How Safe is the Gas Safe Register - The Good, The Bad & The Ugly Truth - Part II..

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The man then tells me what's wrong and how much it's going to cost me.. I agree the price, no haggling, no hassle.. I just needed it doing....

The man starts by draining the full Central Heating System, and while this is happening, he leaves to get the new Pump Unit.  20 or so minutes pass, the man comes back clutching a box.. No doubt, the one with a new pump, and he proceeds to replace the existing...

"Huston, we have a problem".. Every pipe in my house seems to be connected to every other pipe, by Sellotape, it is all just like a very big Spaghetti Maze, the last set of Cowboy Plumbers did that but that's another story. The problem is that, when you turn the Hot Water On, everything else gets hot, including the Central Heating, Hot Water Taps, Cold Water Taps and even the water in the Cistern..

And when you turn the Central Heating On,  everything else gets hot, including the Hot Water Taps, Cold Water Taps and the water in the Cistern.

And what this means, it is really, really, really messed up plumbing. So draining the system is not that simple. You have to turn off the the Stop Cock under the sink, so that no fresh water can enter the system. Turn on every tap (downstairs), in order to drain the system, then drain the rest through the Central Heating...

When I told the man, he insisted that he knew what he was doing, and that I was talking rubbish, because it is not allowed by Law to have everything so messed up, the Central Heating and the Hot Water circuits can not be mixed up, but he needn't worry, because I have all 3 Circuits Mixed Up.... He just smiles and laughs it off.

So now, it comes to the crunch. He takes the offending pump off, and guess who was right.. The full Ceiling is wet through, the plaster-boards are soaking and the weight of water is distorting them, he quickly puts the original pump back in its original place.. All my towels are used to stem the flow, I run downstairs and do my quick draining procedure. This does work, but only after the damage is done...  Oh well, our kitchen Ceiling does need re-plastering, so its all for the better...

Now for attempt 2, the man removes the pump. installs the new unit, and while he is doing it, I ask, should he not use some Silicone Tape for the thread, in order to stop any leaking. He again shrugs my suggestion and assures me that this type of joint does not need it... I said OK, after all, he is the man with the Badge, and surely the Gas Safe Register, would not let any Tom, Dick or Harry be on their list, or would they, Mmmmm...

He fits everything, and asks me to turn the Mains Water back on. I do, and guess what, we have another flood. not as bad as the original, but nonetheless, still a flood. So he shouts me to turn it off quickly and re-drain the system. So I oblige...

Now for attempt 3, the man still not admitting defeat. He blames all on the using the old washers, instead of using the new supplied ones.. So he takes everything out again, puts the new washers in, still no silicone tape, and tightens everything back in place.. And asks me to turn everything back on.. I do, and we still have a leak. I turn all off and re-drain all... 

Now for attempt 4, this time, the man does not cut corners, he uses the silicone tape as well, and all seems to be going well... He tells me to turn all on, I do, and everything seems to be a OK with regards to things being Watertight.. He bleeds the Central Heating System and the New Pump..

He said, he can't test the Pump yet, because it takes a couple of hours for the joints to set.. And I, like an idiot, believed him.. I thanked him and paid him what we agreed, plus a tip..  He gave me his card and said, if there is a problem. Just ring him... 

3 Hours, 4 fuses and 5 calls later,  my problem still remain unsolved. The man would not talk to me, or answer my calls. And I'm back to square one...

The next day, I managed to get hold of the man. He promised to call, and did not...

2 Days later, I managed to get hold of him again. He promised to call, and did not...

I really hate bastards.... I wish I never paid him a tip... However, the good news is this. If he does not sort it by tomorrow, I will be putting my free minutes to good use... I will ring him and ring him and ring him and ring him again, until he succumbs. And if that does not work, I will engage his business line continuously until I get the problem sorted... And regardless of the outcome, I will report his incompetence to the Toothless Bullshit Gas Safe Register...

And next time, I will be doing my own plumbing and Gas Appliance Maintenance - at least, what little I know, is a lot more than what my Cowboy plumbers and Gas Fitters seem to know...


Continued..