DIY Doctor UK DIY Forums

Hi all,
I know this subject has already been covered in another thread, but I feel that certain questions were not fully answered.

Firstly, correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe the Gas Safety (Installation and Use) Regulations 1998 are still in force. Although ambiguous, they appear to indicate that anyone working on gas appliances that 'is not' selling their services, needs to be "competent" to do so.
Therefore, as a non gas-safe registered person, if I wanted to install my own boiler (without charging myself), and I mean completely, including the gas supply, flue, commissioning etc "how can it be proven that I am not a competent person" if the installation is 100% perfect and the boiler manufacturers installation and commissioning instructions have been fully adhered to.

Thanks

If you fit it yourself you canot register the boiler - therefore wont get the manufacturers warranty -

'how can it be proven that I am not a competent person' - if something goes wrong - they will be able to prove it through a court.

Please yourself basically - all we do is offer advice - and I advise against DIY gas installations.


htg

The law of England is a bit strange, in as much as, while you may have done a perfect job, if you are not qualified or in the case of gas fitting are not qualified by the company you work for then you should not have done it and will be found guilty by the court.
Regardless that you may well have been qualified a few weeks before and have just retired.
Interestingly, a gas fitter working for the company that employs him is registered to fit.
The same person doing a job on the side at the weekend is not qualified.
Needless to say it is estimated that more than half of the gas work done in the UK is done by un qualified fitters and individuals.

Many thanks for your responses.
Interesting comments, particularly in relation to the warranty issue which I'd overlooked.

The reason for my original question was actually not because I'm about to install my own boiler like I had said... I did that 8 years ago! As an MSc qualified building services engineer (HVAC), and having worked in the HVAC industry for 20 years, I considered myself competent to do so.
But the main reason for my question was to get an understanding of the legal limitations working on boilers and how the law would be enforcable. So apologies if I misled!!

Anyway, purely for info (although comments would be welcome), I just spoke with the technical department at the Gas Safe register. Incidentally, he wasn't gas-safe registered either! What he told me was the law is specific to the gas supply, the combustion chamber and the flue (i.e. any part related to the gas), and that anyone can legally work on the non-gas parts (i.e. say to change a pump or , as I had done recently, a domestic hot water flow sensor).

That's right, anyone can change a diverter, sensor, plate heat-ex, pump etc etc.

But if you break a gas supply, flue or a combustion case seal without the relevant knowledge- then you could be putting lives at risk.


htg

If a so called competent person is so special, why are they not called qualified person, or would that maybe put a spanner in the works being as
a time served heating engineer with City and Guilds A and B qualifications
and close to 40 yrs experience is at present forbidden to even fit his own gas cooker, let alone a boiler. A more level playing field would be to
allow certain gas installations, so long as the local B.C were involved,for a fee of course, as is the case with electrics. Councils would benefit from the extra income generated and unemployed heating engineers with 40 yrs experience could be employed to check the installations. Also some of the so called competent person installations I have seen over the years would also benefit from the veiw of a third party.

[...close to 40 yrs experience is at present forbidden to even fit his own gas cooker, let alone a boiler.[/quote]

Would someone please quote the law that prevents a competent person from working on their own gas appliances.

Amongst my library of gas related literature I have a book dated 1994 written for B&Q that shows step by step how to fit a gas boiler, glossing over the actual gas connection but stating the requirement to check gas soundness and burner pressure. By 1997 this book has aquired a loose leaf ammendment recommending a CORGI engineer be employed for the gas connection. The book is now out of publication.

What has changed in law since then? Not GSIUR 1998.

'Would someone please quote the law that prevents a competent person from working on their own gas appliances'

There's no law preventing a competent person working on gas appliances, RGI's are classed as Competent

The question remains, how are you deemed competent ? the only way is to carry out assessments. Otherwise we could all say we're competent and turn our hands to anything.


htg

Sorry to resurect this again.

I work as an Engineer in Industry. Im actually a multi skilled Electrician, Fitter. I work in a Glass works and Often my job envolves work on gas burners on furnaces and Heat shrink equipment. Since I work in Industry there isnt a precident that says I need to be Gas Safety Registered. Would my experience count me as a Competent person? Ive working on gas burners at work for over 20 years.

Im confident I could Install the boiler to the standards of a domestic heating engineer and am used to following technical instructions and Installation regulations. Even though I work in a factory we still have to work to a safe working practice so as not to injure anyone.

I am a private citizen who has a boiler problem, I contacted two gas safe 'engineers' and both (after taking £100 for 'consultation') said I needed a new PCB and overheat safety and new spark electrode.
I did not believe them and poked a needle into the pilot jet to clean it out and cured the problem.
I think 'gas-safe' is an absolute con and licenses the incompetent to steal money from innocents.
I am a COMPETENT person because I fixed the boiler. The gas-safe registered people failed to fix the boiler.