Big Bang

[GK Fanatic]

A relative of mine is replacing his old gas boiler with a new one and doing the whole thing from start to finish himself. He's switching on today but I'm sure there are rules and regs he should be adhereing to..........????

[kira000]

If it is him doing his own DIY for his use, and not as a paid service for someone else, then it is legal for him to do it.
He cannot however do any gas installation for anyone else without certification.
That is not to say however, that it is sensible to do your own unless you are trained. There are many things that could go wrong ad gas is a dangerous thing.

Worth him bearing in mind, that if there happened to be a problem as a result of the work, which causes damage to his and/or any other proprty, his insurance would be highly unlikely to cover him having done the work himself. Also i think he will find that noone will enter into a servicing contract on the boiler if he fitted it himself, so he is effectively signing up for a lifetime of home maintenance or expensive call out charges.
He may also like to think what will happen if he ever wants to sell. If it becomes apparent it was a DIY job, it may well put buyers off.

[The Builder]

I think Kira might be a little out of date I'm afraid.
There are two things to remember .........

1 The new boiler must be a condensing boiler

2 If you do it yourself, then Building Control have to be told plus application form plus fee etc........ unless it's fitted by someone who's recognised eg a CORGI
I guess, technically, it can be DIY, but Building Control will insist on test, checks etc............ so you're back to a Corgi again.

[GK Fanatic]

Thank you both, I was concerned before I asked that it was the latter response that was nearer the mark. However he won't be told so he'll have to learn by his mistakes (hopefully not an explosion of course ).

[terence7556]

as of first of april he needs a Gas S afe registered man, run (supposedly) by Capita.
Corgi no longer run the gas registration scheme in england and Capita hold the licence for another 10 years
as for the safety implications i am too angry to offer advice to such an clot but feel sorry for his neighbours and potential house buyers, should he sell

[GK Fanatic]

Terence I couldn't agree with you more and we'll continue with our quest to get him to have it checked !! Don't be angry......breathe deeply....relax........aaaaggghhhh I fel the same as you!!!!

[gasman]

It never fails to amaze me why people think they can meddle with gas. It is illegal for anybody but a Gas Safe Registered engineer to work on any gas fitting or appliance. even in there own Home DIY gas is a big no no...Apart from the legal implications, there is also the fact that all new appliances have to be registered with building regulation control by the engineer who installed it so they can then issue you with the Building regulations compliance certificate, Without it the boiler's guarantee is void and the House insurance is void. Also selling the property on will be a nightmare.Tell him to stop immediatley. Then get a local Gas Safe Registered engineer to make the gas connections. re-establish the gas supply safely, commission the boiler and test to make sure the new boiler does not have any affects on the safe workings of any other appliances in the home..

[GK Fanatic]

I wish I could find something that actually officially says its illegal. Unfortunately although its wrong in every other way i'm not sure its "illegal". Thanks for your valuable input.

[gasman]

I am a legal registered gas engineer if you will not take my word for it then have a look at the official Gas Safe Register web site. here Where it states in the second paragraph It is law that anyone carrying out gas work that is within the scope of the appropriate Regulations is on the Gas Safe Register