LPG Gas Engineer in Suffolk

 

What is an LPG Gas Engineer in Suffolk?

A gas engineer who works in the Suffolk area of the united kingdom working on both LPG and natural gas domestic appliances.

Firstly, to work on LPG appliances, the engineer must be registered to work on natural gas appliances.

They cannot be gas safe registered for just LPG appliances alone.

 All gas engineers must have the natural gas qualifications first.

We get asked many times, can someone who is gas safe registered able to work on all gas appliances, No is the answer.

I’ll explain all gas engineers take exams every five years for the appliances they want to work on, IE, Cookers, fires and boilers etc.

Most kitchen installers, for instance, will have Gas Safe registration for hobs and cookers for Natural Gas only and not LPG.

If they want to fit LPG hobs and cookers, they will need to sit another set of exams. They will need the Cooker and hob LPG qualification.

Because they have the natural gas cookers and hobs certificate registration, they cannot work on anything else.

If they want to work on, let’s say, gas boilers, they have to sit the boiler exam first.

What people do not realise is to be LPG gas safe registered is expensive and time-consuming.

Each year the gas engineer has to re-register with the Gas Safe register.

Registration also comes at a cost.

They also may have a site inspection from a Gas safe inspector.

Gas safe inspections are at random you can never tell when you may have a Gas Safe Inspection visit.

All registered Gas engineers have to go through a site visit with a Gas Safe Inspector at some time.

The inspection takes around half a day to complete but will depend on the inspector in question.

Every five years, the gas engineer will have to resit all the gas exams for all of the appliances they work with, no ifs, no buts. 

These exams are mandatory and taken over five days for the natural gas registration and another five days for LPG.

If the gas engineer fails to resit these gas exams or fails an exam, they can no longer work on any gas appliance, LPG and Natural Gas appliances until they take the exams.

Each set of exams is expensive that the engineer has to pay for personally.

That’s around ten days in total loss of work, loss of earnings, cost of all the exams.

So you see, to be an LPG Gas Engineer in Suffolk comes at a cost.

It’s not easy to find an LPG gas engineer in Suffolk as you would with a natural gas engineer.

Your best place to find an LPG engineer is the Gas Safe Register, which has all the details of every gas engineer registered in the united kingdom.

The Gas Safe Register has a contact number (0800 408 5500) for you to use if you cannot find an LPG Engineer in your area.

Be aware of anyone claiming to be Gas Safe registered.

All gas engineers have an identity card issued from the Gas Safe Register.

Ask if you can see the engineers gas safe card when they arrive at your property.

If the engineer cannot show you their card, you should ask them to leave.

On the front of the card, you will see a long number like a credit card.

This number is the engineer’s unique Gas licence number.

Another check is to check the expiry date of the engineer’s card. All cards get renewed every year.

The expiry date is the 31st of March every year. All gas engineers cards will expire on this date unless they need to resit their five-year gas exams.

Always ensure you check the expiry date of their card.

While looking at the card, you will see the engineers gas safe registration number.

You can check these numbers on the Gas Safe website.

It’s always best to check this to ensure the gas engineer is who they say they are.

Another reason to check the register is to ensure they are still registered to work.

Some claim to be Gas Safe Registered when they are not. They may have been removed from the register but still have their gas safe card.

You can see how important it is to check the Gas Engineers Gas Safety card.

You will see when searching for an LPG Gas Engineer in Suffolk, not many LPG engineers are available.

One of the main reasons is the cost and time involved to become LPG registered, also the expense just for natural gas registration.

So what’s the difference between LPG and Natural Gas?

LPG appliances work on a higher pressure (37MB), Natural gas appliances work on 20MB pressure.

Let’s say you buy a new gas hob for your mobile home. Most mobile homes gas supply is propane (LPG).

You cannot remove the old hob and replace it with the new one unless it is an LPG supplied one.

Before swapping over, it needs the gas jets changed from Natural Gas to LPG.

Your gas engineer will be able to carry out the conversion for you.

I have had customers in the past say, what’s the difference it is a gas appliance?

Yes, it is a gas appliance, but it needs to be for the correct type of gas IE LPG.

Fitting a Natural Gas Appliance on an LPG supply without converting will result in very high and dangerous flames.

LPG gas jets are half the size of Natural Gas jets.

If we came across an appliance like this on a Gas Safety Inspection, it would be deemed immediately dangerous.

The appliances would be disconnected from the gas supply and made safe.

Then, we issue a gas safe warning notice certificate, required by law. 

Issuing this certificate, the engineer is covering themselves as well as details of the faults found.

Every LPG Gas Engineer in Suffolk will do the same safety must always come first.

I hope you can see from above that an LPG Gas Engineer in Suffolk is not just a plumber but a Gas Safe Registered Gas Engineer.

Who is Registered to work on both LPG and natural gas domestic appliances?

I wrote this article to give you a small insight into what an LPG Gas engineer LPG goes through to work legally.

Last but not least, Gas in the wrong hands is dangerous.

Always use a registered gas engineer for whatever your gas work may be.

Never use a friend or neighbour unless they are gas safe registered.

Stay Gas Safe, Till the next time.

• LPG Boiler Engineer
• LPG Cooker Conversion
• Gas Safe
• LPG GAS SAFE ENGINEER
• Landlords Gas Safety Inspections

What Is Gas Safe?

What Is Gas Safe 

Gas safe is the registration body for anyone who works on gas, be it an individual or a company, even the likes of British Gas has to be registered with Gas Safe.

The law states that anyone who works on gas has to be registered with gas safe.

Just because someone is registered it does not mean they can work on all gas appliances.
Each appliance is categorized so someone who is registered for fires may not be able to work on boilers unless they are registered for boilers.

Every gas safe registered person is issued with a gas safe card, on that card will be a picture of the person registered, the gas safe number as well as their personal license number.

On the back of the card will be details of what that person can work on, there is also a section stating the gas type, NG for natural gas and LPG for liquid petroleum gas.

Before any work is carried out, it’s very important to check to make sure that the person who will be carrying out the work is registered for the appliance in question.

Each year the registered person has to renew with gas safe to be able to carry on working with gas.

Everyone's registration expires on the 31st March and has to be renewed on or before the 1st April.

You can also double check the person is registered and up to date by visiting the gas safe registered online, by entering their details you will see everything they are able to work on as well as their picture.

Whatever you do don’t DIY on gas, by law you have to use a gas safe registered person, even if it’s connecting up a simple thing like a gas cooker on a flexible hose into the bayonet.

Gas Safe aims to protect the public from rogue tradesmen and unsafe gas work if you have any form of gas work carried out and feel something is not quite right then contact gas safe. They will investigate for you.

If you are a tenant then it’s the landlord's responsibility to have all gas appliances checked within the property every 12 months without fail.

When you take possession of the property you should ask to see a copy of the current gas safety certified, you should be given a copy on signing your tenancy agreement this is your right.

When you see the certificate check it over to make sure it is still in date. If the certificate still has 6 months to run, you can ask that the property is checked again, just to make sure everything is still safe.

Sometimes previous tenants have had a dispute with the landlord and may have caused a problem with the gas appliances, so it’s best to have them checked over, again this is your right.

Should the landlord refuse then you can contact gas safe and they will contact the landlord to discuss the issue.

Gas Safe work with the health and safety and should they come across any illegal work they will investigate and prosecute the person or company in question.

Boat Gas System Checks

When Was The Last Time You Had Your Boat Gas System Checked?

If you own a boat then you know how expensive it can be to keep it on the water,

what with the mooring fees, insurances as well as the fuel charges.

The upkeep of any boat is very expensive.

So when was the last time you had the boat gas system checked?

 

When you think about it, LPG (Liquid petroleum gas) is probably the most dangerous substance you have on your boat,

and yet you will spend more money on cleaning, painting the hull and servicing the engine than you will on your boat gas system.

Boats are not like cars they tend to stay around a lot longer and as such will have old outdated even dangerous gas appliances fitted that have never been checked over.

Your boat gas system should at least be checked once a year by a Gas safe registered boat engineer.
Any faults or problems will be brought to your attention and can then be addressed.

Your boat gas system checks that you can do yourself

 

Depending on what gas appliances are installed on your boat, always make sure they are burning with a nice clean flame when in operation.

Keep the appliance clean, if you notice any dust or dirt on or around the appliance burner switch it off straight away,

let it cool down, then give it a good clean.

The gas bottle locker should have a drain hole that discharges out over the side of the boat and not into the hull,

make sure the drain is clear and not blocked up.

Get a bucket of water and flush it through just to make sure it is running freely.

LPG is a heavy gas, and as such will fall to a low level, this is why the drain needs to be clear.

While at the gas bottle locker, pay attention to the gas hose, make sure it does not have any scuffs or cracks,

it will have a date stamp on it, check the date, they should be changed every 5 years for safety.

I bet yours is over 5 years old.

 

Hob

The gas hob is probably the most used appliance on the boat, used for making the coffee.

The burner rings tend to get blocked up after a while.

If you notice the flame is a little high on one side and lower on the other, then switch it off, let it cool then give it a good clean out.

Isolation Valves

 

All modern boats will have gas isolation valves fitted to every appliance,

on older boats these may not be fitted, make sure they are all working correctly,

light the appliance then turn the isolation valve off.

If the appliance switches off, then the valve is still working OK.
 
The reason you need to check all appliances and isolation valves is corrosion,

the same reason you clean the hull, over the course of the season you get a build up on the hull, it’s the same for your gas appliances and valves.

Gas Bottles

 

When it’s time to change over the gas bottle, make sure you have the correct spanner for the job, it will make it so much easier.

Before you start make sure all gas appliances are switched off, the same goes for the bottle. Close all windows or openings on the boat, you don’t want any gas leakage going inside.

Now change the bottle over, making sure you tighten the connection on the new bottle.

Open the bottle isolation valve slowly, once open go to the appliance that is furthest away.

You now need to purge the gas through, you do this by turning the appliance on,

make sure the spark generator is working, if not, some form of permanent ignition is needed to ignite the gas.

The ignition part is very important; you don’t want any gas escaping so as soon as you switch on the gas make sure the igniter is working.

You then do the same with the next appliance and so on.

Insurance

 

Most boat insurance companies will require you to have an annual boat gas system check carried out before they will insure your boat.

They want to know that the boat they are insuring is gas safe.

 

Most marinas also require that any boat with gas onboard, have an annual gas system safety check.

They will also want to see a copy of the gas safety certificate to keep in their files.

General Gas Safety

 

As with anything that uses gas, safety must always come first.

If you have smoke and carbon monoxide detectors fitted, check they are working by pressing the test button on every visit to your boat.

Should you find that it’s not working, either change the batteries or replace it.

Never ever block up any ventilation grills that may be fitted to your boat, they are fitted for a reason and as such could be fatal if blocked off.

they are fitted for a reason and as such could be fatal if blocked off.

If you ever change any appliance or gas fittings always have it checked to make sure you and your boat are safe, yes it will cost you, but surely safety has no price.

yes, it will cost you, but surely safety has no price.

How to find a boat Gas Safe engineer

 

If you have access to the internet, do a search for the gas safe register.


Follow the link to the site, once on the site you can enter details of what type of registered engineer you want.

My advice would be to contact them by phone, you will see the contact number on the contact page.

 

The reason I say contact them by phone, you can explain exactly what type of engineer you need for your work.

Someone who is gas safe registered may only be registered for fires on natural gas,

and as such cannot work on your boat gas system.

Being gas safe registered is a bit complicated as

there are many different categories’ to choose from.

Each category will have an exam the engineer has to pass to be able to work in that category.

Just because the engineer is registered to work on natural gas,

it does not mean he can work on LPG and boats, he must be registered for LPG and boats.

Always be safe and have fun on your boat.

Boat Gas Safety Tips

Boat Gas Safety Tips

 

Most boats these days have some form of a gas appliance fitted, the most common being a cooker or hob type burner to make the coffee, but are they safe to use?


Boat Gas Safety tends to get overlooked but should be your number one safety check before anything else.

Once a year you need to organise a Gas Safety Inspection of your boats gas appliances, pipework and fittings with a company who is gas safe registered for boats.

You will be able to find a local company registered for boats on the gas safe register.

This gas safety inspection will highlight any problems that may be present and highlight possible future problems that may occur.

Once the inspection is complete a certificate will be issued, showing details of what has been checked and details of any faults found.

Boat Gas Safety Routines

Before every trip you should have some form of gas safety routine, this will depend on what type of boat you have.

Always make sure, if you are not using any gas appliance that the gas supply is switched off at the main source,

This is normally in the gas locker or compartment.

If this is not an easy task to do, then the closest isolation valve will do.

Carry out a visual check of all appliances, as well any visible pipes and hoses, should you notice anything different, then do not use the gas.

Get it checked over straight away by a professional, always be safe.

Gas Bottles

All gas bottles should always be stored upright and secured in a dedicated compartment.

The compartment should have a drain hole that will drain overboard, this should stop gas ending up in the bilges.

Ensure the drain hole is checked regularly, pour some water down and check it is not blocked up.

If you Suspect a Gas Leak

    •    Do Not Smoke
    •    Isolate the gas supply at the bottle.
    •    If in the dock, get everyone off and a safe distance away.
    •    Open all windows and hatches to get fresh air on the boat.
    •    LPG ( Liquefied Petroleum Gas) is denser than air and will always fall to the lowest point.
    •    Do not use anything electrical.
Never test with any form of naked light, you will cause an explosion.

You can now buy gas leak detector probes online, they are not very expensive, but are well worth having on board.

If you suspect a gas leak, it will help you pinpoint the leak.

Carbon Monoxide Detector

Carbon monoxide can kill, you cannot see it or smell it.

Make sure you have a detector fitted in the same location as any gas appliance.

You can buy a combined smoke and carbon monoxide detector for around £20.00,

Always follow the maker's instruction on how to fit.

Don't just fit and forget the alarm, carry out regular checks to make sure it is working and still in good condition.

A good skipper will always ensure safety

Boat Gas Safety is vital to any skipper, he will always ensure his boat is safe for his passengers and anybody who sails with him.
Enjoy your trip.