gas meter

[thomas donovan]

i only qualified last oct, so yesterday i go to do a l/lords cert meter was eventually found in a base unit used to store food awkward to get to. in my training manual it says meter should not be where food is kept and should be accessable. i phoned gas safe for guidance the rather snotty person on the phone said just tell them not to put food in there and made me feel like a prat for asking what are your thoughts on it?

 

[kirkgas]

they are right, but TBH it isnt what you say to someone it is how you say it, if you feel awkward phoning them then you wont do it again which isnt right, the regs ays the meter should be accessible for isolation, reading and maintenance, some are more awkward than others, but i try to say to people to make everything a tick box answer either yes or no with no room to write a story, so is there access to isolate yes/no, is there access to read it yes/no, is there access to swap meter yes/no, if yes then advice them not to syore food in it, mark your advice on a job sheet and move on, if any answer is no then report it to gas supplier and move on

 

[fagsanbooz]

Although we get all the technical training, as said on these forums plenty of times before, there is no substitute for experience and common sense. I suppose they think you should be using your own judgement at times like this rather than expecting a 'help desk' for every little issue. As kirkgas said, ensure you record all the statutory stuff and make some short advice notes on the form, covered yer backside then!!

 

[Puddle]

Nobody should feel uncomfortable ringing gas safe with a gas related issue,no matter what and they are very wrong if they made you feel so
Note they are in the wrong not you,if you have any issues you are not sure of,refer to manuals or do as you did and ring gas safe,that is part of their job,in fairness for the one snotty one you spoke to (probably just having a bad day,not aimed at you)there are many great advisers on the end of the phone,no doubt snotty person will get torn down a strip or two by a more experienced operative

imho

 

[Barry98]

i only qualified last oct, so yesterday i go to do a l/lords cert meter was eventually found in a base unit used to store food awkward to get to. in my training manual it says meter should not be where food is kept and should be accessable. i phoned gas safe for guidance the rather snotty person on the phone said just tell them not to put food in there and made me feel like a prat for asking what are your thoughts on it?

i know where your coming from Thomas , (i myself have been passed 1 year yesterday yupppie ). and i like to think since then is when ive openly said on hear too that the real learning has now began. i rang gas safe probably about 3 month after been passed regarding pipe passing through walls. while doing a l/cert i noticed that the sleeving was 2 pieces of 22mm stuck in each end of the wall and not all the way through. i immediately knew this was wrong my issue came when i put it right . to cut a long story short i wasn't aware you could use plastic pipe and in the installs id done in the first few months i dread to think how much id spent on 28/35mm copper . now the gsr tech guy i spoke to too seem to be a bit up himself.

now i probably didn't do my self any favors but when we finished the tech stuff and he said have a nice day i replied you too in your nice little call center. he was very taken back and asked what i meant by this i simply said my fees pay to keep you in a job (i know i know) and to be honest i expect a little more respect when i ring you. in future i may not bother and just do what i think is best whether its right or wrong , and well if things go bad and i have to go to court i will be sure to bring today up ( very petty i know ) , but i talk to people with respect right from the start thats how i was brought up. i only become a fuddy duddy if they are.

i have rang gs twice since and must say that they were both on the ball very , very helpful but now i think it just comes up on there screen when i give my gsr number and at the top it says " be nice to this man "

 

[BLOD]

I've called Gas safe a couple of times in the last year for info & have to say the guys I've spoken to have been very helpful. I guess it's down to who answers the phone !
A bit like calling boiler manufacturers for advice - that can be a real waste of time - some are just so much more helpful than others.

 

[midge]

Lots of meters are in kitchen base units, in older properties. As long as the ECV, and meter are accessible what's the problem. If they aren't then action NCS AR ID as appropriate.
I can't see why storing food alongside would be a problem, corrosive cleaning materials maybe though.