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

I had a little problem a couple of days ago. My Boiler stopped working completely. There was no noise, no light, no heat, no fire, no brimstone, nothing...

I checked the Pilot Light, and that was out. This means that we might have had no Gas sometime during the night.  I checked the Gas fire, that was working OK. I re-lit the Pilot Light. All seemed to be OK, I turned on the switch, nothing happened.

I checked and replaced the fuse, switched everything back on. There was a brief sign of life, when the Boiler started to purr, and then just as it started, it stopped, and then there was nothing...  I replaced the fuse again, and tried the same procedure and as before, there was a momentary joy, followed by bitter disappointment..

I knew then that the Pump has had it, and that it was time to Call in the Cavalry.

Me, being a TV nerd and a avid watcher of DIY Safety programs. I knew about the importance of calling a Gas Safe Registered Engineer / Outfit.

http://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/

I got my copy of the good book (the Yellow Pages), and let my fingers do the walking. I found a local, Gas Safe Registered engineer. I phoned him, he promised to call later on.that day to see what the problem is.

I stayed at home, waiting for the engineer. He did not call to apologise or anything, he just did not turn up. The next day. I called him again, he said he has a 2 minute job then I'm next in line. And again, I waited and waited and waited and waited... Still no sign of the man...

Today, and out of the blue, the man knocks on the door, shows me his Credentials, Credentials that I duly check online at the Gas Safe Register website, I see his photo (it's the same man, but with a 70's porno mustache, a bit like Magnum PI's).

He walks in, checks the boiler. Asks if I have any fuses to see what happens when I turn the boiler on.. I oblige and fit another fuse, and let him listen. That fuse quickly dies. the man asks me if I had another fuse, this time he will see what happens to the Pump when I turn the power on. More knocking and banging then the fuse dies. Then he asks me if I had another, and I do, honestly, we had to do that around 8 times before he would give up. Good job I had a big pack of Fuses that I just bought from ASDA. I think this should have given me a clue, that the man did not have a clue, but the Gas Safe Register said he was A OK, and that he knew what he was doing...

To Be Continued...