26/9 check got me threw out of a house

[moogwai]

So I was doing a job today where I went to a house where I had diagnosed a faulty ravenheap and as company policy we do our 26/9 checks and asked customer to show me the gas fire she had......she lead me into the living room and i kneeled in front of said fire and spotted that the insulation panel on the back of the dfe fire had snapped in half and slid down in front of the other half.

I took it out to show the customer and I asked when that happened to which she replied "it wasn't broke till you touched it" after a few rounds of " I didn't break it it was already broke" and " it wasn't like it before....you broke it" the crack pot threw me out of her house! Didn't get chance to ar the fire......

I couldn't believe she was blaming me....there was even some scorch marks where the flames were licking the bare paint of the fire!!!

Barmy women.....and thanks 26/9......the whole situation has left me bemused!! Lol.

I spoke to my dispatch team and they said the woman had phoned and said she felt threatened by me.....and had to send another engineer round!!

 

[hammers4spanner]

haha love reading stuff like this helps to know its not only me getting this gyp

 

[villa_tom]

I learnt the hard way too. Customers are vile at times.

How come you had to check the fire if you where only working on the boiler?

 

[moogwai]

I learnt the hard way too. Customers are vile at times.

How come you had to check the fire if you where only working on the boiler?

Company policy to do a visual of whole gas installation tom....have ar'd quite a few fires when working on a boiler and the customers are peeved at first but then realise we are doing them a favor.

 

[villa_tom]

Company policy to do a visual of whole gas installation tom....have ar'd quite a few fires when working on a boiler and the customers are peeved at first but then realise we are doing them a favor.

Sorry mate misread the hole post. I get you now. I was reading it as you did your checks then serviced the fire

i reckon I AR most fires at work each day, mainly because the customer dont have the MI's and the coals are buggered.

Its not nice when you have to turn off a fire when the people only have boiler cover though, I've done that once and thought I was going to get a smack in the face :-(

 

[zeebeedee]

Regulation 26 (9) requires that where a person performs work on a gas appliance the following checks

The effectiveness of any flue
the supply of combustion air
Its operating pressure or heat input or, where necessary, both
Its operation so as to ensure safe functioning.


If you where working on a boiler why ask to see the fire?

 

[moogwai]

Regulation 26 (9) requires that where a person performs work on a gas appliance the following checks

The effectiveness of any flue
the supply of combustion air
Its operating pressure or heat input or, where necessary, both
Its operation so as to ensure safe functioning.


If you where working on a boiler why ask to see the fire?

I think the AA would rather have us check the whole installation as precaution so if anything happened at least they could say we checked everything and they are not accountable.....and to be honest 99% of the customers are grateful we go the extra mile.

 

[mountainman]

Cos I suspect that Moogwai is working for the BG team and expected to 'create work'; sorry I meant 'give best advice' whenever possible.

 

[dancinplumba]

Cos I suspect that Moogwai is working for the BG team and expected to 'create work'; sorry I meant 'give best advice' whenever possible.

lol naughty naughty

 

[mountainman]

Ok, wrong company but I suspect the same principle applies

 

[villa_tom]

In all fairness I only do 26/9 checks if I turn the gas off to work on an appliance, or if another gas appliance is in the room I am working on. Nothing to do with generating work IMHO, more a case of covering your backside.

 

[moogwai]

Ok, wrong company but I suspect the same principle applies

Not the case mountainman as the AA dont cover fires so dont stand to make anything ar'ing fires etc... only cover boilers when it comes to gas appliances....

 

[moogwai]

In all fairness I only do 26/9 checks if I turn the gas off to work on an appliance, or if another gas appliance is in the room I am working on. Nothing to do with generating work IMHO, more a case of covering your backside.

Exactly that mate.

 

[zeebeedee]

I think the AA would rather have us check the whole installation as precaution so if anything happened at least they could say we checked everything and they are not accountable.....and to be honest 99% of the customers are grateful we go the extra mile.

But your not accountable at all. Fair enough if you working on a boiler and turn round and see a dangerous situation then of course you should act. Asking to physically see an appliance in another room that your not there to work on is unnecessary

 

[mountainman]

So why fiddle with them then?
If you touch it then it is deemed that you have 'done work' and have to suffer any consequences.

Can you not just do a visual inspection and report any concerns on your job report?

 

[villa_tom]

But your not accountable at all. Fair enough if you working on a boiler and turn round and see a dangerous situation then of course you should act. Asking to physically see an appliance in another room that your not there to work on is unnecessary

I agree mate, but I don't question the people who pay my wages. I don't check every gas appliance in every house I work in, but if I turn the meter off I check all appliance and relight them, therefore I have to do my check.

Or if a CHB is in a kitchen, I'd visual the cooker. I don't physically seek out access to rooms that I do it need to, so leave a lot of gas appliance alone.

 

[villa_tom]

So why fiddle with them then?
If you touch it then it is deemed that you have 'done work' and have to suffer any consequences.

Can you not just do a visual inspection and report any concerns on your job report?

All I do is a visual mate, unless the meter has been turned off then obviously I do a relight etc.

 

[moogwai]

But your not accountable at all. Fair enough if you working on a boiler and turn round and see a dangerous situation then of course you should act. Asking to physically see an appliance in another room that your not there to work on is unnecessary

I agree.....but taking another 15 mins to visually check other appliances and possibly save a life can only be a good thing. i questioned the need for it at first but when i have seen the state of some the fires i have turned off i totally agree with the AA for doing it....if i found out someone had died in a house i worked in i would be devastated knowing i could possibly have done something about it.....and i dont think it would be a bad thing if everyone did the same imho.

 

[moogwai]

So why fiddle with them then?
If you touch it then it is deemed that you have 'done work' and have to suffer any consequences.

Can you not just do a visual inspection and report any concerns on your job report?

Dont fiddle with anything......just check data badge to make sure ventilation is correct on fires and as I said before just do a visual.

 

[mountainman]

But you didn't just visually check the appliance mate, you said that you took the broken insulation panel out to show the customer.
That constitutes unnecessary and unrequested 'work' in my book.

Do your bosses expect you go the extra mile and do a flue flow and spillage test too?

 

[moogwai]

But you didn't just visually check the appliance mate, you said that you took the broken insulation panel out to show the customer.
That constitutes unnecessary and unrequested 'work' in my book.

Do your bosses expect you go the extra mile and do a flue flow and spillage test too?

I visually checked it.....saw that something was wrong so moved the panel to confirm my suspicion .....even if I hadn't moved the broken panel it would've resulted in the same outcome. So I dont think I did any unnecessary work. No.....no spillage or flue flow....no need if you can see any evidence of sooting or missing coals, broken panels etc.

 

[buckley plumb]

i was taught if just working on the boiler and there are other appliances in house just do a visual

 

[villa_tom]

i was taught if just working on the boiler and there are other appliances in house just do a visual

So was I, and from reading what Craig has written its what he's done aswell.

 

[villa_tom]

But you didn't just visually check the appliance mate, you said that you took the broken insulation panel out to show the customer.
That constitutes unnecessary and unrequested 'work' in my book.

Do your bosses expect you go the extra mile and do a flue flow and spillage test too?

I dont think its extra work at all, if Craig's spotted something wrong on another appliance, he has a duty of care to inform the customer of whats wrong and if its dangerous or not.

If you see something wrong, regardless of weather your working on it or not, you can't just ignore it and pretend its not there.

 

[Atouchofgas]

I agree with you villa, I don't think it's creating work. However before the panel was touch, the cust should have been taken to the appliance and shown the crack, then this situation might not have happened