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Best To Be Gas Safe Than Sorry You Didn’t Check First For Plumbing Credentials!

On the 1st April 2009, Britain’s gas safety scheme known as Corgi was replaced by the Gas Safe Register. From that date onwards, by law, anyone who works on gas appliances, such as boilers, now needed to be on the Gas Safe Register.

Naturally, the fact that a Corgi was no more is something we canines are more likely to know than humans! But it is still of concern how Corgi continues to be mentioned whenever the issue of finding a properly trained and qualified plumber comes up in conversation. You may even spot a trade van with a Corgi sticker still attached to the side door.

Passionate about the job

Doing the job properly by a trained and qualified installer is something my master, Bernard feels passionate about. Just at the end of November he read about a gas explosion at a private residence in Manchester caused by damage to live electrical wires, which burned a hole in a gas pipe while a new boiler was being installed.

Apparently, the plumber had burnt the cables while using a blow torch to solder together gas pipes that ran alongside. Despite being badly charred, the cables were then wrapped in plastic tape instead of a proper repair made.

According to official figures, around 40 people are fatally injured each year from gas explosions and more than 25 people will die from carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning due to badly installed or not properly maintained gas appliances. Even more people suffer health problems from CO exposure directly related to a gas appliance.

Deciding if the plumber is right as well as the price

Luckily for me, I can smell gas right across north and east London where Bernard spends most of his time installing boilers and taking care of customer’s central heating systems.

Humans may have bigger brains but can they smell a rat? The kind of rat I’m talking about is the type of installer that humans seem to not worry as much about checking up on their Gas Safe credentials as they are on securing a suspiciously low price.

Unfortunately, trying to decide over the phone if you have found a good plumber when they give the pricing for even small jobs may not be the answer. Most good plumbers will prefer to provide quotes only when they are actually front of the job to be done so their ‘fixed quote’ is certain to be 100 per cent exactly correct – and customers will have no nasty surprises later!

Check to ensure a plumber is fully licensed

Apart from guarantees, references, online reviews and obtaining different quotes ( for the same amount of work to be carried out), it’s always crucial to spend time checking to ensure a plumber is fully licensed and carries full insurance to protect you and your neighbour’s property in the event of a catastrophe. While asking about “long they have been in business for” may be reassuring, it’s not always the case that reputable trades-people last while rogue traders simply disappear!

I’m proud to be able to say that my master, Bernard is Gas Safe registered, a Worcester Bosch Group partner and gives a 5 year guarantee – and he replaced all his Corgi stickers, but sadly not with pictures of Moo!

Freezing Temperatures Could Mean A Problem Condensed Coming Down The Pipe!

Are we going to see a repeat of prolonged, freezing Arctic conditions in the winter months ahead that we’ve experienced in recent years? It’s not so bad for me – I love the snow, my legs never shake nor get snow or ice stuck in between the paw pads. What do you call young dogs who play in the snow? Slush puppies! Woof Woof!

So it’s a great, fun time for a dog to be out digging deep in the snow and sniffing out all sorts of strange scents. But some humans can have real problems keeping sufficiently warm in their house if the temperature drops below zero. Even I admit it can be tough trying to break through ice to find bones I’ve buried!

Exceptional problems with keeping warm

So, apart from turning the thermostat down one or two degrees in a bid to avoid a nasty quarterly bill, why should there be a problem with keeping warm if we have one of today’s modern advanced boilers nicely installed?

In the exceptional winter temperatures of recent years, the mercury plunged down between -9C and -20C. However, the average minimum temperature around most of Britain tends to be around 3 – 4C, dipping down to just below freezing when snow is forecast and often for several days afterwards.

Outlet pipe overlooked

This can sometimes mean that the outlet pipe on the modern condensing boiler, which siphons left over cooled water vapour – or ‘condensate’- can freeze if it’s on the outside and not on the inside of the house. This often results in a blockage, which will shut the boiler down, meaning no hot water or heating!

Being a short-haired dog, my master always wants to strap a special doggie coat around me when we go out in the freezing weather. It’s the same, of course, with the outlet pipe. It needs to be properly weather insulated! It’s amazing how this vital pipe can be overlooked because it’s outside.

Usually, a fault code will show on the boiler’s display (or an alarm will sound) and the code can be looked up in the boiler instruction manual.

Unfreezing the blockage

Unfreezing the outlet pipe might not require Bernard to take a look. The blockage is likely to be at the most exposed external point, or at a bend or dip in the pipe. It can simply be a matter of gently thawing the ice.

However, please note – it’s absolutely vital that boiling hot water is NOT simply poured directly onto the pipe! Instead, wrap a soft hot water bottle around the pipe and allow to slowly thaw – and it can take some time! The boiler can be restarted by following the instructions in the boiler manual.

While pipe insulation will help to prevent ice from freezing, when exceptional temperatures occur, it’s always recommended to contact a qualified, experienced plumber like my master Bernard, for further detailed guidance according to your type of boiler, heating system and layout.

Meanwhile, I shall be looking forward to seeing the first snowflakes – I love snacking on the stuff even if humans don’t!

No Summer Check Up? You Could Have Winter Heating Problems!

If you saw the recent TV programme in which hidden cameras revealed just how much my fellow canines get so fretful when we are left alone in the house, you’ll understand why Bernard, my master, lets me sometimes travel in his van when he’s away a lot on call-outs.

When customers see me, Bernard is suddenly called upon to give his ‘expert’ advice on the welfare of dogs as well as working out what’s wrong with their boiler! One customer actually asked Bernard if he knew how to keep his dog from barking in the front yard. Bernard told him to put it in the back yard! Woof Woof!

Central heating turned on – nothing happens!

From the start of autumn we are always very busy responding to calls from customers who may have just turned on their central heating for the first time since before the summer months – and nothing happens!

One piece of ‘real’ advice Bernard always gives is to check that your system is still running by putting the heating on for about 15 minutes once a month. It helps to keep the boiler pump free from debris accumulating. At the same time, it’s always worth having the boiler serviced too – just like my seasonal visits to the vets for a check-up!

Whenever there is a potential problem with a boiler, the key advice is to always call a professional, trained, qualified and industry-approved plumber like my master, Bernard.

Many types and brands of modern boilers today are sophisticated electronic systems, which are constantly being upgraded and require their own specialist knowledge. Yet it’s simply staggering how some people think that they can simply get “this mate of a mate from down the road to come and have a look – it won’t cost anything!”

Simple checks that homeowners can do

On the other hand, there are some simple checks that homeowners can do, which can help identify common but very simple and obvious boiler problems that you should be able to fix yourself.

The most obvious is to check to see if the boiler pilot flame is alight or power light is on. A pilot flame can be relit by carefully following the manufacturer instructions while the power on newer boilers may be restored by checking to see if a circuit protection device has tripped and needs to be reset.

It’s not unusual for a meter, which is in a cupboard alongside many other stored items, to have its on/off switch knocked off.

Another simple check is to see if the central heating programmer been set correctly or if an individual room’s thermostat is set too low preventing the heating from coming on. If the system has not been used for a while or if there is a leak, then it’s likely that the boiler pressure is not correct.

Beyond the simple checks described above, no attempt at plumbing DIY should be made with the boiler – especially if it’s a gas boiler! My master always recommends the importance of making sure a gas boiler is checked and serviced regularly in order to cut the risk of carbon monoxide poisoning.

I can normally sniff a biscuit half a mile away and can never understand why some humans can’t do the same!