Out and About with OPGO Members

Went to a house today that I had remembered from last year. Multiple At Risk situations , notices issued. Asked the lady on the phone if they had been rectified. Oh Yes she said everything's all right. Got round there. Same defects. She had two flats all running off one domestic meter in the downstairs flat. No access to ECV for top flat, Top flat with 28KW boiler nett and a cooker supplied with 15mm pipe teed off at meter. Bottom flat 31 KW nett boiler and cooker. Cupboard too close above cooker with signs of scorching. When I remonstrated with her she said she had paid thousands to have it checked out after my last visit and there was nothing wrong with it. I was just apparently looking for trouble and she had friends in high places and was going to get me sacked. Wouldn't sign warning notices or let me turn off. She kept ranting at me but in the end I just switched off.

No point reporting to Gas Safe and the HSE aren't interested, so I tried the Houses in Multiple Occupancy Unit. Will have to see as two flats doesn't really qualify but shared meter might do the trick.

Flues in voids again. First story went to a job at the behest of a major player in the gas industry which they were unable to fix. Checked as I always do the route of the flue first and it clearly had an elbow joint hidden in boxing in the living room. No CO alarm, no inspection hatch. The major player had had two engineers visit this property prior to me and not one of them had noticed this or risk assessed this. As it happens the flue was performing correctly a CO alarm fitted and was classed as NCS with advice that an inspection hatch was needed.

Today went to new build block of flats possibly 100 flats all with boilers. First one I went to was a flue in void with an inspection hatch about 3" square . They were suprised when I put it At Risk. HSE must be failing to get the message out to builders. All the boilers in all the flats had been put in with a fused spur but not a switched fused spur. When I commented on this they apparently contacted the consulting electrician who said it was not necessary under the electrical regs. New one on me. I could only point to British Standards for boiler installations and M.I.s as I am not a consulting or qualified electrician. Nothing to do with saving a few quid then. Also saw this choc box connector where they had carefully avoided using the purpose cable clamps inside the choc box. . Apparently they are "awkward to use and they were on a price"

Don't think I will be wanting to buy a new build property in the future.

At a job today . As I was walking through the lounge I noticed an old style DFE fire . Closeable flap and no air vent. Asked the tenant about it and he said it was disconnected. Apparently his CO alarm went crazy (Good job he had one) so the land-lord sent his engineer around who disconnected it. Apparently he had issued an LGSC on it a month previously but explained oh I should have disconnected it then.

Without the CO alarm this tenant and his partner could have been dead or brain damaged and there would have been an engineer facing jail time. As it is he faces nothing not even a censure from the authorities.

A fine example of air intake and plume kit being in different pressure zones.

Went to a warranty repair today. Complaint heating staying on when wireless roomstat goes off.

Bodge job done by unregistered builder. Condensing flue added to Ideal Classic after building extension.

Today I found a catering van with the following faults:

I would have thought at least when calling out National Grid that their operatives would know what they were meant to be doing.

Went to repair a boiler. House a bit of a building site. Look at gas pipe laid in chase in concrete as yet unwrapped. As I am looking down the pipe I am taken aback by a plastic push fit stop end on a 15mm branch.

A job today typifies a situation I come across all too often in the Borough of Hounslow. Go to repair a boiler only to see a brick building in the back yard with 2 further flues sticking out. One G4 meter in the house supplies a 37KW nett appliance and 2 combis and at least one hob a minimum of 97KW nett I would think.