possible CO incident, what to do??

[Simon F]

Had a call about 5-30pm today, woman got her mum stopping with her after the mum's been in hospital.
got my number in the Gas Safe postcode lottery, same road.
she thinks her mum has been suffering CO poisoning, has been in and out of hospital over recent weeks.
mum is 99!, few months ago gas fire was disconnected, CO alarm has been going off, but was assumed to be faulty,
earlier today national grid capped gas to meter ( paperwork for boiler to be checked )
mum is coming home tomorrow and daughter wants me to check boiler is ok, do co test etc.
ask about boiler type/age - told is 6 years old.
so anyway I go to have a quick look, boiler is a OF glow worm hideaway.
I got back to her and said that I wasn't happy to do anything until I had spoke to Gas Safe Monday morning to check where I stand, legal implication/HSE etc.
anyone had experience of this, what's the procedure??

 

[REDSAW]

the boiler cannot be 6 years old?

99 year old, what is the doctors prognosis or is it just a panicker, what if daughter!.

test the boiler and if it passes it passes.

tell the daughter if she is concerned take mother to ane to get checked out.

i will come and take a look if you want tomorrow?

 

[buckley plumb]

from what i remember from my analyser assesment you can use it for boiler servicing etc but qualification doers not cover room testing and co incident testing .

 

[AlexGas]

Are you sure about it?

 

[REDSAW]

did i miss something?.

is it a reported co incident on record, or a safety check?

 

[Simon F]

the boiler was clearly more than 6 years old, that was just what the old dear had said.
I think the hospital have been unsure what's wrong with her, if anything other than being 99!
just cautious about what position I was in.

 

[REDSAW]

as said, if its not a reported incident then its a safety check as per order!.

 

[buckley plumb]

thought transporter had found co . you are right it would be a safety check on appliance but i am always weiry of such calls.checking appliance and for presence of co in room is inter linked and i asked this at acs and was told its a different qualification dont know why as if appliance was spilling it would fill room as always the gas regs are as confusing as ever the sooner they put them in easy english the better

 

[Simon F]

did i miss something?.
is it a reported co incident on record, or a safety check?

I am not to sure ( I don't think she is sure ) if she spoke to Gas Safe or the gas emergency,
anyway national grid had been today and capped the meter, I think simply because there is this "Question"
as to the safety of the boiler.
so somewhere it is on record of a possible co issue.
I just want to cover myself before doing anything, or not!

 

[AlexGas]

Looks like a new boiler is going in.

 

[dave1]

I heard (on this forum) gas safe are adding a new qualification into the acs for co room testing Dow after an incident has been reported??? Maybe someone else on here could remember that thread.

 

[buckley plumb]

I am not to sure ( I don't think she is sure ) if she spoke to Gas Safe or the gas emergency,
anyway national grid had been today and capped the meter, I think simply because there is this "Question"
as to the safety of the boiler.
so somewhere it is on record of a possible co issue.
I just want to cover myself before doing anything, or not!

not 100% sure where you stand mate but incases like this always act on the side of safety.i went to a barn conversion once to change a trv and the customer said her husband was always tired since they moved in i put a smoke match on the fire and it spilled - turned fire off and advised to get fire fitter back - my boss met their engineer there and they increased the air vent and spillage was ok . i went back a month later to repair boiler and re tested out of curiosity and it spilled again. the flue was to standard etc in the end it was the wind causing down draught when it blew a certain direction- the fire was changed to a fan flued .you never know

 

[Simon F]

from what i remember from my analyser assesment you can use it for boiler servicing etc but qualification doers not cover room testing and co incident testing .

page 7 of the November gas engineer had an article about the CMDDA1 qualification to do with investigating reports of fumes.
but it does say that it is not mandatory if following up on co activation, reports of fumes, following up on emergency service "concern for safety", or any other report of fumes???

 

[AlexGas]

What is CMDDA1?

CMDDA1 is an ACS assessment (also with training for those who are not fully conversant will BS 7967) that tests the gas safety competence of an operative in the work of carrying out carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide room monitoring & combustion performance testing using electronic portable gas analysers on domestic gas appliances following indication of fumes, smells, spillage or leakage of combustion products CO detector activation etc., by both a practical and knowledge and understanding assessment.

 

[REDSAW]

thats what i am saying!.

if there had been a co incident then it will not be simon who is called in!!.

the grid will be called in at the worry of the daughter 0800.
when they arrive if there is a drop at the meter, a possibility of a co detector going off or a dodgy looking apliance, then they will cap meter as first call of safety then instruct responsible person to call an engineer for checks.

dont loose the job simon you an still do a tt and safety check unless there is an order at the premisis.

 

[lame plumber]

if co is mentioned then its an incident and you need a separate qual to assess the situation not covered by cpa1. common sense applies if you are going to scene and all is dead, no risk of killing yourself, main priority is to stay alive after all, then you can test and survey all gas appliances for correct operation as redsaw said. chances are if co alarm has gone off one is dodgy, and you id it. once happy you can bill and go. if unsure you can always do a room analysis, fga manuals tell you how and gas safe have produced a tech bulletin fm memory.

Common for a a call co alarm going off please come and they have been letting off party poppers and champagne, been to a couple of these but also to co alarm been going off, it annoyed me so I have taken the battery out! can you check the water heater and that is when you find a totally sooted up heat exhanger or a rayburn as found!

 

[buckley plumb]

What is CMDDA1?

CMDDA1 is an ACS assessment (also with training for those who are not fully conversant will BS 7967) that tests the gas safety competence of an operative in the work of carrying out carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide room monitoring & combustion performance testing using electronic portable gas analysers on domestic gas appliances following indication of fumes, smells, spillage or leakage of combustion products CO detector activation etc., by both a practical and knowledge and understanding assessment.

when i retook my acs earlier this year i mentioned i used my analyser to check leakage on boiler door seals etc and was told that i should not be ? saying that the same college told me i was wrong using pushfit on unvented blow off to soil(should be gluefit they said) wernt happy when i got building regs out

 

[Simon F]

the grid will be called in at the worry of the daughter 0800.
when they arrive if there is a drop at the meter, a possibility of a co detector going off or a dodgy looking apliance, then they will cap meter as first call of safety then instruct responsible person to call an engineer for checks.

that's where we are at, I am just being cautious. I told her I would check with gas safe when they open on Monday.
she understood my caution and was happy to play it safe.
the old girl was in the background talking about possibly just swapping the boiler, so wait and see what happens
(might be giving you a call Martin)

 

[buckley plumb]

that's where we are at, I am just being cautious. I told her I would check with gas safe when they open on Monday.
she understood my caution and was happy to play it safe.
the old girl was in the background talking about possibly just swapping the boiler, so wait and see what happens
(might be giving you a call Martin)

let us knlw what they say - hope you get someone on the other end of the phone who knows what they are talking about - spoke to 2 different ones last month and neither had heard of a permalli meter box

 

[lame plumber]

let us knlw what they say - hope you get someone on the other end of the phone who knows what they are talking about - spoke to 2 different ones last month and neither had heard of a permalli meter box

does anyone know what a permalli meter box is?

 

[REDSAW]

doubt you will get a straight answer simon tbh!. can imagine they tell you to make the judgement, advise you to follow the correct procedures or go at a tangent to what the situation actually is!!.
it will turn out to be a dodgy co detector coupled by a daughter who cant understand why her 99 year old mam is loosing her memory and constantly nodding of, especially in the mild weather!!!.
or,, the appliances have not been serviced in years.lol.

i dont think there is any law that says; if you get called by the home owner to check the appliances for safety, you cannot do it?. if someone had died or is in hospital and a h&e riddor report going on then thats diffrent. its one or the other.imo.

ps, i have 3 hours spare tomorrow!!!

 

[buckley plumb]

may be my spelling but similar to photo but not as badly fitted . meter on outside in box ecv inside in wall

 

[REDSAW]

i hope you capped that one buck?

 

[buckley plumb]

i hope you capped that one buck?

yes mate to be fair transported did within 3 days after pic i still think the pipework is in the cavity but they did it and i have no way of checking as the wall is not accessable from inside

 

[REDSAW]

that installation dosnt meet the regs!! therefore its reportable.lol

 

[REDSAW]

whats the update then simon?????????

 

[Simon F]

Left it on Friday that I would contact Gas Safe just to be sure, she was quite happy with that, even said she was glad that I was being cautious, felt reassured by it.
I was getting conflicting information as to who she had contacted, so I wanted to cover myself.

Anyway got a phone call Sunday morning, very different tone of voice, short and sour.
Said she was to worried about the possibility of co poisoning and had got someone else to look at it!
the fact that nothing is connected, where's the danger??
I'm sort of glad really, washed my hands of it now, so I never got round to phoning Gas Safe, so don't know what they would of said if anything??

 

[REDSAW]

post 15,
they will always get someone else. could of took a look with you (for free) on saturday to evaluate.
onward and upward!