Gas fire ''smells funny'' - here's why missus!!!

[TFGplumbing]

Went to service a Inset gas fire today, customers booked me in last week. Said it ''smells funny'' when lit.
Turns out the flue/chimney was completely blocked with debris. Fishy thing is they got a bird cage on their pot(next door hasent though), its a terraced house where two properties share a stack, next door has no fire. Chimney sweep booked, fire capped off as ID. I suspect the partition between the two chimneys in the stack has broken & some gremlins have set up shop in the chimney probably due to the damp weather and abundance of food after mid-night.

Fire had not been serviced in 10 years!!!!! They had a lucky escape I think!

 

[anz]

Just goes to show that the public aren't aware of the signs.

Hope you drilled it in to her how important it is to service every year.

 

[kris]

Crazy, folks wait till somethings wrong before they take action, the fire smells better give it a ten year service lol, well done TFG another disaster averted,

 

[TFGplumbing]

Just goes to show that the public aren't aware of the signs.

Hope you drilled it in to her how important it is to service every year.

The CO detector was well out of date with no batteries - needless to say I sent her for a trot down the shops to get a new one. I cant believe people sometimes!

 

[anz]

The CO detector was well out of date with no batteries - needless to say I sent her for a trot down the shops to get a new one. I cant believe people sometimes!

Keep some on your van.

I usually buy them from Costco, decent ones, less then a tenner each. Sell them on a service for £20. Easy money.

 

[TFGplumbing]

That's a bloody good idea!

 

[goz666]

I went to one very similar a few years ago, old woman mid 80's to 90. First thing she said was why are you taking my gas fire off the wall, I've had it serviced before and nobody else has ever removed it.:whatchutalkingabout

 

[stevetheplumber]

I had one eight years old with a slate cemented across the flue

 

[TFGplumbing]

I had one eight years old with a slate cemented across the flue

Unbelievable who the hell does something like that?

 

[Reg Man]

Makes you wonder if some do a flue flow test properly and know what to look out for?

 

[Millsy 82]

I had one and they said they had a funny smell from there BBU, I went out smoke tested it nothing out of the chimney at all! That's a bit odd I thought next thing the next doors window opened with some old lady coughing and spluttering then loads of smoke came out of the window.

The liner on the BBU I was working on was only about 5ft long and about 2 years before the nextdoor neighbour had a new BBU fitted and they were both on the same flue so hers went upto the top and cemented in meaning my BBU flue went nowhere.

The next door neighbour had been ill for 2 years and doctors couldn't work out why and she was constantly on a bottle of oxygen I said get checked out for carbon monoxide poisoning whilst I was capping both BBU's.