Fitting a Gas Fire in Rented Accommodation

This series of pictures shows the installation of a Robinson Willey 'Firegem' gas fire. It's a basic, no frills, radiant convector fire. We have fitted thousands of them over the years mainly in private rented accommodation and social housing.       The first picture shows the correctly sealed closure plate and the supply pipe which on this job is concealed. Note the air relief opening in the bottom centre of the plate. We have also serviced thousands of these fires. An essential part of the service is to remove the closure plate and check the builders opening is of correct dimension, fully sealed and clear of debris. One of the commonest faults we find is incorrectly sized openings. Indeed this opening wasn't quite right and required some slight modification work which you can see above the plate.                                                  

Picture 2 shows the supply pipe cut to size and a gas service cock fitted A flue flow test has been carried out and it's all ready for the fire to go on now.   Picture 3 shows the fire fitted securely to the wall. The gas has been tested for tightness and the gauge is now connected to the fire to measure the burner pressure. A spillage test is then carried out to ensure the flue is removing all of the products of combustion. The final picture shows the finished article with the front cover now fitted. We just need the painter to make good to our little bit of patch plastering and that's it. Note that no closure plate tape should be visible above the fire once fitted. If it is it suggests that the builders opening is too high or the plate hasn't been cut correctly to size.                                                                

   This is the hearth standing version. It can be wall hung if the feet are removed. The builders open for a wall hung fire is different to that of a hearth standing one. It is smaller in height and higher off the floor due to there being no hearth. We still often find these fires fitted freestanding on hearths with no fixings to the wall. The only thing holding them is the gas pipe! Even if hearth mounted they must be securely fixed to the wall.                                                               If you are a landlord or letting agent and need any advice about suitable fires for rented accommodation please free to get in touch. Also if you have any concerns about chimneys or correct sizes for builders openers for these or any other fires we are happy to advise.                                                        

Commercial Water Heater Maintenance

Here I am swapping a sacrificial anode on an Andrews water heater during some commercial boiler room maintenance. It is for a for a health centre for whom we have just taken over the maintenance.
Sacrificial Anodes are highly active metals that are used to prevent a less active material surface from corroding.  They are created from a metal alloy with a more negative electro-chemical potential than the other metal they are being used to protect.  The sacrificial anode will be consumed in place of the metal it is protecting, which is why it is referred to as a "sacrificial".

If you would like to discuss any maintenance of commercial equipment such as this we are always happy talk and hopefully help you

Gas Safe Work Inspection

Here's John carrying out a gas tightness test during a recent visit from the 'Gas Safe' inspector. This test is to check that there are no leaks on the installation. Our work gets inspected at regular intervals to ensure we meet the high standards of safety required. The tightness test is always one the favourite tasks the inspector asks us to perform.
The inspector normally asks to see three recent gas jobs. On this visit we took him to the new build site we completed last month where there were nine bungalows to choose from.
I first registered with C.O.R.G.I. the predecessor of 'Gas Safe' way back in 1985. The gas U-gauge or manometer in the pictures is the one I used for my first inspection which those in the trade will recognise as the tough old Abbirko traditional model. It is still going strong now and still in active use all these years on. We do of course carry equipment in our vans to enable this test to be done electronically. This is done with our flue gas analysers and is useful because it enables us to do a print out of the result. If you have any questions or queries about testing gas installations please feel free to contact me.

Protect Your Boiler

 New boilers cost a lot of money so it is crazy not to protect your investment. This curious looking fitment is the Worcester Greenstar System Filter. It's not the easiest object to get an interesting photo of but it is worth investing in one for two very good reasons ~
{1}It has been specifically designed to combat the damaging effects of
any debris and pollutants within your heating system by trapping them.
{2} When fitted with a new Worcester boiler it earns you an extra year on the warranty.
At its centre is a very powerful integral magnet that catches and retains any metallic debris that is present in the system heating water. Any non-magnetic debris is caught by the twin-action cyclonic trap. They can be cleaned each year during the annual service or sooner if need be.
They are sited on the boiler return pipe and as such ideally suited when boilers are hidden in cupboards so they are concealed but still easily accessible. They cost around £120 which is a small price to pay for something that protects your boiler 24 hours a day, everyday.
Please do contact me if you'd like to know more about this or any other brand of magnetic filter.

A Nice Money Saver - The FW100 Weather Compensation Controller

This unit is a weather compensation controller. It is linked up to your boiler and an outdoor sensor. It may sound complicated but for us, they are fairly easy to install. They don't cost a great deal more than a typical wireless programmable room thermostat either. It can fit on the fascia of your Worcester boiler or be wall mounted remotely like a room thermostat {as this one is}. They are about the same size as a typical programmer.  It enables your boiler to anticipate changes in heating demand in relation to external temperatures and regulate accordingly. Or to put it another way; it will save you money! If you have any questions or enquiries about 'Intelligent Controls' as these types of control are called please feel free to e-mail or call me.