another gas explosion.

[REDSAW]

thank god ime not the only one that goes back and checks things twice just in case

thought i was paranoid too, what do you say when you knock on door tho, er, think i forgot to connect gas pipe?.

latest news is, the boiler was tested 6 days ago and was good. it was found to be intact in the rubble?., not sure what this means. but reports admitedly by the media seem to be looking at another cause.

dont overlook the possibility that the persons involved could have been on this site looking for advice on how to test the sparking electrodes circuitry on their w/b 350 as the boiler wouldnt light

by the way, i think the meters on these houses are at the front of the property.
the boiler was installed by city homes or there contractors.
my guess is, a fractured gas service pipe (possibly caused during installation) bellow ground causing cavity explosion, come accross one already this year as n/grid told me there is over 7,500 sub standard installations by the contractors in this areas where the l/c/s pipes are rotting.

 

[Bernie2]

Probably a realistic price is £20 or so. But some on the forum say they get £80.

In one way, an ACS could be thought of as being like a full driving licence. That to is a heavy responsibility.
A car is a guided missile with many variables that can lead to accidents involving many people. But you need one to legally drive a car, as you do an ACS to do gas work.

Lets be honest though, although people pass their driving test or get an ACS do they always follow the rules and regulations as laid down in the Highway Code and the Gas Regs?

It would be silly of me to say yes wouldn't it, going by all the reports in the papers about speeding and so on.

Well an ACS is probably the same.

So holding an ACS is only as good as the person holding it. It is not a guarantee of good work. So we should be a bit circumspect if we think it is and ask ourselves why Gas Safe wants to see your actual work before they pass you as fit to work on gas.

The reason is I suppose is that Gas Safe is run by experienced people and know what goes on in the industry and so want to see what you can really do, in practical terms.

Incidentally CORGI did the same thing.

I was on first name terms with one of our CORGI inspectors in a company I worked for. And being fair they usually know what goes on in real terms.
That of course leaves the ACS as it is, an examination to find out if you know gas safety. But that is all it is, holding one does not guarantee you will work safely.

I hope I am not insulting anybody by what I write I certainly do not intend that. All I am trying to be is realistic. Many people are undoubtedly hard working and conscientious about gas safety and keeping up to date, they are a good example to us all.

But what happens under bonus schemes and time constraints?

 

[REDSAW]

putting it that way bern, i agree.
everyone with a driving licence will bend a motor eventually for whatever reason. so what is easier, driving a car or acs, or is it down to simply repetitiveness or an accident waiting to happen?.

brings me to the second point, i worked with plenty of short-cutters, and been a passenger with crap drivers cutting corners to.

my pylosophy is, life's experiences resemble how you drive your car and the logic of how that car works. and if you have not passed your tests but happen to have a horse..............

 

[Assessor Gas]

very Sad and unnecessary.The HSE have been desperately trying to bring compulsory Gas Inspections to the private population. As yet i guess 90% of the UK Private households are not checking their gas annually, and worse still there still are not enough suitably able engineers in the field to look after them, hence the recent changes, and lack of public awareness adverts in the past 10years. Doesn't look too good either when it is a registered engineer who causes the event. I have not looked into this event, but as a field assessor there is a long way to go in bringing greater public awareness, and more importantly a higher level of training, re-training and inspection of gas fitters in the field. Illegal guys will always try it on, but the Qualified and Registered Guys need to Show a Professional Front. I have watched as engineers of long standing every month are helped out of their assessments and advised to get some training before trying again, Frightening. Many poor fellas out there just don't realize what they need to because it was never taught properly. Negligence is one thing. Let down by the system is another. Come on Gas Safe Let's see some more re-training not just re-assessment a lot changes in 5 years, we know there aren't enough guys to inspect out there now either, so i hope there are some plans in place to Bring Greater Public Awareness and better ways of assessing training needs.

Smile, There tend to be more leaks in the summer because thats when the contractors clear there service books (Meaning local authority and HA Contractors). Having QA'd a lot of these type of contractor, the biggest number of leaks est over 100 per day, are due to engineers incorrectly Tightness testing their test points !! (Many engineers forget to turn the burners back on before pasting the BP Test Nipple !!) but it is unlikely that something like this would cause a big explosion. It only takes 5% per volume for nat gas, but explosions are normally appliances (ie hobs) left open without a flame failure accidentaly for several hours or an escape into a cavity (Remember your sleeve and seals) !

Bernie you are absolutely spot on. Working on the field and centre assessment side throughout the UK, i have always been horrified that the ACS are sufficient. The set up is not even close to that in a normal domestic property, and as such simple things go out the window. Passing the ACS in my opinion does not come close to the needs out there. I train and assess in the workplace and every single day i come across something a registered engineer has put through as OK. I could horrify you with the list, and if i am seeing it daily, Both Corgi, and Now Gas Safe have got a big job on their hands to get the industry internally safe before they can hope to put an advert on T.V. showing such an event (Explosion) and advising people to get their gas checked. Who will check it, the gas man who's van is often outside the house that goes bang ??? (I can't comment on this one), but historically that is the case. Ouch,

The Big Companies are charging a lot more because people trust them. If you trust your own work, you know its more valuable than the other guy that may go there and miss something. There is a great deal of money to be earned selling gas safety and putting right the errors of yesteryear, but it seems most engineers are focusing on everything but that. Anyhowz i have met engineers all over and £120 per hour is not reserved just for london, it can be earned anywhere in the UK when the customer feels it is value for money ! Just my experience. My customers used to say i was expensive but always had me back, because i was cheaper than the last guy who cost them a fortune in misdiagnosed parts, and poor service. On the same note i went out with a guy checking his work once and he had no problem charging the customer £720 for a fan, on top of his attendance fee of £140, even i couldn't get my head round that one, but he is e repeat customer, loves and trusts the guy, so guess he felt he got a good deal. P.s. he only gave 6 weeks warranty too, ouch.