DANGER OF THE WEEK AWARD

Cowboy Gas Fitter

The good news this week is that I was only witness to one poorly done installation. The bad news is that this is the worst type of short cut and I see it frequently. A past winner here. The reason I feel it’s so bad is the false sense of safety and security that people feel towards their boiler. That safe feeling is warranted if the boiler is installed correctly. If however the boiler is installed incorrectly then it’s a time bomb waiting to go off and no one can predict when!

A real example is the boiler pictured above which burned me. When I arrived on site to replace a faulty sensor I noticed the plastic tube immediately and informed the tenant that the landlord needed to be made aware of the safety issue.

The boiler had not been running for more than a minute to test the faulty sensor so the water was only hot and no where near scalding temperature. There were no drain off points in the entire system so no way to remove the water from the system. You should never use the pressure relief valve to empty a boiler but as the system was installed incorrectly I had no choice. So as I turned the release valve the hose which wasn’t clamped and had a kink in it shot off and the hot water sprayed out under pressure all over my hand, arm and the counter top.

So I got a bit wet, finished the job of emptying the boiler and dried myself off. Imagine however this scenario. Your child is standing in the kitchen beside the boiler chatting away like they do. The boiler pressure is building due to an internal fault. The pressure hits 3 bar (double the normal pressure) and instantly the valve pops open, scalding hot water from the central heating system sprays out under pressure, the plastic hose pops off because it was never secure and the water scalds your child, or you or a friend. It happens just that fast. Someone gets burned, badly!!

The pressure relief when installed correctly, with copper tubing and vented to the outside of the property servers a useful purpose. It is one of many safety devices in the boiler designed to do a job. If it’s set up properly it works. Untrained installers (cowboys and home owners) don’t understand the safety issues or don’t care about safety. Don’t use cowboys and don’t install one yourself.

We’re heading back shortly to repair that boiler so it is safe. Go check yours now. If the pressure relief is not venting to the outside or is not running through copper tubing call a CORGI registered installer to repair it. Do it now!

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3. Danger of the Week Award – Cowboy Boiler Repair
4. Danger of the Week Award – Cowboy Gas Fitter
5. My own tears scald me…