Can i service my own boiler if am not gas safe registered

[Bagsy]

Lets simplify this. To your original post and question. The answer is definately no. with out question.

 

[fuzzy]

Lets simplify this. To your original post and question. The answer is definately no. with out question.

incorrect, you can whether gas safe registered or not. the issue is competence not gsr

 

[Bagsy]

absolutely correct in my last post, phone h&S or gas safe there in no question on this absolutely. If you think otherwise you need to do some revision and get specific answers to your thoughts. The original post was can I service my gas boiler If am not gas safe registered. The answer is no you cant. Nothing to do with competetance..read the regs

 

[Halesowen1]

So did you service it yourself and are you and your family still alive??

 

[ecowarm]

The answer is yes.

 

[tamz]

absolutely correct in my last post, phone h&S or gas safe there in no question on this absolutely. If you think otherwise you need to do some revision and get specific answers to your thoughts. The original post was can I service my gas boiler If am not gas safe registered. The answer is no you cant. Nothing to do with competetance..read the regs

A bit of a quote from the regs.

Regulation 3 Qualification and supervision
(1) No person shall carry out any work in relation to a gas fitting or gas storage vessel unless he is competent to do so.
(2) The employer of any person carrying out such work for that employer, every other employer and self-employed person who has control to any extent of such work and every employer and self-employed person who has required such work to be carried out at any place of work under his control shall ensure that paragraph (1) above is complied with in relation to such work.
(3) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraphs (1) and (2) above and subject to paragraph (4) below, no employer shall allow any of his employees to carry out any work in relation to a gas fitting or service pipework and no self-employed person shall carry out any such work, unless the employer or self-employed person, as the case may be, is a member of a class of persons approved for the time being by the Health and Safety Executive for the purposes of this paragraph.

Guidance note on 3:3

45 Anyone who does work on a gas fitting or gas storage vessel must be competent to do so, whether or not they are required to be a member of an approved class of persons. Therefore, do-it-yourself installers and those performing favours for friends and relatives all need to have the required competence. The level and range of competence should match the full extent of work done, but needs only to be sufficient for and relevant to that work. Employers of gas fitting operatives are also required under regulation 3(2) to ensure that their employees have the required competence for the work undertaken; in addition to ensuring they are properly experienced and trained (see paragraph 47), this involves ongoing monitoring of performance standards, as necessary.

And from COP20

7 Employers of gas installers will not be complying with their duties under sections 2(1), 2(2)(c) and 3(1) of the Health and Safety at Work etc Act 1974 (HSW Act) or with Regulation 3 of the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1984 if the installer is not competent. Similarly, a self-employed gas installer will not be complying with his duty under section 3(2) of the HSW Act or with Regulation 3 of the 1984 Regulations if he is not competent. An employee or a person working on his own behalf (viz D.l.Y) will not comply with Regulation 3 of the 1984 Regulations if he is not competent.

Anyone doing DIY work on gas does NOT need to be registered with Gas Safe BUT they DO need to be competent.
The answer to the original question of can i service my own boiler if i am not Gas Safe registered is yes if you are competent.
Competence in gas installation requires enough knowledge, practical skill and experience to carry out the job in hand safely, with due regard to good working practice.
Proving it other than by doing ACS is a bit more difficult.

 

[wazzer]

Can your home Insurers void your insurance if you blow up your house ? YES

 

[RoryD]

Well, this seems to be a hard question to answer.

From the regs, it seems that i can, as long as i am not accepting any kind of payment for it.

It is when you start getting paid, that its illegal.

Also, i read that you have to be competent.

How do you define competent?

So, am i allowed legally to service my own boiler?

Regards

Mutley

Complete piffle Mutley, you know the answer is no. If you want to service it then go to your bank; draw money out (several thousand); get some training and when you pass your ACS service your boiler

 

[armourer]

I hate to say it but I think the answer is yes you can.

However as several have mentioned you have to show competence and that is what ACS is, proof that you are Competent.
Trying to prove Competence any other way than passing ACS is next to impossible as this is the approved standard.

 

[wazzer]

If you were competent you would not be on here asking simple question's

 

[Jonwells]

I think, and have know to be wrong, that under the old regs, if you were classed as competent you can service an appliance as long as there is no financial gain, (wage), but I think gas safe shut the loop hole saying, if you touch any gas appliance, your own or not and your not registered, it against the law.
It was changed to stop landlords blowing up students, I cannot quote bylaw or case histories, but I'm sure it true.

Best thing to do mate, is leave it alone, depending on what boiler it is, rsf, balanced flue, HE, open flued etc, depends on the checks you need to do, if it's a modern HE, YOU need a flue gas analyser, get it done safely for the sake of £50 or so.
But don't listen to me, I have saved about 20 peoples life's in my 31years in the trade, due to poorly or not serviced correctly appliances. Jon

 

[tamz]

but I think gas safe shut the loop hole saying, if you touch any gas appliance, your own or not and your not registered

Gas Safe, no matter how the sales rep comes across, do not make the rules. They are made by others.

 

[armourer]

I agree with you tamz too many people think that Gas Safe or Corgi are the law.

When we were all Corgi registered, I had no end of arguments with people that say you "had" to be Corgi registered to work on a gas appliance when in fact you had to show competence and if you had passed ACS you were deemed as competent.

Its just years of clever advertising by Corgi.
For instance has anyone ever been asked to see their ACS card??

Of course not. Joe public have never even heard of ACS.

In what other trade do you have to qualify and then pay to register with someone else to be able to work?

 

[shorticus]

So in summary, yes you can service your own boiler but...there's not a single person on this forum who'd want to be in your shoes should things go bandy!!

 

[tamz]

Well even i have never serviced my own boiler.............ever............can't be rsed. If it coughs i will get the boy to fit a new one :lol:

 

[armourer]

Well even i have never serviced my own boiler.............ever............can't be rsed. If it coughs i will get the boy to fit a new one :lol:

I still have a 15 year old GW swiftflow in my house.
I must have changed everything inside of it and every time I say thats it Im fitting a new one.

Still not got around to it.
You know what they say "never buy a house from a builder" its certainly true in my case, ffs I have condemned better.

Just too much like a bus-mans holiday when you get home.

 

[shorticus]

Well even i have never serviced my own boiler.............ever............can't be rsed. If it coughs i will get the boy to fit a new one :lol:

stuck a probe in mine once just to see what the reading was and it was sweet as, one 'non-intrusive' service completed!

Did powerflush my system a couple of weeks ago though just to see what came out, pretty clean as it happens...

 

[shorticus]

Just too much like a bus-mans holiday when you get home.[/QUOTE]

...you should see my bathroom...second thoughts best not

 

[tamz]

I've got a capped blow off on mine:smilewinkgrin:

 

[shorticus]

I've got a capped blow off on mine:smilewinkgrin:

no worries if the wet vac is to hand eh!

 

[tamz]

I don't really care. The hoover is her job. More chance of winning the lottery.

 

[Jonwells]

Just checked about doing your own gas work, 1998 regs, in a nutshell, if your doing it for no reward and are deemed competent, you can do what you like. great.

 

[tamz]

Just checked about doing your own gas work, 1998 regs, in a nutshell, if your doing it for no reward and are deemed competent, you can do what you like. great.

That is the proviso!

 

[Bagsy]

I think this is dangerous even to discuss this as there are so many differences of opinion. To be sure you should ask the appropriate authorities. I have found this on the Gas Safe website which some of you may find interesting http://www.User PlumbersForums.net Instead - Copy the content, don't link to it.co.uk/pdf/Who can legally work on a gas appliance.pdf after all they are appointed by the HSE. So one would assume that they would not give out false information.

 

[RoryD]

I actually can't believe this is a serious thread