Boilers
We all take our boilers and cars for granted until they go wrong, but at least if it’s the car we can walk to work. Without our boilers we have no heating, and what’s worse, no hot water.

The boiler is the very heart of our home and yet so often it is neglected until it goes wrong. That’s when the phone book gets scanned and some plumber comes round and informs you ‘yeah mate, can’t get the bits for this old thing, you’d better have a new one’. More than likely I can get the parts and some TLC could restore the old boiler.

Even when a new boiler is really the only sensible solution wouldn’t it be nice to sit down with someone who’ll talk you through all the options and then do a really nice installation, taking into consideration the importance of maintaining your home for you as a home while the work takes place.

It’s also important to consider a water scale reducer in areas of hard water, a water pressure regulator in areas of extreme water pressure and a magnetic filter to protect you’re new boiler long into the future.
I’ll discuss all this with you and explain.

I mentioned that boilers get neglected, have you considered a regular scheduled annual service, I can undertake this for you.

Cookers and Fires
That same plumber I mentioned earlier won’t want to fix your cooker or service your fire either.

As long as your cooker is in reasonable condition and state of cleanliness it’s worth trying to fix. Cooker spares where available are reasonably priced and new gas cookers are expensive.

More deaths occur in the home from electrical accidents than anything else and following electrical faults the next most dangerous situation in the home is a faulty or neglected gas fire. Treated properly gas is intrinsically safe, but there are many badly installed fires out there and even more that never get serviced.

Have you thought of installing a carbon monoxide detector, they save lives?

LPG
You might live in an area where there isn’t a ready supply of natural gas. Don’t be fobbed off with oil as the only alternative. Liquid Petroleum Gas is readily available whether by bulk supply or by bottle. The suppliers of LPG are doing really great deals on bulk supply tanks and the cost of the gas even though more expensive than natural gas compares very favourably with oil. It is much cleaner than oil, the boilers are cheaper than oil boilers and you can have the added benefit of cooking with it and a gas fire.

Very few engineers are qualified to work with LPG so beware. Just because a guy is Gas Safe Registered it doesn’t mean he’s registered to work with LPG, but I am.

Boats, Leisure Accommodation Vehicles, and Residential Park Homes
Not many engineers are qualified to work in these fields but still do. Be aware and check for yourself, don’t just assume that because a guy is Gas Safe registered he can work on your boat or Residential Park Home.

Qualifications
Until 1st April 2009 every engineer undertaking gas work was legally bound to be CORGI registered. In April 2009 this changed and the Health and Safety executive appointed Capita to run the registration  scheme and renamed it the Gas Safe Register. For more information or to check my registry and qualifications please go to www.gassaferegister.co.uk

Just as with LPG an engineer has to be individually qualified and registered to work with each individual aspect he takes on.

To be able to work with gas and register with Gas Safe Register you firstly have to pass exams every 5 years to prove your competence and then exams in each of the areas you intend to work.

My qualifications cover me to work with natural gas and LPG, on boilers, cookers, gas fires, water heaters, boats, LAV’s and RPH’s.