Landlords are continuing to find themselves in hot water when it comes to trying to service their own gas boilers.

Another landlord, this one living in Colchester, has fallen foul of The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and has been fined a total of £11,300 by Colchester Magistrates Court for five breaches of the Gas Safety (Installation & Use) Regulations 1998. He was also ordered to pay costs of £8,700.

The charges were brought after the landlord fiddled around with gas boilers in his own rented properties. Two of the charges concerned carrying out work on a gas boiler whilst not competent to do so. In other words, the landlord was not a qualified gas engineer who was not, legally, able to service, or repair a gas device.

This has been the law for years and the Gas Safety Register, run by The Health and Safety Executive HSE, is now the official body which controls a list of qualified engineers and their status, and training. It took over from the CORGI gas registration process on 1st April 2009. The register should make it easier to find a qualified service engineer and more details are available at www.gassaferegister.co.uk, or telephone 0800 408 5500.

The landlord was also found guilty over not making sure a boiler was kept in a safe condition, for not keeping records of any safety checks and not providing for a tenant a safety check record.

An HSE Inspector, Mr Matthew Tackling, said: “The HSE will not hesitate to prosecute landlords who fail to take their responsibilities for safety to their tenants seriously and to follow up on those who fail to co-operate with any investigation or fail to appear in court.”

The HSE has once again issued a reminder to landlords and property developers to bear in mind that although there is currently an economic recession, they should not forget their commitments and responsibilities as regards gas devices.

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

CO2, or carbon dioxide, is a silent killer and as most people are more interested in carbon monoxide, it can often go undetected until it’s to late. The air we breathe has around 21% CO2 in it naturally and this suits us fine, however as the percentage rises and we inhale it, this noxious gas takes the place of oxygen in the blood stream and quickly poisons the body. High levels of CO2 can cause organ failure, brain damage and even death in some cases.

CO2 Dangers in the Home
Carbon dioxide is an odourless, colourless gas and is typically produced by gas boilers in the home. In a properly functioning system, the CO2 gas is released into the atmosphere outside the home through the boiler’s flue and there isn’t a problem. Should the flue become blocked or damaged though, the CO2 emissions can seep into the rooms around the boiler and cause poisoning. Even worse is when the CO2 is converted into carbon monoxide because of the lack of ventilation and this gas seeps into the house. CO2 poisoning can occur within minutes in extreme cases and once the victim falls unconscious then it is unlikely they will survive unless found by someone else.

Avoiding the Dangers of CO2
There are a number of ways to avoid a CO2 poisoning tragedy and most are easy to do and relatively inexpensive. So for example:

• You should arrange to have an annual boiler service performed by a Corgi registered gas engineer. These services check your boiler for excessive CO2 production and also check that the flue is fully operational and clear of any blockages or leakages. Should a problem be found then it can easily be fixed at the time of the service.
• Your home should have adequate ventilation which means that built-in vents shouldn’t be blocked in any way – from the inside or the outside. During the warmer months you can have windows and doors open to increase the ventilation if you think that there may be a CO2 problem.
• You can also buy a CO2 alarm which will alert you to the presence of high CO2 levels before they can do any damage. These alarms are inexpensive at around £20 and can be placed at various places around the home if you want, although one should be placed close to the boiler and flue for obvious reasons.

New boilers and flue systems very rarely cause problems however older boilers can and it is worth spending a few extra pounds each year to safeguard the people in your home. CO2 poisoning is quick and the gas is undetectable by the senses so paying out for an alarm to do the detecting is surely a small price to pay in anyone’s book – I know it certainly is in mine.

Guest Article by Clare Lynock

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