gas/electric checks

[Forester]

We used to have a static in Devon, & we had to have a gas check done by a Corgie reg bloke (which the site owner arranged) Do we have to have one with the van, also same with the electrics.

Wayne.

[chas]

Hi Forester- It does make sense to have the van checked over each year to check the gas/ electric/ and damp test, if the van is still under warranty its vital, if not shop around to find a workshop who can carry out the work, making sure the staff are registered gas and electric operatives. Chas

[Guest peter]

In a word. "NO" you don't. But if you are not very au fait with gas and electric to do it yourself it is a good idea to have it checked over every few years. For your peace of mind. Particularly the gas.Electric is not so critical. Ask yourself this question "do I have my gas and electric checked out every year at home"? Depends on how nervous you are and how you drive your van. If you hammer it over loads of road humps etc the systems will get a lot more vibration and possibility for gas leaks. Obviously your house doesn't get this abuse. Your choice. Personally I check my own because I am ultra fussy about jobs being done correctly and find many dealers don't give a toss and charge bloody stupid prices.

[geordie01]

as an ex corgi reg installer the regs for static vans are the same for your house ie service your heating every year using a competent registered installer as for motor homes and caravans the clowns at corgi forgot to include these so the answer for gas is no. even tho i would still get it checked i do my own 30mb u guage lpg tickets no prob

[Guest peter]

[QUOTE]geordie01 - 2006-09-26 10:39 PM as an ex corgi reg installer the regs for static vans are the same for your house ie service your heating every year using a competent registered installer as for motor homes and caravans the clowns at corgi forgot to include these so the answer for gas is no. even tho i would still get it checked i do my own 30mb u guage lpg tickets no prob[/QUOTE]As of when was there a "regulation" stating that you must have your heating serviced "EVERY" year by a Corgi installer or anyone else for that matter. It may be wise for some people of a nervous disposition to have it done, but it's not mandatory. Another case of tradesmen inventing rules to dupe the public i think. CORGI (council of registerd gas installers) is a trade organisation so works only for its members. Nothing to do with government. I've lived in my house 25Yrs and never had mine serviced. What's to service on an old fashioned boiler? Keep the burner box clean of cobwebs Etc. If it ain't broke Etc.

[chas]

Hi Peter- I must disagree with you on your last post, if you were to carry that idea to the extreame , would you not have your motorhome serviced at it due service dates, no matter how old it may be, true you may do the service yourself but it does need doing, but as far as ai am aware it is illegal to service gas appliances unless performed by a registered gas opperative for very obvious reasons. As regards gas and electric in the home I would have thought it was clear that electric cableling does deteoriate over a period of time, and one only as to see images on the TV of homes that have been destroyed by a fault with the gas system, or some bodged job by a DIYer. Going back to motorhoming, we must not forget that our vans stand a lot on wet grass, could there be no better medium for an electric fault to develope on unless every thing is in A1 condition and the gas appliances in a home our not subjected to the vibration and shudders of potholes that our vans are. Regards Chas

[Mel B]

As we had a fire caused by a gas joint coming apart 2 months after we had had a gas safety check carried out as part of the habitation service (having been told that it was safe even after I'd mentioned that I could smell gas sometimes), I'm not that convinced that gas safety checks actually find anything wrong other than an obvious leak where the pressure really drops! I was talking to a chap at work today who was convinced that he had a gas leak at home, the pressure test was carried out and no fault was found, he still insisted he could smell gas so they kept the check running for an hour ... the pressure then showed a fair drop and the gas leak (a bad pipe connection) was found and rectified. You can't beat your own nose sometimes, even when you're told it's safe, if you aren't convinced get it checked again to make sure. I'm not saying don't have them done, just make sure they are done to the standard you want and if you ain't happy tell them so.

[Guest peter]

Or if you are competent do it yourself then you know it's done properly. Any so called technician can say that everything was o/k when he checked it and deny any liability when something goes wrong. Just like the M.O.T on your van really. Read the small print on the certificate and it says that it is not a guarantee of servicable condition. Same with habitation check I would imagine. Considering the cost you might like to believe that all is well. But just consider how many vans a company the size of the one in Newark have to check in a week and you can imagine that corners could be cut. My Rapido bought from that same company came with a fully signed off habitation checklist, but the fridge stank like anything on gas operation. So I checked it out myself and found that the burner box was half full of soot as was the flue. The fridge burner was putting out a lot of carbon monoxide as it was not burning correctly (yellow flame). So you can understand my apparent cynicism as to the degree of thoroughness of these checks. Which has been borne out by experience. Nuff said.