Sparks on high horse

[dmheat]

Evening all

Got an install coming up, the customer wants to use their own mate sparky. It's a bbu to combi conversion and all I want is a DP fuse spur installed in loft ready for me to wire in the new combi in the loft. He's said he needs me to fit the boiler first then he'll fit the spur. Sorry but wtf? So I'm expected to visit again to commission.

Hes saying whoever wires the boiler in from the fuse spur needs to certify it. Anyone got clear knowledge on the exact requirements here? Because to be honest I can't see a reason why he can't fit the spur, fit the cable to feed the boiler into a blanked off pattress and test and certify everything he's done? Then as the boiler installer, and holding a citb qual in CH wiring, why can't I wire up the boiler and complete my electrical checks on the appliance? Polarity, voltage, short circ, resistance to earth and earth continuity?

He sounds like a jobs worth to me. I'm quite new to working for myself so excuse my rant if I'm wrong lol.

Then I said, tell the **** to fit an UNSWITCHED socket up there and be done with it.

Dan

 

[AWheating]

wire the boiler to a extension lead commission it and then cut the plug off. Point out to the customer and sparks that he/she cant remove the boiler case unless they are gas safe register and get paid and let them carry on. take a picture of the wire with no plug to show what you did.

 

[dmheat]

But so I know for sure, can wire in a boiler from a newly installed fuse spur can't i? Without having to certify it? It's the first time I've had to get a power supply moved so far...I so far have been able to use an existing spur or unswitched socket

 

[AWheating]

officially you are supposed to certifiy it i guess, never met a sparky yet who does tho, i bet there sparks wont issue a cert for the work. Nowt wrong with wiring to a spur if you have some common sense and alittle electrical knowledge.

 

[REDSAW]

i have charged £200 for comissioning call back before, see if they like that idea?
or
just ask for a socket installed then use a plug top. sorted.

 

[dmheat]

officially you are supposed to certifiy it i guess, never met a sparky yet who does tho, i bet there sparks wont issue a cert for the work. Nowt wrong with wiring to a spur if you have some common sense and alittle electrical knowledge.

That's the annoying thing, I know my way around ch wiring better than most sparkys I've ever met and although I haven't done either scope of part p course I've done several electrical courses including the CITB ch wiring and fault finding courses, I would certainly seem myself compotent to wire from a newly installed and tested fuse spur dammit. Thanks for the advice,bloke just seems like a total douche

 

[dmheat]

i have charged £200 for comissioning call back before, see if they like that idea?
or
just ask for a socket installed then use a plug top. sorted.

Thanks for the advice I did finish my conversation with the customer saying such about installing me an unswitched socket and letting me do my job. I just double checked the MIs though for an ideal logic+ and it doesn't mention unswitched socket, only fused spur. I'll drop their technical an email and see if they're happy to confirm it's ok, I know the icos used to say unswitched socket was satisfactory

 

[stani]

I self certificate my own work, I test from the board to the socket/fused spur only. If I were to try and test from the board to the appliance and test at 500 volts it cost a damn sight more than £200 to replace the board and other items. Tell his sparks that and see if he still wants to do the final test.

 

[dmheat]

If he put a megger on it id kick him in the teeth. That's my point, why can't he install the spur,test everything to it,and let me wire from there to the boiler, it's like a meter away. You watch I'll turn up to commission and he will have cable tied the cable to the gas pipe,having wanted to make sure it was "wired in properly and certified". ****ing nob

 

[Ermintrude]

He's not qualified to certify anything after the fused spur. He cannot perform "work"(includes testing) on any gas appliance. This is very clearly denoted in the Gas Safety installation and use regulations.

 

[dmheat]

He's not qualified to certify anything after the fused spur. He cannot perform "work"(includes testing) on any gas appliance. This is very clearly denoted in the Gas Safety installation and use regulations.

Nice one that'll be my next argument. I haven't spoken to the guy directly but through the customer which I suppose hasn't helped. The customers saying they've been told it's a fixed appliance and only a sparks can connect it lol. Well that's rubbish...

hopefully Ideal will come back to me today about having it on a 3amp plug in an unswitched socket

 

[Millsy 82]

I used to have sparks come out all the time just let them get on with it. Tell them when they need to be there and if they hold you up it will be an additional charge of £x per hour. There is no point in arguing as chances are you won't get the job in the end.

 

[dmheat]

Yeah just spoke to Ideal, dp fcu only, balls. I'll have to back down, lame deals

 

[lame plumber]

then use another boiler make and fit a socket and plug, all your trying to achive is dp safety on live and neutral and that is easily achieved by pulling the plug out ffs!. Thats even safer than a double pole fused spur.

 

[buckley plumb]

wire the boiler to a extension lead commission it and then cut the plug off. Point out to the customer and sparks that he/she cant remove the boiler case unless they are gas safe register and get paid and let them carry on. take a picture of the wire with no plug to show what you did.

now that's good thinking mate

 

[dmheat]

then use another boiler make and fit a socket and plug, all your trying to achive is dp safety on live and neutral and that is easily achieved by pulling the plug out ffs!. Thats even safer than a double pole fused spur.

Youre preaching to the choir mate trust me, I'd take an unswitched socket any day but if the manufacturers say no then they say no....the lady on technical help, when I asked why a fuse spur was now required when an Icos MI's says socket is fine and what's changed, replied "we've always said dp fuse spur, it's safer"...I'd literally just looked at an Icos MI's, I just laughed and thanked her...manufacturers are in the main, ****ing useless...

 

[Ermintrude]

Valliant suggest a plug.

 

[Millsy 82]

I could have this completely wrong as it came from a sparky I used to work with.

Should it not be on a fused spur because then it has a permanent earth so if your working on it and there is a problem with the wiring it will earth it? Where as if there is no earth you could potentially be touch a live appliance.

 

[TBServices]

Personally I'd just fit a flex with a 3a plug, commission the boiler from an extension lead then request he installs an unswitched socket instead of a spur.

 

[deandive]

Commision it off a plug and extension, remove the cable, charge said sparky £250 to come back, remove the cover and supervise him working on a gas appliance, what a jobsworth

 

[Kev the gas]

3 pin plug on unswitched socket, far safer as complete disconnection.

Unswitched fused spur you still dont know if the sparky or diyer wired it up correctly, the cheap plastic switches used by a lot of sparkies now crack when you try and remove the fuse.