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

Boiler Installation Mistakes to Avoid

 

When the time comes to replace your current boiler, you should seek the advice of a professional gas safe registered boiler engineer.

 

They will be able to explain everything you need for the new boiler installation.

 

In the United Kingdom, the law states that any gas appliances serviced, repaired or installed, should only be done by a registered engineer.

 

You should not try to replace your boiler yourself, as this breaks gas and building regulations.

 

You could also find you leave yourself open for prosecution with a high penalty.

 

I hear what you say it’s my property I can do what I want within my property, yes but not with gas.

 

If you undertake the installation yourself, your property insurance becomes void, so ensure you use a registered boiler engineer to carry out the installation.

 

When purchasing a new boiler, ensure you get the right one for your property.

 

Boilers all look the same these days you need to get the correct heat output required for your property.

 

When looking at a particular brand, don’t buy the cheapest model, it may look the same as the others, but it could be the wrong model for your property.

 

All boiler installations must now comply with boiler plus regulations, which is about saving energy when using the boiler.

 

An example would be, a new combination boiler installation must now have a minimum of a load compensation thermostat fitted.

 

There are other options to choose from, such as a weather compensator, but it then starts to become somewhat expensive.

 

A common boiler mistake is an undersized gas pipe most boilers now require a minimum of a 22m pipe size within one meter of the boiler.

 

The boiler will still work with an undersize supply but, not to its full potential.

 

It could also be dangerous if undersized, due to the incorrect volume of gas to the boiler.  

 

All gas appliances need to have the correct volume of gas to work correctly.

 

The gas engineer will carry out a gas rating check for each of the gas appliances.

 

Gas rating an appliance proves the correct volume of gas as well as the safety side.

 

When buying any gas appliance always check it is suitable for your gas supply.

 

The main gas supply in the United Kingdom is natural gas if you live in a rural area you may have LPG (liquid petroleum gas) installed.

 

Don’t try to install an LPG boiler on natural gas supply or vice versa.

 

Every new gas boiler installation installed by a registered engineer needs to be registered.

 

Registration is normally with the gas safe register, who in turn notify the local authority.

 

Once the boiler has been registered, you will receive a certificate confirming registration.

 

You need to keep the certificate safe as you will need it when selling your property.

No certificate will cost you in the long term.

 

Failure to register the new boiler will result in the boiler warranty becoming void.

 

There is a misconception that by trying to install your new boiler yourself will save you on the installation costs.

 

The real truth is it will cost you more in the long term as well as the possibility of getting a criminal record.

 

These are just a few of the common boiler installation mistakes we come across every day.

 

We hope this gives you an insight into what a boiler installation now involves.

 

If we can be of help when it comes to replacing your boiler, please let us know.

New Boiler Installations Suffolk

Is your boiler struggling to heat your home, making strange noises when working?

If so, it’s time to start thinking about a new boiler.

New boiler installations are not as bad as most people think. Yes, they can get a little messy, but a good installer will clean up afterwards.

So how do you go about replacing your home boiler?

It’s a simple process if you follow a few simple steps.

First, you should contact a local gas safe registered boiler company.

You may already know of a company from previous works or through friends or family.

If you don’t know of a local company, don’t worry it’s easy to find a reputable company.

Go to Google, or whatever search engine you use, and type in Gas Safe Register.

Click on the link, you will see on the main page, a long search bar.

Enter your postcode into the box and hit find now. 

You will then see a list of all local registered engineers in your area.

Now you have the list on the screen, you will see a box that reads view our engineers.

Hit the box, it will show all the engineers details, as well as all the appliances they can work on.

Just make sure they have a tick on the boilers box, If you have LPG, check the LPG box for a tick.

You will also see a picture of the engineer who is registered. That’s it, simple.

I would advise collecting the details of three companies, so you have a choice.

Whatever you do, don’t use someone who is not registered, you will be breaking the law, and liable for a big penalty. 

Your home insurance will also become void.

Now you have the details of a local company, make arrangements for them to visit your home to discuss your boiler requirements.

Before they arrive, it’s a good idea to write down any questions you may have re the new boiler installations.

By writing down your questions, you won’t forget to ask when they arrive.

Don’t settle for the first company, they may sound good, but unless you see another company you will not know.

Do some research on these companies, do a search on Google, try to find any reviews they may have from previous customers.

It should give you an idea of who and what this company is all about.

Some engineers when they arrive can be a little pushy, saying oh, you need this or you need that.

Just ignore it, wait for the next company to arrive and see what they say.

Yes, new boiler installations have to be installed to current gas and building regulations, but that’s it. 

A good engineer will explain all that is required to install your new boiler without being pushy.

All new boiler installations once completed have to be registered through gas safe, whom intern notify your local authority. 

Once notified they will send you a certificate of compliance, which you should keep safe.

It can take 3-4 weeks to arrive. Your installer has to carry out this registration.

One last thing, with new boiler installations, you only get what you pay for.

Yes, they all do the same thing but build quality and reliability is what you want.

A cheap boiler will not last as long as a good quality boiler.

I hope this article on new boiler installations has been of help to you, should you need a new boiler.