Answering most post in the main is what I and a hand full of others do to try and help out. In the main it's little thing which years of experiance can be passed on to sort the problem out on a forum such as this. However I can not beleive that in this day and age with the multitude of warnings the amount of people for the sake of a few pounds want to risk the lives of their familys by illeagly installing or mess around the inside of gas & oil appliances.
It's against the law for a reason, because it's dangerous and can kill if not fitted or serviced correctly. I have been in the Heating industry for 30 years, served a mechanical services apprentiship for five of those years, I know boilers & burners inside out, can identify every component in a boiler and tell you there function and why they are in a boiler. I have designed systems for Euro Tunnel, London Underground & many of the countries RAF & Army bases. I can install Air Conditioning, commission building management systems, but I am not able to install a gas, an oil or a solidfuel appliance because I am not CORGI, Oftec or HEATAS registerd, so If after all my experiance I will not fit or service an appliance why do any of you who do not know one end of a boiler from another think you can?
I've helped to investegate a fatality when a incorrectly serviced appliance killed two students through CO poisoning a waste of two 19 year olds lifes because their landlord did not want to pay a CORGI engineer to service his boiler as he thought he could do it. I have seen the side of a block of flats blown out because a gas pipe was leaking due to the wrong fitting being used. In Glasgow 14 people died recently because the gas pipe was not maintained in a factory. So if I'm sounding a bit raw you will understand why. Please for your and your familys safety do not mess around with these appliances, I understand engineers cost money & their are rouges out there, but there are a lot more honest trades guys out there who want repeat business and want recommendations. Use common sense don't pay money up front & it could be the best monet you will ever spend.