Gas cooker installation

Having just joined the exhaulted ranks of the self employed I can finally understand why tradesmen charge what they do. The hidden costs are things like public liability insurance, vehicle costs, fuel costs, advertising (bloody rip off), admin time and a host of other things that need to be paid for - but you can't directly charge for.

ok so it was not the kind of problem that you first imagined, i agree it is well worth the cost for a guy to sort it that way you know that it is done correctly. but in hindsight would it be beyond you capabilities to D.I.Y? confidence and methos is the key to most diy jobs with a keen eye on safety and common sense!

Hitting valve with hammer £ 1 Knowing where to hit £99

Checking that the location of the cooker is OK wrt ventilation requirements & proximity of combustible/non-combustible surfaces to either side and above, connecting the hose, checking that the connection is gas-tight through to the cooker, checking/fitting a stabilty bracket or chain, checking that the cooker's safety devices work properly (oven regulator, cut-off valve if there's a lid over the hob, flame failure devices increasingly found on ovens & grills), check oven door seals are OK, all controls work OK, flame picture on burners is OK, possibly check gas pressure or at least ensure flames not affected by firing of other appliances especially boilers ... and back home notify installation to CORGI so you get a certificate saying the appliance has been installed correctly.

Therein lies his skill.

I measured all of these prior to his arrival. He did not measure anything.

Yep. He did this.

None fitted.

He never checked the lid.

Electric oven, so he never checked this. He checked the hob controls.

Pressure tested at meter.

He took details of the appliance in order to notify CORGI.

Are the bits he didn't check important? Should he have done them?

Gav" >>> £140+vat, and that's the only quote (over the phone) that I've

I could've DIYed it, but then I could also DIY a gas explosion!

No the gas hob is a flue-less appliance. The building notice is required for the installation of heat producing appliances. Gas or otherwise, flueless, open or sealed flue, natural or forced draught. Don't blame me for unnecessary and ineffective laws.

I'm quite surprised about the lack of a bracket/chain unless the manufacturers of this model say it doesn't need one.

"Stabilty bracket, optional." That's what the manual says. I'll see if it's possible to add a chain myself.

part number 6045 or 9543

An experienced fitter may not need to get the tape measure out to see that it's OK.

deffo should have done this

AIUI (from some specific advice from my CORGI inspector) a stability bracket may be optional but a stability _device_ isn't i.e. if not a bracket then it must be a chain. The reason is to protect the hose from damage if someone tips the cooker over.

Personally I prefer chains, partly because they protect against the cooker being moved forward and straining the hose and partly because brackets are a PITA to fit so they engage correctly with the cooker. (Or maybe it's just me :-()

If there's no form of stability device (i.e. neither chain nor bracket) the appliance is At Risk (according to my inspector: and that makes sense if the risk is damaging the hose and having gas pissing out, however unlikely that may seem). Having said that I've seen about as many cookers fitted with them as filling loops left disconnected when not in use :-)

As you say, the chances of it topling over are remote, but I'll add the chain, and then it will be up to CORGI standards.

Well, just before I went and bought a chain, the plumber phones me and says "Can I come round and fit a chain? I forgot to do this when I connected up your cooker." So that's all ok now.

Maybe he subscribes to this group and started getting worried :)