The good, the bad and the ugly

Thegoodthebad+theugly

We want your pictures

Registered Gas Engineer wants to see your pictures – whether you’ve come across some horrors or instances of really good work. And there’s a prize for the best one: so go on, get writing and email your stories and pictures to editorial@registeredgasengineer.co.uk or via Twitter @RGEMag

Michael Hole saw this ‘live’ gas isolation valve in the property where he was working: he removed the valve and capped the gas supply using appropriate fittings. Thomas Watts’ customer suspected that vegetation was the cause of their boiler breakdown. And they were right: Tom discovered it had grown right through to the boiler via the air intake flue duct.

Matthew Anderson was asked to trace and repair a gas escape. The unsleeved pipework had corroded and gas had entered into the cavity wall. Someone had tried to disguise the pipe as sleeved by putting a small section of copper sleeving at either end. Matthew re-installed the pipework correctly in a full sleeve.

This cooker had been relocated by the householder using plumbing fittings. David Spicer immediately refitted it correctly. Yet another DIY attempt at a plume management kit to divert the products of combustion outside a newly built lean-to. Luckily, Jamie Ryan was on hand to make the installation safe and educate his customer.

This month’s winner

A big hand to René Jungbär for sending us this beauty, showing a severely corroded section of vertical chimney in a roof space. It has now been replaced. James Box sent us this picture of a gas meter installation next door to the house where he was working. The installation has been made safe.

Here’s why it’s important to check appliance chimneys throughout their length, as found by Mick Robbins. Apparently the cause was remedial work carried out on the roof.

Michael Hole

replaced this pipework after being called to a reported smell of gas after the customer had removed a bracket from the wall.

Shaun Butterton sent these pictures showing the potentially dangerous condition of an old back-boiler unit that he had been asked to service. The second picture shows his fine work after he serviced the appliance thoroughly.

We may share some of your pictures on social media, so remember to include your contact details so we can tag you (or let us know if you’d rather we didn’t).

Thegoodthebad+theugly

Mick Foster highlights the problems caused when condensate pipework is not installed correctly. Here, the pipework had been incorrectly sized and insulated, and was terminated incorrectly, causing condensate to penetrate the lead flashing into the room below. The situation has been rectified. Mark Fuller had been asked to service this boiler, which had not been checked in 10 years. He was horrified to find the severely corroded casing with a gaping hole in the top, from an old positivepressure boiler. Mark disconnected the boiler from the gas supply and a new appliance has now been fitted.

Matthew Andrews

could see that this boiler chimney installation had not been sealed and secured correctly: he rectified the installation by sealing with a sand and cement mortar mix inside and outside. And finally, from A Kelsey, here’s a picture of the beautiful centrepiece of a roof garden – the chimney from a warm air unit.

Photo prize Win

There’s a prize for the best photos sent in (in our opinion). Please remember to take pictures at high resolution and email them to editorial@registeredgasengineer.co.uk

This month, Anton by Crowcon is giving away a Clip CO personal carbon monoxide alarm – a tough, lightweight, reliable and durable fixed-life, maintenance-free personal CO protection alarm with pocket clip.

The Clip has audible, visual and vibrate alarms at 30ppm and 100ppm, plus a sensor range of 0-300ppm. It has a two-year, maintenance-free fixed life PLUS on-screen life duration countdown, self-test and ingress protection to IP66 and IP67.

Details of the Clip CO alarm and many more products – as well as fast two-day turnaround on FGA servicing – can be found at

www.shop.crowcon.com

This month’s winner is René Jungbär from Weymouth, Dorset. Congratulations!