Rules for the installation of gas appliances.
It is now illegal for everyone except CORGI registered gas installers to interfere with the gas supply in any way.
CORGI installers have to go through rigorous training plus continuing training updates and random inspections in order to retain their registration. They have to pay quite significant annual sums to retain their certificate, and have to prove competence on each specific aspect of gaswork that they intend to practice.
What this means is that being a CORGI registered engineer does not mean that that person can undertake all types of work - there are different modules for domestic central heating boilers, commercial (higher output) central heating systems, gas fires, LPG appliances, and several more.
Equally significantly, when it comes to the installation of fireplaces along with a gas fire, a very particular set of skills are required which have little to do with CORGI gaswork.
A typical installation requires CORGI expertise at the commencement of the job, i.e. removal of old gas appliance and repositioning of gas to the correct location for the new appliance.
Then comes the reconstruction of the fireplace and installation of a new one, which requires building skills including knowledge of building regulations, the fitting of steel or concrete lintels, rebuilding fireplace chambers to the correct size using the correct impermeable materials, handling of delicate marble and stone, plastering, and so forth.
Then at the end of the job the new gas appliance is fitted and tested.
Therefore, being a CORGI engineer does not automatically infer that he or she is capable of installing a fireplace with gas appliance - which is why good fireplace fitters who are multi-skilled are relatively rare and are also well paid to reflect their multiple skills.
Regulations for the installation of solid fuel appliances.
Solid fuel appliances (i.e. any fire burning fossil fuel such as wood or coal in all their forms) can be installed by anyone, so long as permission has been sought from the local council planning department, who will want confirmation that all the current building regulations concerning the use of chimneys etc will be complied with.
The way to shortcut this process is to employ a HETAS registered engineer, who will have undertaken a course informing him of what those regulations are, and therefore no planning application is necessary. This makes life notably simpler.
Some of those requirements are as follows :- each chimney needs a pressure test to ensure that it is not leaking (and virtually every chimney prior to 1910 fails this!). No such test is needed if a new liner is being fitted down the chimney - but a 6" diameter liner, although perfect for most stoves, is too small to remove the combustion products of an open fire.
Air vents are required in rooms where the appliance is producing more than a certain amount of heat - this is in order to ensure that fresh air is being brought into the room to replace that being sent away up the chimney.
There are many more rules and regulations with which to comply
There is (nearly) always a solution to every problem which a gas or solid fuel appliance may give rise to. It is the reason why "Welcome Home" virtually insists on carrying out a home survey prior to selling any fire - to attempt to minimise the likelihood of there being unexpected additional problems and costs upon actual installation. |