Don't you just have to love Calor Gas?

[Bill]

I came home tonight to a very cold house. The central heating was not running, so nipped out to check the gas tank and it showed half full. Then I noticed that the various regulators and pipe work were all shiny new. Checked the CCTV and found that they had been replaced this afternoon. I have no idea how to check that there is gas going down the pipe to the boiler, but last time this happened it was because something had sensed that the load was incorrect and shut the supply off. No problem, I phoned the number on the side of the guys van only to be told the offices were closed for the day, but if I had an emergency to press

1. I pressed 1 and explained to the guy that answered what had happened, he agreed that it wasn't right, but could not justify calling it an emergency call out. So tomorrow morning I advise Calor that they are going to have a VERY UNHAPPY customer on the phone. Not only this but the guy who came unlocked my gate, a Calor padlock on the gate so that they can deliver, and then couldn't manage to lock it again and left it open. I fitted it after a break in and I am NOT HAPPY! Probably be even less happy by the time I get to phone them as I shall have woken up freezing cold! It's either that of sleep on the couch in the only room with electric heating and if I do that I will have back ache and be VERY UNHAPPY. So regardless, I will NOT BE HAPPY.

PS. I'm NOT HAPPY, have I mentioned that?

PPS Thanks for listening.

I'll DiY most things, but tend to leave the tank side of things well alone, I'd rather not posthumously appear in the local papers.

[Bill]

In message , Bill writes

It Just got better.

All phone numbers, including the one that I was given last night to sort things out, lead to an answer phone that says call back on Monday. The emergency line still does not accept that their guy leaving me without gas is an emergency, I tend to agree on this. So will I please call back on Monday.

Even LESS HAPPY than I was last night!

[Brian-Gaff]

So hypothetically, if you now find you can smell gas due to this botched installation of new gear, how do you contact someboddy? Youpresumably call the emergency services out. Hhopefully then they will send the Calor agent the bill. Brian

[spuorgelgoog]

Quite clearly Calor have failed in their duty of care to a vulnerable elderly person and left you without heating.

Book yourself into the nearest B&B and send Calor the bill. You can also claim against them for reasonable costs for restaurant if you rely on Calor for cooking.

Owain

[Tim+]

Um, won't your boiler light now?

If you were out and they had to interrupt your supply for any reason, they would have had to leave the supply turned off (in case you had any antiquated gas appliances with pilot lights and no flame failure detectors).

I'd bet that it's just a question of opening a stop-c*ck somewhere and then relighting your boiler. It may take longer than usual if there is some air in the pipework.

Of course they shouldn't have done this without warning you though but hopefully you can get your heating up and running again.

Tim

[Bill]

In message , Tim+ writes

The boiler is the only appliance on gas, of course they would not know that, I understand that and it doesn't bother me.

The boiler doesn't have a permanent pilot, it normally comes on for a couple of seconds before the gas valve opens to get the main burners going, once it has sensed all is OK. If there is air in the pipe it may well take a while to bleed out as the pilot won't be taking a lot and only stays open for a few seconds while it tries to ignite and then it's cut off and the boiler stops trying.

It is the lack of contact and consultation, plus the gate issue that pisses me off the most.

[Bill]

Vulnerable and elderly, mmmmmm getting close! It's great now that I can tick the over 60s box and get free prescriptions.

I was tempted by your other ideas. Last time they mucked me about some years ago, the remote telemetry failed and the tank ran dry, they gave me a full tank FoC which was rather good :-)

[Tim+]

But do you have heat?

Tim

[Bill]

Yes, electric in the lounge. If it turned really wintry I could always move into the annexe, which is all electric heating, so certainly not life threatening.

[Tough Guy no. 1265]

A cold house is never life threatening. You do know what a duvet and a jacket is don't you?

[Capitol]

Welcome to the club! National grid were persuaded (the woman was involved!) yesterday, to put in our new gas pipe, but connected only at the meter end. The meter is disconnected. So today was spent draining down the complete system in case of very cold weather, with antifreeze in the cistern and toilet pan, before we fly out tomorrow. A neighbour is being connected on Tuesday, he flies out on holiday on Monday! We had a new undrained down house freeze on one occasion many years ago, the memories of water coming out everywhere will always remain with me.Hopefully they will reconnect a complete gas supply when we return at the end of January. Then the boiler man can clean out and repair the boiler, which is a bit sick, needs a new thermocouple &/or gas valve which I have on the shelf. The oven does a grand job of heating the kitchen, the lounge runs on a fan heater, but the lack of a water supply is a real pain. The immersion heater will run the hot water system when we return and the loft pipes will be OK when they will be being used.

[Tim+]

So not got your boiler going?

Have you found a gas c*ck? Have you looked anywhere for one?

Tim

[Bill]

Not yet. Yes, it is turned on, I think he went looking for it as I saw him walking around the garden, on CCTV, but it is out of sight behind a bench where the underground pipe enters the house and he missed it. I'm assuming that it is the automatic cut off on my side, low pressure side, of all the new kit he installed that is tripped out. I could take the cover off and try pulling/pushing the rod inside it, it's green beneath a clear cover. Or maybe it is just a plug of air in the pipe that needs bleeding. I'll play with most things, but have a certain wariness about gas.

[Tim+]

Do you have a large lpg tank in your garden? If he couldn't find the house stop valve he may have turned it off at the tank.

I believe this is a typical set up.

There may be a wheel or lever valve on top of the tank itself. He certainly wouldn't rely on any valve he couldn't reach inside the house and would have turned it off somewhere he could reach.

Tim

[tony sayer]

In article , Bill scribeth thus

Bloody hell last time i saw you bill I thought must have just turned 50 maybe!.

[Bill]

In message , tony sayer writes

I can't remember when exactly, but it was shortly after you had received your telegraph pole aversion therapy and I was cherry pickering a pole for you.

[Bill]

In message , Bill writes

Right! It just got better.

I phoned Calor at 08:30 this morning and an engineer arrived at 11:00 to sort things out. Apparently it was the over pressure trip that had tripped, this is behind a seal and although I could have broken the seal and re-set it they might have been a little peeved.

All that I have spoken to at Calor have shown disbelief that the out of hours number did not think that this was an emergency call out. Unfortunately the out of hours service is a contracted out company and not Calor. So if the answers on the tick box sheet don't add up then they don't pursue it.

Next time I might just tell them that I'm just off out to investigate the loud hissing sound coming from the valve gear and as it is dark I will be taking my trusty old Tilley lamp with me. Trouble is this may cause a slightly bigger response than I really need.........

A suitably worded email is about to be written explaining my feelings towards their "service".

[tony sayer]

In article , Bill scribeth thus

Around 2010 then perhaps or thereabouts maybe;!..

Cheers...

[Bill]

In message , Bill writes

Suitably worded email was sent in a couple of directions and I've had 2 phone calls from Calor today and I'm now satisfied that the above incidents have been sorted out and hopefully will not happen again.

Overall their response today could not have been better.

[spuorgelgoog]

Ignoring the possibility of large amounts of compensation ... or at least a free gas refill

Owain