that a person who was once involved in the industry but now retired is suddenly incopetent and unable to carry out his own work as I am sure if he could read MI`s he is more than competent ?

dancinplumba · Jan 17, 2015

basildog said:
Well that is where the law takes over I guess but I cannot see that a judge would decide that a person who was once involved in the industry but now retired is suddenly incopetent and unable to carry out his own work as I am sure if he could read MI`s he is more than competent ?

Wrong there, the judge will ask for proof of competence. If no current quals then no competence. Just cos you can read mi's means nowt

IDCHAPPY · Jan 17, 2015

That was just like an advert AG 😉

AlexGas · Jan 17, 2015

basildog said:
Well that is where the law takes over I guess but I cannot see that a judge would decide that a person who was once involved in the industry but now retired is suddenly incopetent and unable to carry out his own work as I am sure if he could read MI`s he is more than competent ?

Why GSR engineers get assessed every 5 years?

basildog · Jan 17, 2015

Well that is probably open for debate too ? How many other trades or professions have to be assessed every 5 years ? Of course commercial reasons would never come into it ? Heaven Forbid

AlexGas · Jan 17, 2015

basildog said:
Well that is probably open for debate too ? How many other trades or professions have to be assessed every 5 years ? Of course commercial reasons would never come into it ? Heaven Forbid

Why do we have to care about other trades here?

dancinplumba · Jan 17, 2015

basildog said:
Well that is probably open for debate too ? How many other trades or professions have to be assessed every 5 years ? Of course commercial reasons would never come into it ? Heaven Forbid

What's open for debate ?

AlexGas · Jan 17, 2015

basildog said:
Well that is probably open for debate too ? How many other trades or professions have to be assessed every 5 years ? Of course commercial reasons would never come into it ? Heaven Forbid

You tell me… Sparkies gonna have to go back to college this year, why is that?

dancinplumba · Jan 17, 2015

All quiet on the western front

AlexGas · Jan 17, 2015

[h=2]DIY Gas Boiler Installation!?[/h]

AlexGas · Jan 17, 2015

dancinplumba said:
All quiet on the western front

It was a no contest from the start.

Inverness · Jan 17, 2015

AlexGas said:
It was a no contest from thwhrt.

My boss is a very competent plumber. He oftec, gas safe, lpg, svq3 and heatas credit so he does know what he is talking about and he said that I can replace my own pressure relief valve in my gas boiler as I'm not touching any gas work so it's OK.
But you guys say it's not OK I just want to know where I stand.
Thanks

Chalked · Jan 17, 2015

basildog said:
Well that is where the law takes over I guess but I cannot see that a judge would decide that a person who was once involved in the industry but now retired is suddenly incopetent and unable to carry out his own work as I am sure if he could read MI`s he is more than competent ?

That person should not be deemed incompetent, but without relevant ( up to date) qualifications. The judge would deem "that" person as NOT competent to work on gas.
Two local plumbers who shal remain nameless. Stopped doing gas / boiler work, to fit more bathrooms. They had been registered for quite a few years, so as you would say, they were competent. They then didn't register for 3 years. But then fitted a few boilers locally.
they were cought out by falling out with a customer, who checked thier gas safe. They missed the screws on a Vaillant combi flue and hadn't bricked up the outside balanced flue hole( owner would not let him back in! )
anyway, they got a £ 2500 fine and a 6 months suspended prison sentence.

so just because you have experience in the past, does not, in the eyes of the law make you competent!

not a dig, just fact.

woodytheplumber · Jan 17, 2015

if a person dose not have a in date acs they are NOT competent its not always liked but that's how it is my granddad taught me an now he hasn't been gas qualified for 12 years and I actually installed a boiler in his house 6 week ago and telling him he isn't qualified to do it broke my heart he is 80 but still thinks he is one of the lads if the customers not home or its a small site I occasionally bring him to work he loves it and I allways learn something new but the fact is he isn't brought up to standard very 5 years and things change

Inverness · Jan 17, 2015

Chalked said:
That person should not be deemed incompetent, but without relevant ( up to date) qualifications. The judge would deem "that" person as NOT competent to work on gas.
Two local plumbers who shal remain nameless. Stopped doing gas / boiler work, to fit more bathrooms. They had been registered for quite a few years, so as you would say, they were competent. They then didn't register for 3 years. But then fitted a few boilers locally.
they were cought out by falling out with a customer, who checked thier gas safe. They missed the screws on a Vaillant combi flue and hadn't bricked up the outside balanced flue hole( owner would not let him back in! )
anyway, they got a £ 2500 fine and a 6 months suspended prison sentence.

so just because you have experience in the past, does not, in the eyes of the law make you competent!

not a dig, just fact.

I understand where your coming from but it's only the pressure relief valve that I would be replacing. I wouldn't be touching anything else like the flue or the gas line.
so why would my boss say it's alright even thought I said to him Its a gas boiler and he replied your not touching any gas pipe so it's not a problem.
is there any black or white saying I can't touch any parts inside a boiler without being gas safe?

so it's only gas safe engineers that can test if the pressure relief valve works? As the case needs to be opened. And to test the expansion vessel and to fill the system up you are saying you need to be gas safe by the law states?!

basildog · Jan 17, 2015

It must be open for debate or it would state that no person other than GSR may work on gas and that is not the case ?
Even Gas safe will not commit to it and others have said it is a grey area .
I for one would like to see the law state exacctly who can and who cannot likewise in the caravan industry etc . As it stands now it would be in the hands of a judge to decide as we all know you cannot do it as a business but the competent person ?
I can drive an excavator but am not at this moment a ticket holder so does that mean I am no longer competent ? Just to add last excavator assessment I had lasted less than 5 minutes he could see within minutes as the throttle went to full and I started digging that I was no learner .
I am to be honest of the opinion most if not all of these bits of paper from all the so called trade bodies are nothing to do with safety, but good commercial businesses that put profit before anything else and if most where honest on here we all pick and choose the bits of the law or regs we abide by to suit ourselves ?