Sorry if this is a regular question, but what is the LAW regarding fitting
your own boiler?

General Question:
I've been told you can fit your own boiler (as long as you adhere to
installation regulations etc), it's only if you fit boilers "for gain" that
you have to be corgi registered. Is that correct?

My Situation
I'm confident I could install/plumb in a new boiler, but I'm happy to leave
the gas side to an expert. So that raises a further question of am I likely
to find someone who will quote for the gas side/commisioning only?

Thanks in advance, Darren.

Darren wrote:
Sorry if this is a regular question, but what is the LAW regarding fitting
your own boiler?

Have a read at
http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html

--
Adrian C

Sorry if this is a regular question, but what is the LAW regarding
fitting your own boiler?

Have a read at
http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html

--
Adrian C

Great document.

Many thanks, Darren

On Wed, 17 May 2006 18:52:04 +0100, Adrian C wrote:

Darren wrote:
Sorry if this is a regular question, but what is the LAW regarding fitting
your own boiler?

Have a read at
http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html

And the others
There's a section in the boiler choice FAQ and the standards may well help.
Most system are now sealed so that FAQ might also help.

--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html
Choosing a Boiler FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/BoilerChoice.html
Gas Fitting Standards Docs he http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFittingStandards

Darren wrote:

I'm confident I could install/plumb in a new boiler, but I'm happy to leave
the gas side to an expert. So that raises a further question of am I likely
to find someone who will quote for the gas side/commisioning only?

Snowball's chance in hell! I had a hell of a time trying to find a
corgi who would even fit a boiler I bought, as opposed to one supplied
by him. One problem is that if anything goes wrong later, whose fault
will it be - you, the corgi guy, or the boiler manufacturer? Basically
these guys have so much work on they can afford to be choosy enough not
to even look at crappy jobs like you'd be offering.

All I'd say is make damned sure you find yourself a compliant corgi
before you commit yourself!

David

In message , Lobster
writes
Darren wrote:

I'm confident I could install/plumb in a new boiler, but I'm happy to
leave the gas side to an expert. So that raises a further question
of am I likely to find someone who will quote for the gas
side/commisioning only?

Snowball's chance in hell! I had a hell of a time trying to find a
corgi who would even fit a boiler I bought, as opposed to one supplied
by him. One problem is that if anything goes wrong later, whose fault
will it be - you, the corgi guy, or the boiler manufacturer? Basically
these guys have so much work

Apparently not - from the way I got shot down in flames last week in
diynot

They all seem scared of the Polish contingent


--
geoff

raden wrote:
In message , Lobster
writes

Darren wrote:

I'm confident I could install/plumb in a new boiler, but I'm happy to
leave the gas side to an expert. So that raises a further question
of am I likely to find someone who will quote for the gas
side/commisioning only?


Snowball's chance in hell! I had a hell of a time trying to find a
corgi who would even fit a boiler I bought, as opposed to one supplied
by him. One problem is that if anything goes wrong later, whose fault
will it be - you, the corgi guy, or the boiler manufacturer?
Basically these guys have so much work


Apparently not - from the way I got shot down in flames last week in diynot

They all seem scared of the Polish contingent

Hmmph. Not round my way they're not: wish I could find a Polish
plumber... :-(

David

I had no probs of the sort. Contacted a registered combi installer through the website of a top-line manufacturer (whom I wont mention) who told me that he would supply all the kit (and match internet prices!!) and then I could install it and he comission it at the end. All worked a treat and no probs whatsoever. We still keep in contact as he only lives down the road, so he'll be back to service it yearly.

Would he do an oil boiler or a gas tank and gas boiler (no mains gas) near
Guildford, Surrey ?

If so I would be able to give him some work

Nick

In message , Darren
writes
Sorry if this is a regular question, but what is the LAW regarding fitting
your own boiler?

General Question:
I've been told you can fit your own boiler (as long as you adhere to
installation regulations etc), it's only if you fit boilers "for gain" that
you have to be corgi registered. Is that correct?

My Situation
I'm confident I could install/plumb in a new boiler, but I'm happy to leave
the gas side to an expert. So that raises a further question of am I likely
to find someone who will quote for the gas side/commisioning only?

The answer is yes, but you need to find someone who will sign it off
just in case there are problems with it failing under warranty etc

Ed will be along shortly to advise

--
geoff

"raden" wrote in message
...
In message , Darren
writes
Sorry if this is a regular question, but what is the LAW regarding fitting
your own boiler?

General Question:
I've been told you can fit your own boiler (as long as you adhere to
installation regulations etc), it's only if you fit boilers "for gain"
that
you have to be corgi registered. Is that correct?

My Situation
I'm confident I could install/plumb in a new boiler, but I'm happy to
leave
the gas side to an expert. So that raises a further question of am I
likely
to find someone who will quote for the gas side/commisioning only?

The answer is yes, but you need to find someone who will sign it off just
in case there are problems with it failing under warranty etc

I installed my own combi, gas and all, Ed's FAQ was invaluable. It takes a
bit of research on techniques, regs, gas pipe sizing, support, leak tests
etc to get yourself up to speed though. No special tools except a u-tube
maometer needed, and that's Blue Peter stuff to make. I didn't even need a
flue gas analyser as my unit ( a Vaillant ) was factory calibrated and the
installation instructions stated that no set-up was necessary ( I made sure
the operating gas pressure at the combi at full whack was within spec
though ).

As has been pointed out, there are possible warranty and insurance
complications, so if you do the job, do it well and test thoroughly. I have
confidence in my own work so was happy to plough ahead, and I've had no
problems with the combi since I fitted it three years ago.

The worst bit was squirming around under the floorboards fitting pipes, only
to find out my soldering technique was not up to scratch when I pressurised
the system. I had to drain down, and try and get the water out of various
sections of pipe where it had pooled, before I could remake the joints.

If at all possible ( I imagine noone bothers ) try not to have solder joints
in areas where CH water cannot be drained from because they are at a low
point. Also, use solder ring elbows and couplers if not good at end-feed.
Whatever you do, clean both the end of the copper pipe AND the inside of the
connector with wire wool to ensure a good first time joint.

Andy

In article ,
"Andy" writes:

The worst bit was squirming around under the floorboards fitting pipes, only
to find out my soldering technique was not up to scratch when I pressurised
the system. I had to drain down, and try and get the water out of various
sections of pipe where it had pooled, before I could remake the joints.

I bought a pushfit pressure testing guage and some pushfit
end caps. I used a bicycle pump to pressurise each completed
section and gas leak detector spray to check for leaks. None
of my soldered joints leaked, but a number of the compression
fittings on radiators did, and one or two radiator tails. All
could be easily tightened or remade, as the system was still
all dry, and the same would have been the case had any soldered
joints needed remaking. The completed system had no leaks when
filled with water.

You need to be quite fit to pump up a section of pipework
including a couple of radiators to 1 or 2 bar with a bicycle
pump. Also beware that they are storing a lot of energy, and
if your pipework were to come apart, it could do so with some
considerable force.

If at all possible ( I imagine noone bothers ) try not to have solder joints
in areas where CH water cannot be drained from because they are at a low
point. Also, use solder ring elbows and couplers if not good at end-feed.

I designed the pipe layout so there were no areas areas for
pooling, and all pipework has at least a gentle gradiant
towards the drain cocks. This isn't always going to be possible
though. It was mainly to ensure the system could be completely
drained without risk of freezing in any sections. I also included
full-bore isolating valves so sections can be isolated -- in the
event of a serious leak, in most cases the rest of the system
could remain operating with the leaking section isolated.

Whatever you do, clean both the end of the copper pipe AND the inside of the
connector with wire wool to ensure a good first time joint.

Yes.
If you do mess up a joint, I don't normally bother trying to
use that fitting again -- it's too difficult to get it cleaned
up well enough, and most of the soldered fittings are cheap enough
it's not worth the risk of screwing up a second time just because
you didn't get it cleaned up well enough. Pipe ends are easier to
clean up for a retry.

--
Andrew Gabriel

In article ,
Andy wrote:
As has been pointed out, there are possible warranty and insurance
complications, so if you do the job, do it well and test thoroughly. I
have confidence in my own work so was happy to plough ahead, and I've
had no problems with the combi since I fitted it three years ago.

The worst bit was squirming around under the floorboards fitting pipes,
only to find out my soldering technique was not up to scratch when I
pressurised the system. I had to drain down, and try and get the water
out of various sections of pipe where it had pooled, before I could
remake the joints.

Really you should practice first making end feed solder joints on scrap
pipe etc to make sure you know what you're doing before attempting it for
real. A leak on a water pipe may be obvious, but not so obvious on gas.

Plenty of advice here on how to make a solder joint properly, and it's not
difficult if you follow the rules and practice first before attempting
awkward to get at ones.

--
*The closest I ever got to a 4.0 in school was my blood alcohol content*

Dave Plowman London SW
To e-mail, change noise into sound.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Really you should practice first making end feed solder joints on scrap
pipe etc to make sure you know what you're doing before attempting it for
real. A leak on a water pipe may be obvious, but not so obvious on gas.

I'll second that! ;-)

David

"Lobster" wrote in message
...
Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Really you should practice first making end feed solder joints on scrap
pipe etc to make sure you know what you're doing before attempting it for
real. A leak on a water pipe may be obvious, but not so obvious on gas.

I'll second that! ;-)

Indeed, fortunately I did the gas run last, after I had discovered my
mistake in not cleaning inside the couplers. I also changed to a stronger
flux, Everflux or somesuch name: I imagine people will suck their teeth when
I say that, and say that a properly cleaned joint doesn't need a strong
flux, and that strong flux residue can cause corrosion, but I needed to be
sure my joints were OK and I wiped each joint afterwards. Impossible to wipe
flux off the inside of a joint though.....

Andy.

Dave Plowman (News) wrote:

Really you should practice first making end feed solder joints on scrap
pipe etc to make sure you know what you're doing before attempting it for
real. A leak on a water pipe may be obvious, but not so obvious on gas.

In some ways gas leaks are much simpler to spot. A manometer on the
meters test point will tell you even if there is a slow seepage, but
with cold water pipes it can be difficult to tell the difference between
condensation and a slowly weeping joint/fitting.

--
Cheers,

John.

/================================================== ===============\
| Internode Ltd - http://www.internode.co.uk |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|
| John Rumm - john(at)internode(dot)co(dot)uk |
\================================================= ================/

On Wed, 17 May 2006 21:01:15 +0000, raden wrote:

In message , Darren
writes
Sorry if this is a regular question, but what is the LAW regarding fitting
your own boiler?

General Question:
I've been told you can fit your own boiler (as long as you adhere to
installation regulations etc), it's only if you fit boilers "for gain" that
you have to be corgi registered. Is that correct?

My Situation
I'm confident I could install/plumb in a new boiler, but I'm happy to leave
the gas side to an expert. So that raises a further question of am I likely
to find someone who will quote for the gas side/commisioning only?

The answer is yes, but you need to find someone who will sign it off
just in case there are problems with it failing under warranty etc

Ed will be along shortly to advise

Pretty much that, RTFAQs.
You could even make building control find the fitter for you after you
have submitted a building notice.


BTW:
[the London Borough of ]Islington's policy is to charge the standard set
fees for all the new stuff if you only want a completion certificate but
they charge much more if you want the full
gas/electrical/plumbing/ventilation certificates.

I strongly suspect that what is happening is that in the first case the
subbie inspector takes a quick visual inspection (maybe does some
simple tests) and reports back - "ok" or "not ok" guv to building control.

In the second case the subbie inspector has to do the whole job and that
takes time and the council pass the costs on.


--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html
Choosing a Boiler FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/BoilerChoice.html
Gas Fitting Standards Docs he http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFittingStandards

"Ed Sirett" wrote in message
news

Pretty much that, RTFAQs.
You could even make building control find the fitter for you after you
have submitted a building notice.



But are building control interested in the gas safety - as opposed to the
Part L energy conservation aspects of the installation?

James

On Sat, 27 May 2006 08:59:50 +0100, James wrote:


"Ed Sirett" wrote in message
news

Pretty much that, RTFAQs.
You could even make building control find the fitter for you after you
have submitted a building notice.



But are building control interested in the gas safety - as opposed to the
Part L energy conservation aspects of the installation?

AIUI they are now responsible for a lot of stuff they used not to be.

Part L - energy efficiency
Part J - heat producing appliances.
Part P - for the electrics (but only a notifiable activity certain very
common locations).
....
....






--
Ed Sirett - Property maintainer and registered gas fitter.
The FAQ for uk.diy is at http://www.diyfaq.org.uk
Gas fitting FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFitting.html
Sealed CH FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/SealedCH.html
Choosing a Boiler FAQ http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/BoilerChoice.html
Gas Fitting Standards Docs he http://www.makewrite.demon.co.uk/GasFittingStandards