When the temperature drops, out come the cowboys.

And we’re not talking about men wearing large hats, riding horses and carrying six shooters. We’re talking about guys wearing woolly hats, carrying tool boxes and masquerading as qualified tradesmen.

When cold weather strikes and inevitably pipes bursts, boilers stop and radiators rupture, your first thought is to get the repair done as quickly, and cheaply, as possible. And that’s what the cowboys prey on; a sense of urgency and desperation.

But professional bodies are warning people to be on their guard against bogus tradesmen. Few people when stressed over a broken pipe, or faulty boiler, think to check the qualifications of the people answering the urgent call to put things right. But, say the trade organisations, its vital to ask to see if they are registered with a recognised body before they start work.

And unfortunately, these tradesmen are often the cheapest and, say the professionals, the ones more likely to offer ‘cash deals’ (which don’t involve VAT). This is usually a sign that the tradesmen does not have the proper status.

This is especially important when it comes to work on a boiler say the professionals. They point out that people are still not aware that for anyone to work on a boiler, they should be CORGI-registered. And this is not just a recommendation, it is the law of the land with stiff penalties for those that break the rules. Over 30 people are killed in the U.K. every year through carbon monoxide poisoning and this is usually caused by boilers which have not been serviced regularly, or have been serviced by a non-registered workman.

There is also a growing trend for landlords to service their own boilers and heating systems, in this time of economic austerity. This, believes the health and safety executive, will lead to more avoidable deaths as boilers go without proper checks.

But it not just boilers. Plumbers should ideally be qualified to at least full City and Guilds NVQ Level 3 Qualified Plumber Certification. And what’s more, all tradesmen, should have in place a public liability insurance which protects them should things go wrong with their work and they cause actual bodily injury.

So, recommend the trades bodies, you’d do well to ask your plumber, or heating engineer, to see copies of their relevant certification, or qualifications. And what’s more, when the weather turns cold, you can bet that the cowboys will start riding across the horizon, raring to help you. But beware, you literally could be putting your life at risk.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

Two recent episodes from the north of England proves how careful you have to be with boilers, with an explosion at a Darwen Church and a family escaping death from fumes in Burnley.

A few days into the new year and parts of the chimney stack from the Sacred Heart and St Edward’s Roman Catholic Church fell to the ground as gas escaped into the boiler’s flue and caused an explosion. Fire crews called to the scene immediately isolated the gas supply and engineers shut down the boiler room, condemning the equipment. A second boiler, adjacent to the church boiler and used to heat a neighbouring school, was also condemned.

The explosion, at around 8am in the morning, occurred after the boilers were lit. Once the boilers were made safe, the church and school were given heaters to keep the cold at bay.

Up the road in Burnley a family had a lucky escape on New Year’s Eve due to the effects of carbon monoxide fumes escaping from a faulty gas boiler. Only the arrival of the house owner’s daughter prevented the deaths of the nine people staying there.

Arriving at the house at around 9:30am, the daughter encountered a horrific scene, with the nine people in an advanced state of carbon monoxide poisoning, with some asleep and some wandering around in a state of stress. The daughter took immediate action, flinging windows open and getting people out of the house.

Doctors at the Royal Blackburn Hospital said the rescued people were around 20 minutes away from death if they had stayed in the house. Each person had high levels of carbon monoxide in their systems and were given oxygen on arrival at hospital. None were detained overnight.

A National Grid engineer was dispatched to turn the boiler off and advised the family to call in a Corgi registered fitter to supply a new system. It is believed the faulty boiler was old. A National Grid spokesman reminded people through the local media that boilers should be serviced annually if they are to be trusted to work safely and efficiently.

The deadly carbon monoxide prevents blood from doing its job properly by stopping the supply of oxygen to organs, tissues and cells. The gases are caused when the carbon based fuel in the boiler is not burned completely, creating a highly toxic gas which people find hard to smell. They can become overcome without realising there is a problem.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

The average house can contain so many hazards and things that can potentially go wrong and it’s a wonder that sometimes we can sleep at night.

But the main thing, is not to panic. And this applies strongly to your central heating boiler.

If you think it is having a problem, then there are certain steps to take.

Now, always bear in mind that a boiler is nowadays a complex piece of kit that contains super hot elements and highly dangerous exhaust gases. Do not, under any circumstances, attempt any boiler repair yourself. It is the law that only a qualified engineer should inspect, or repair a gas boiler for example. And for one simple reason, in the U.K, alone there are hundreds of deaths that are blamed on faulty boilers. And not from what most people might think is the cause, an exploding boiler, but from a more silent enemy, carbon monoxide.

So, before we go any further about what to do in the case of an emergency, remember three basic rules: 1. do not attempt any DIY repair on a boiler, call a professional; 2. make sure it is serviced every year; and, 3. regularly give your boiler the once over (is there any discharge for example, or is it making a funny noise).

Right, that’s clear hopefully, now what do if there is a problem.

Firstly, switch the boiler off. And this means turn the switch off at the control box which should shut the boiler down. Also, if you can and if it is safe, turn off the fuel supply. And even if you can’t smell any fumes, open as many windows as you can and if you think there is immediate danger from fumes, or a boiler which is about to blow (unlikely, but it can happen), get everyone out of the house.

When everyone is outside and accounted for and you think there is a major problem such as a significant leak, or danger of an explosion, call the emergency services, as they will need to be on scene to assess the level of danger. If there’s no immediate danger to life, or property, call your energy supplier and get them around to assess the problem.

Now, in these situations it so easy to panic and run around like a headless chicken. But the best thing to do is try and keep calm and be aware that initially it’s all about making sure people are safe and out of harms way.

And nowadays there are a number of cheap, but highly effective alarms available on the market that means keeping safe is not just a matter of guess work.

Smoke alarms are extremely sensible and every house should have a number in key locations. But also invest in a carbon monoxide alarm which will give you and your family a head start should your boiler start to misbehave.

So, remember, if you have a boiler problem, keep calm, switch it off, also stop the fuel supply if possible, open as many windows as possible and get everyone in the property to a safe place. Then call in the professionals.

Guest Article by Neil Camp

The MP who called the fire brigade to sort out her noisy boiler has been getting a fair bit of stick from the media for her daft decision to dial 999.

But it does raise the question about who to call if you have a sudden problem with your boiler.

Liberal Democrat Member of Parliament for Hornsey and Wood Green Lynne Featherstone told the tale on her web-site, saying that a terrible noise started to vibrate the whole house. She rushed outside with her daughter and dog, and made the call to the emergency services.

The fire brigade – sirens blasting out and lights flashing – dutifully dashed over and discovered an air-lock had caused the vibration and noise.

Now, who hasn’t experienced vibrating pipes when an air-lock decides to work its way into your central heating system? I once had a boiler which sounded like a Rolls-Royce jet engine on take-off, but apart from turning the thermostat down, there was nothing you could do.

I didn’t ring 999 and nor should anyone in such circumstances, but given that if might have been a completely out-of-the-blue incident, and not immediately obviously the boiler, then the poor MP should not be so vilified in the media.

And boilers do contain boiling hot water, fuel (mostly gas) and highly toxic gases. So come on, the lady did wrong, but it’s not in the same league as the person who dialled 999 because she couldn’t get her coin out of the supermarket trolley.  

So what to do if your boilers starts the Torville and Dean dance sequence with accompanying orchestral sounds? You do what you should always do, immediately turn it off. If you smell gas, then open your windows, turn off the gas supply if you can, get everyone outside and ring the gas company. If there’s no immediate danger, or apparent problems, then leave it a short while and turn it on again; it may just have been an operational blip. If something looks wrong, then call your gas supplier if you have a maintenance contract, or, if not, call your plumber to take a look. Always be safer than sorry.

So, who you going to call? Not 999 please, or the Ghostbusters for that matter.

Guest Article by Neil Camp