I have a plumber installing a new gas boiler today and I have asked a couple of times whether thay are RGI compliant and they have said yes. I obviously have to take them at their word but what should I expect in the way of documentation/literature etc when the job has been completed to prove they are RGI? Also is it necessary to flush the system or just good practice when undergoing a new installation?
What should I get from a Registered Gas Installer
- Thread starter BarryY
- Start date
Thanks. The company name isn't there and I'm not sure of the full name of the tradesman doing the job to check him out. Am I being lied to, I wonder?
It's very important that a system is flushed, if the boiler and pipe work is new then this is one manufactures instructions=
Firstly fill the central heating system with the power
If boiler is new and rads are old then power flush, biggest problem for new boilers is dirty systems, have a look at the manufactures instruction for info on what is best for your boiler,Gary
Firstly fill the central heating system with the power
off, and flush through cold, fill the central heating
system again, adding a flushing detergent, run
the boiler on central heating until it reaches its
operating temperature and flush the system, refill
the system with a suitable corrosion inhibitor.system again, adding a flushing detergent, run
the boiler on central heating until it reaches its
operating temperature and flush the system, refill
If boiler is new and rads are old then power flush, biggest problem for new boilers is dirty systems, have a look at the manufactures instruction for info on what is best for your boiler,Gary
thanks Gary.
edit: the guy says that quote was just for installation and that flushing would be extra. Says he will do it in the new year for a couple of hundred.
Should I insist it's done now even if I bite the bullet and pay the extra. Quote was 1950 for biasi he condensing boiler, installation and new replacement
cylinder (plus immersion control) in the hot press. I want this done right and not cut any corners.
edit: the guy says that quote was just for installation and that flushing would be extra. Says he will do it in the new year for a couple of hundred.
Should I insist it's done now even if I bite the bullet and pay the extra. Quote was 1950 for biasi he condensing boiler, installation and new replacement
cylinder (plus immersion control) in the hot press. I want this done right and not cut any corners.
As Gary said above flushing is a MUST DO if not the installation is incorrect and you boiler warranty maybe voided.
As your installer does he not install the boilers to 'MAUNUFACTURERS INSTRUCTIONS' or does HE just DECIDE to do it his way?
Remember under his DUTY OF CARE he is obliged to install this boiler correctly or he can LEGALLY be FORCED to come back and do it properly.
If he has told you he is RGI registered (and yes that would mean he would be listed on the site above) but isnt, then he is committing fraud.
The upshoit here is, your going to pay a few grand of your hard earned money to a guy you obviously can't trust and in a few years time when your new boiler starts to crapout on you due to poor installation I cannot see this guy helping you out. So why deal with him?
Paperwork you should receive from him after installation would be, ALL the boiler manuals (operation, service & installation manuals, they are not his to keep), any warning stickers or notices that come with the appliance, and most important, a CEDRTIFICATE OF CONFORMANCE (this ensure the installer has signed a legal document where he declares the installation has been done correctly and complies with all current gas installation regulations). Also if it was my house, I would insist that he COMPLETLEY fill out and sign the benchmark book for installation that will be found in the back of the boiler manual (this means he will have to detail that he DID flush out and add the correct inhibitors to the system (all installers are required to fill this out in the UK about time Irish customers insisted on it) and will help you should any warranty issues arrise where the manufacturer tries to blame it on the installer.
Sorry for the rant, but as Gary above, I do believe installations can and should be done to a high standard even if this means paying a little more as it ensure safe, efficient and long term operation of your entire heating system, which will hopefully do you for 15 or more years into the future!
ALWAYS INSIST ON RGI INSTALLERS (or RGII as it is now to be know from Jan 05 2009)
As your installer does he not install the boilers to 'MAUNUFACTURERS INSTRUCTIONS' or does HE just DECIDE to do it his way?
Remember under his DUTY OF CARE he is obliged to install this boiler correctly or he can LEGALLY be FORCED to come back and do it properly.
If he has told you he is RGI registered (and yes that would mean he would be listed on the site above) but isnt, then he is committing fraud.
The upshoit here is, your going to pay a few grand of your hard earned money to a guy you obviously can't trust and in a few years time when your new boiler starts to crapout on you due to poor installation I cannot see this guy helping you out. So why deal with him?
Paperwork you should receive from him after installation would be, ALL the boiler manuals (operation, service & installation manuals, they are not his to keep), any warning stickers or notices that come with the appliance, and most important, a CEDRTIFICATE OF CONFORMANCE (this ensure the installer has signed a legal document where he declares the installation has been done correctly and complies with all current gas installation regulations). Also if it was my house, I would insist that he COMPLETLEY fill out and sign the benchmark book for installation that will be found in the back of the boiler manual (this means he will have to detail that he DID flush out and add the correct inhibitors to the system (all installers are required to fill this out in the UK about time Irish customers insisted on it) and will help you should any warranty issues arrise where the manufacturer tries to blame it on the installer.
Sorry for the rant, but as Gary above, I do believe installations can and should be done to a high standard even if this means paying a little more as it ensure safe, efficient and long term operation of your entire heating system, which will hopefully do you for 15 or more years into the future!
ALWAYS INSIST ON RGI INSTALLERS (or RGII as it is now to be know from Jan 05 2009)
Job has been done and he will be back in the new year to flush the system. I paid 60 percent of the price on wednesday and have held back the rest until I get the certificate of conformance. I handed him the benchmark form and he filled out some bits of it and we had an argument about it with him saying we didn't trust him as we questioned the 'flushing' and he has 6 guys working for him and they have just done the work in the new point depot. I said that he had not been truthful about being RGI compliant and he said he had never said he was just that 'we do installations certified by bord gais all the time...' in a text message when I had asked him if he was. Turns out he is currently doing the final exams to acheive this qualification. I had previously texted him (it was very late and I had tried to ring him earlier to no avail) 'I presume you will flush the system and put in inhibitor' to which he replied 'will be there for ten am' so he never said he would do this but equally he never said he wouldn't. I know I am at fault for hiring this guy without knowing fully but I feel he has misrepresented himself too.
Just a point of fact, he said he is just completing his RGI exams? no such thing.
The exams he is completing would be his GID (gas installer domestic) which means at the moment not only is he not a registered gas installer, he is not actually a 'qualified' one either!
The exams he is completing would be his GID (gas installer domestic) which means at the moment not only is he not a registered gas installer, he is not actually a 'qualified' one either!
To achieve RGI status with Bord Gais, there is a number of things a GID qualified installer must do and have in place, including proper insurance, safety statements etc, and for RGI as an installer (as opposed to an RGI serviceman) the installer must submit 6 jobs for quality control check by BG