CPA1 course

[gaspastemania]

Just booked myself in to do this course and curious about what it actually entails?? Feel a bit miffed at the cost of it and the fact i'm already competent with my analyzer as far as i'm aware.Also thought the BPEC reg fee of £55 is rather steep .Anbody who has done this course can give some feed back about it would be more than welcome as feeling a bit ripped off about having to do this to be honest.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

its a load of toss ,easy to pass,not much involved you can take your own fga if calibrated

 

[stani]

agree with gas man, its a piece of paper to say you have been told not. you know what you are doing, but its like everything now you must have CPA1 to fit boilers.

 

[blayedrunner]

Did it today.... Cake walk. 6 question exam an show were you use the probe. Your right its a rip off, but then we gotta do it.... Even the examiner said this one had been rushed through an is therefore not as in depth as other sections.

 

[tamz]

It is all a load of bollax. More expense to be told where to stick a probe and what range the numbers should be. Almost as bad as the 4 question test on warm air.
The powers that be say it has to be linked to cen yet there are very few boiler manu's who insist on using one to commission and very few will in the future. If they do they will be dropped from the big contracts.
Take WB's latest MI's (just released) and they are not alone.

"NOTICE: The combustion settings on this
gas-fired boiler have been checked, adjusted
and preset at the factory for operation on the
gas type defined on the data plate.
No measurement of the combustion values
are necessary provided there is a meter
installed allowing the gas rate to be checked.
DO NOT ADJUST THE AIR/GAS RATIO VALVE."

Says it all really!

They will bring out censerv1 next for if you want to service a boiler. (i shouldn't joke as they probably will)

Most installers have never seen a FGA never mind use one.

 

[kirkgas]

It is all a load of bollax. More expense to be told where to stick a probe and what range the numbers should be. Almost as bad as the 4 question test on warm air.
The powers that be say it has to be linked to cen yet there are very few boiler manu's who insist on using one to commission and very few will in the future. If they do they will be dropped from the big contracts.
Take WB's latest MI's (just released) and they are not alone.

"NOTICE: The combustion settings on this
gas-fired boiler have been checked, adjusted
and preset at the factory for operation on the
gas type defined on the data plate.
No measurement of the combustion values
are necessary provided there is a meter
installed allowing the gas rate to be checked.
DO NOT ADJUST THE AIR/GAS RATIO VALVE."

Says it all really!

They will bring out censerv1 next for if you want to service a boiler. (i shouldn't joke as they probably will)

Most installers have never seen a FGA never mind use one.

i will mention this when we have the next meeting haha

 

[kirkgas]

i hate doing CPA1 and MET1 course with candidates cause they are nothing courses, when we first started CPA1 courses guys were turning up saying great you can show me all the tricks with my new FGA cause i cant work it out (a problem in itself TBH but is better resolved by the rep for the actual FGA showing you how to work it and do TT and temp measurement) they are gutted when we tell them we dont show them anything on their FGA except how to switch it on and choose NG, CPA1 tests your ability to stick a probe in a flue outlet and tell me whether the reading is above or below the target figure, MET1 should be in CCN1 as it is actually all covered in CCN1 apart from a couple of snidey questions to make you read BS6400-1

 

[Reg Man]

"NOTICE: The combustion settings on this
gas-fired boiler have been checked, adjusted
and preset at the factory for operation on the
gas type defined on the data plate.
No measurement of the combustion values
are necessary provided there is a meter
installed allowing the gas rate to be checked.
DO NOT ADJUST THE AIR/GAS RATIO VALVE."

Yer and I have tested loads and they have been foul combustion because of boiler faults.

As for CPA1, I think is a necessary evil, but is far to easy and only brushes the surface on testing. If it covered all 4 parts of BS7967 it would be better value.

 

[stevetheplumber]

it should be included in the boiler element not as a seperate subjectits actually been brought in to make up training centers loss of revenue from the previous riddiclous seperate category for water heaters

 

[rm1]

it is now incorporated in the ccn1

 

[kirkgas]

it is now incorporated in the ccn1

it isnt part of CCN1, but it must be done if you do CEN1 or HTR1, strangely a lot of the notes centre round testing cookers, but you do not need CPA1 if you do cookers instead of boilers and fires,

 

[tamz]

it is now incorporated in the ccn1

No it isn't

 

[tamz]

OOPS
Never noticed Kirks answer on page 2.

 

[kirkgas]

it should be included in the boiler element not as a seperate subjectits actually been brought in to make up training centers loss of revenue from the previous riddiclous seperate category for water heaters[/1 for lost revenue, they have now joined CEN1 and WAT1 so you now do CENWAT, and if you dont currently have WAT1 you cannot do CEN1 re-assessment, you need to do the initial which will include items on water heaters that you might not know about so you should consider training, kerching

 

[stevetheplumber]

great i dropped water heaters last time as i dont see any now so now i cant do a refresh

 

[kirkgas]

great i dropped water heaters last time as i dont see any now so now i cant do a refresh

TBH it cant be seen as a major tradegy if i tell you the initial paperwork for CENWAT is straight forward and wont cause a gas engineer any hassle at all, the practical difference requires a test on a flueless water heater with a vitiation sensing device, so no prob really, dont know if your training suppplier will up the price or not that will be there decision, my centre doesnt do water heaters as they haveonly been in the building for 18months and nobody asks for WAT1 they didnt get accreditation for it, so i need to buy an LPG fluless water heater so that you can all moan about doing CENWAT
so who are the winners in this one?