Proving that it’s not just householders that are coming up short when servicing their gas boilers is news that a hospital in northern Devon has had a boiler fire due to lack of servicing.

The revelations that the gas boiler, which powers the hospital’s heating system, had not been properly maintained came from a former maintenance worker at a tribunal at Exeter. As well as the hospital boiler, he also claimed a number of health and safety issues which he had brought to light were ignored.

He stated that the boiler’s logbook had been falsified, raising doubts as to whether the boiler had indeed been annually serviced as was required.

The tribunal heard that gas boilers should be serviced once a year by approved gas engineers. And that all gas engineers needed to be on the Gas Safe Register. This had taken over from The Corgi registration process which used to oversee gas engineers.

The register should make it easier to find a serviced engineer. More details are available at www.gassaferegister.co.uk, or telephone 0800 408 5500.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

There’s no excuse now, even for those who thought the CORGI register was a dog breeders’ club.

On 1 April, 2009 (not a good choice of date really), the Gas Safe Register will take the place of the CORGI gas registration process as the official stamp for gas safety.

Behind the Gas Safe Register are The Health and Safety Executive who will now be responsible for regulating gas safety in Great Britain. The CORGI registration will remain in force in Northern Ireland and Isle of Man.

And from 1 April, 2009, only Gas Safe Register engineers will be able to carry out work on gas boilers and appliances. The idea is to make the new register provide enhanced levels of service and benefits, improving the overall scheme and promoting gas safety.

Furthermore the register should make it easier to find a serviced engineer. More details are available at www.gassaferegister.co.uk, or telephone 0800 408 5500.

So, there’s no excuse now. Remember, only a person registered with the Gas Safe Register can service, or work on a gas appliance, and that includes a cooker, as well as a central heating boiler. DIY jobs on gas appliances are not allowed, full stop. And for those masquerading as gas safe registered engineers, as well as those who mistakenly think they can work on a gas appliance, stiff penalties will be enforced by the HSE.

Because one of the main objectives of the Gas Safe Register is to make people realise that their own lives, as well as their families, could be at risk by work being carried out by non-trained personnel.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Residential landlords are confused as to whether they can apply for a tax allowance should they wish to replace old boilers in their rental properties.

A number of professional bodies are voicing criticism over the current tax laws which they say are confusing. It comes down to whether all the costs (direct and related) of a boiler replacement in a residential property can be claimed as part of the ten per cent tax deduction which is allowed for improvements made to a rental property. The Revenue, claim the professional bodies, are not making matters clear and this is only having an adverse effect on landlords replacing new boilers for old.

New condensing boilers can be up to 40% more efficient than old boilers and, say the experts, if the landlords of private homes were encouraged to replace more through advantageous tax concessions, then it would greatly benefit the environment.

And what’s more, it might help curb a growing trend for landlords, in these harder economic times, to try and repair their old boilers themselves in order to put back their eventual replacement. A report from the Gas Safe Register concluded that landlords making DIY boiler repairs were on the increase and were putting tenants at risk. Landlords should be well aware, say the authorities, that only CORGI registered engineers are allowed, by law, to work on boilers, in order to try and reduce the number of deaths caused by carbon monoxide poisoning every year.

So, say the experts, good visible tax benefits will have the dual effect of helping the environment and tenant safety.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

If you look through any copy of the Yellow Pages or the Thompson Local you’ll find that plumbers are listed in their hundreds. Unfortunately not all of them can be classed as top quality – or even good quality in some cases – so how do you know a good plumber when you see one? There are three main categories to look at when choosing your plumber and if an individual or a company doesn’t tick all the boxes then don’t be afraid to say no to their services.

Are they fully trained and licensed?
Any good plumber will be registered with the Institute of Plumbing. This means that they either need to have passed a whole heap of qualifications, including their NVQs and such or they need to have 20+ years experience in the trade. Without these factors they wont get on the register. Some older plumbers may have the qualifications and the experience but in general this is rare. Regardless of which type of plumber you choose though, they should be able to provide evidence of their current registration with the official institution. Saying that, the Institute of Plumbing has recently launched a website that gives a full list of registered plumbers which makes finding one a much easier task for everyone.

Are they reliable enough to use?
It doesn’t matter whether you employ an individual or a company to do your plumbing work, they need to be reliable. One of the best ways to judge this is to make an initial appointment for a quote and see if they’re on time and looking the part. If they’re late or just don’t turn up then they aren’t the ones to go with and you need to look around for someone else. Choosing a reliable plumber comes easiest when they are recommended by a friend or relative that has used their services in the past. Ask around and see if anyone you know can recommend a plumber before trying the Yellow Pages.

Are they trustworthy?
For obvious reasons nobody wants to let someone into their home that can’t be trusted and especially not a burly plumber with rather menacing looking tools. But there are other ways that a plumber can be untrustworthy so you need to ask a few simple questions before hiring them for the job. For example, you should ask if they have an established premises for their business as this makes them less likely to do a runner with your money, ask if they have insurance that covers your property while they work on it, ask if they can give you the names of former customers so you can check on customer satisfaction and above all ask if their work is fully guaranteed. A good plumber who knows the trade will be able to answer yes to all of these questions. Then, once you’ve found a good plumber you want to make sure he stays in the industry so any time you can recommend his services, do it.

Guest Article by Clare Lynock

Plumbing is an industry and as we all know there are good guys and bad guys trying to get your attention and your money. Unfortunately, as I see it, things aren’t that simple as there are at least two boxes that have to be ticked for a plumber to be classed as good. Firstly he has to have the skills and secondly he has to have some scruples.

Plumbers who are highly skilled and have all the relevant qualifications can still be classed as bad plumbers in my book if they have dodgy scruples. So for example, your chosen plumber might turn up on time, diagnose the problem in a minute, fix the problem within an hour but then charge you an extortionate fee for his troubles. To me that still makes him a bad plumber and one I wouldn’t recommend to my friends or family. On the other hand there are the plumbers that charge reasonable rates but take an eternity to do the work because they’re not sure exactly what they’re doing. Again this doesn’t say ‘good plumber’ to me.

So what does a plumber need in order to be classed as ‘good’?

A registration with the Institute of Plumbing – there are two ways to get on the official register at the Institute of Plumbing. The first is to pass all of the necessary qualifications and complete the required training courses while the second is to have 20+ years in the plumbing trade. Neither of these routes is easy and so any plumber on the register is deemed to be qualified to do the job.

A quote that is reasonable and not too dissimilar from others – one of the golden rules when hiring any tradesperson is to get at least three quotes before agreeing to anything. A good plumber will give a quote that is similar in price to any others that you have – it may be a bit more expensive if they are a well established company but in general it shouldn’t be anything silly. They should also be able to guarantee that there are no hidden costs that aren’t on the quote, such as taking away old parts or waiting time while they order anything they need.

Word of mouth recommendations – any plumber that comes with personal recommendations is automatically classed as good. After all, you wouldn’t recommend a tradesman to your friends if he did a rubbish job, charged you the earth and left your house looking like a bomb site. Similarly you wouldn’t recommend him if he had awful manners, left the job half finished or ran off with all your valuables. Word of mouth is a good place to start when looking for a good, reliable plumber but if no one can come up with a name then you have the two factors above to fall back on.

Guest Article by Clare Lynock

See also: Tips for Hiring Professionals in our Home Repair section