Engineer refusing to fix my cooker

Hi.

I contacted an engineer who specialise in fixing cookers as my cookers oven fire doesnt stay lite up and got the following reply

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Good morning we have seen the photos of your cooker, we cannot work on this cooker as it does not comply with gas safe regulations the cooker needs to be lifted up level with worktop and metal edges fitted to worktop .
Regards

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Here are some pics of the oven.

http://i.imgur.com/AJ3UdqB.jpg

http://i.imgur.com/nrMly69.jpg


Cant the engineer just raise the oven a bit before working on it?

I moved into this place and the oven was installed already. Got no clue about this gas regulations of a cooker being level with a worktop?

I doubt they would lift it up mate. I would get someone out and get them to make sure its the correct level or if the place is rented contact the landlord/agency.

If thats a burn on the left hand side its a good indicator as to why it should be up and level.

All the best with it

= i want more money to lift your cooker up a bit while I'm there. Not like a leccy unit where a water trap might equal electrocution.

Edit - is the gas on a flexible hose? If it is, fiarly simple to raise most cookers up, usually little twisty things at the bottom. If not flexible, not so easy. Ususal caveats, only qualified gas engineers should attempt etc

Probably a shot thermocouple stopping the pilot light at a guess.

why don't you get in touch with a couple of other engineers and ask their opinion? when my boiler broke, I got in touch with 3 companies, one was "no, you can't do that", the other two offered real solutions to the problem and in the end I had a working boiler without going to the ridiculous lengths the first guy said

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Originally Posted by Jonj1611

If thats a burn on the left hand side its a good indicator as to why it should be up and level.

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Hell yes. Same goes with having the metal shield on the side.

Josh, if it's rented just get the landlord to fix it

I had similar issues with the burners on top - they never stayed lit up. It was an inexpensive fix. If I remember correctly, my engineer replaced thermostats that looked like tiny fuses.

guys.. Gas Safe install is PARAMOUNT to a cooker

and thats not right.

So I don't blame them for not touching it.

this thread worries me

Please.. lets be clear.. gas is deadly. Fire is deadly. Fumes can be/ are deadly.

Electricity is one thing.. it can kill or burn you but it DOES have a fuse/trip.

That door seal is screwed too. When that oven is hot.. what stops the hot air escaping up onto the control knobs?

A gas safe install/check up is going to be essential in all honesty.

Gas... gas can wipe out a family, and street!

Please don't DIY it.. it's not legal, it's not safe and it's not worth it.

here.. call for free and ask

"To contact the Gas Safety Advice Line freephone 0800 300 363."

http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/contacts.htm
http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/faqownerocc.htm
gonna beg now....

please do this thing right.

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Originally Posted by Zak33

here.. call for free and ask

"To contact the Gas Safety Advice Line freephone 0800 300 363."

http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/contacts.htm
http://www.hse.gov.uk/gas/domestic/faqownerocc.htm
gonna beg now....

please do this thing right.

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In addition

http://www.diydoctor.org.uk/projects/gas_safety.htm

They can't repair it, because they can't work on it and say "okay, our work is done, your cooker is safe". Because it isn't, it's a major fire risk.

If they had just wanted to charge extra for making it a safe installation then they would presumably have said or implied as much.. It's not their remit to do that side of the work themselves & I wouldn't expect them to suggest it. However, not impressed with their response.. (if your quote is all there was to it), it's not exactly over-helpful. How about 'here is what needs to be done [suggest how this might be best & safely gone about] then please do get back to us & we would be happy to look at the job again'? Comes over as dismissive/uninterested, wouldn't be very happy with that from a firm.

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Originally Posted by directhex

They can't repair it, because they can't work on it and say "okay, our work is done, your cooker is safe". Because it isn't, it's a major fire risk.

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so why cant they charg extra to make it safe?

Like Zak says, they should sort it all out for me, not tell me i got to raise it up etc on my own.

That is why i called them SO whatever needs to be done, they do it all.

Landlord is my dad btw and he cant be asked to sort it out for me so i have to do it myself.

edit: Just to fix the fire light, it will cost me £100. thats what they was quoting me and then when they asked more details about the oven. i sent them pics etc and thats when they washed there hands off of this unless i raise it up myself and make it safe to work on lol.

you need a gas safe installation - which will cost something like £100 I think , and that's if any additional work isn't needed (been a while since my dad worked in the trade)

small things like either a chain or a bar to stop the cooking from tipping over and ripping the pipe out , and gas checks on leakage etc.

you then get a certificate btw.

new oven time bud!

Not worth buying a new oven tbh as i may need to move out in the next 3months. just wanted someone to fix the oven and be done with it

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Originally Posted by j.o.s.h.1408

Not worth buying a new oven tbh as i may need to move out in the next 3months. just wanted someone to fix the oven and be done with it

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Unfortunately even if your dad is the landlord, he needs to get it fixed if not for you, then the next tenants. He's risking legal prosecution for not having a valid gas safety certificate

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Originally Posted by Lucio

Unfortunately even if your dad is the landlord, he needs to get it fixed if not for you, then the next tenants. He's risking legal prosecution for not having a valid gas safety certificate

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This, if that goes up whilst youre renting it, doesn't matter if he's family or not, not only will the insurance potentially be invalid he's still criminally liable. It needs doing, even if it costs £500. TBH if you sent them that photo I suspect they just thought it wasn't worth quoting the work as you wouldn't pay for it, the kitchen is clearly a bodge (that cooker, no kick panels etc) as well as being quite aged.

I don't see how their reply means they wouldn't install it properly.

If you asked them to raise it up and make it gas safe I'm sure they'd quote. And if they won't, somebody will.

Well, my father in law is a Gas Safe engineer and took one look at this thread and said, "Death trap, he's lucky to be alive"

Pony up and get it properly sorted, or carry on playing roulette with your life/insurance/criminal prosecution.

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Originally Posted by rox0r

Well, my father in law is a Gas Safe engineer and took one look at this thread and said, "Death trap, he's lucky to be alive"

Pony up and get it properly sorted, or carry on playing roulette with your life/insurance/criminal prosecution.

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Did you or your father in law actually read my posts? If you did you know that I am trying to pony up and get it sorted legitimately by an engineer!

That looks like a commercial burner. Its not really meant to be used in a home.

It seems that some cowboy probably saw it on the street and decided to save a quick buck, and self installed it in a home not bothering to buy the correct legs.. and probably why the oven isn't working in the first place.

Ok let's let this one lie down for a while guys

The opening poster is directly related to the owner of the property and so they need to nail this one down between them

It's clearly a safety issue and also clearly a family issue too

Done!

I'll inform my father that he has to sort this out properly. Else it's him who will be prosecuted. Not by me but whoever next moves in here.

who the hell fitted that? a bloody gardener?

One plus point to this thread, it reminded me that our landlord hasn't bothered doing the gas safety certificate when we renewed the rent

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Originally Posted by Lucio

One plus point to this thread, it reminded me that our landlord hasn't bothered doing the gas safety certificate when we renewed the rent

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They last for 12 months don't they? Needs doing, by law, if it's beyond that.

Looking at renting out our place soon, what I found odd was that an energy efficiency certificate is required by law but fire alarms and electrics checks aren't (although we have alarms and will get a PAT test for our piece of mind).

A landlord, relative or not, is responsible for providing a gas safety certificate to the tenant.

The company you contacted may consider that the cost for them to repair it is more than the cooker is worth, and if they come out to survey the job and you reject the quote, they have lost money. They aren't obliged to make on the job, and perhaps they have been bitten before.

I agree it wasn't very helpful, but that is their problem. They clearly don't want the job, and tbh, looking at the photos, I don't really blame them.

Sorry if that sounds harsh, but that's the way life is sometimes.

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Originally Posted by peterb

A landlord, relative or not, is responsible for providing a gas safety certificate to the tenant.

The company you contacted may consider that the cost for them to repair it is more than the cooker is worth, and if they come out to survey the job and you reject the quote, they have lost money. They aren't obliged to make on the job, and perhaps they have been bitten before.

I agree it wasn't very helpful, but that is their problem. They clearly don't want the job, and tbh, looking at the photos, I don't really blame them.

Sorry if that sounds harsh, but that's the way life is sometimes.

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So if it's more then the cost of buying a brand new one. Why don't they say?

End of the day a qualified engineer needs to come and fix it as my dad or me can't

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Originally Posted by j.o.s.h.1408

So if it's more then the cost of buying a brand new one. Why don't they say?

End of the day a qualified engineer needs to come and fix it as my dad or me can't

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honestly chap..?

because while you and your Dad are quite normal blokes who just got it wrong but are happy to be advised... most people aren't

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Originally Posted by j.o.s.h.1408

So if it's more then the cost of buying a brand new one. Why don't they say?

End of the day a qualified engineer needs to come and fix it as my dad or me can't

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It isn't that, they are being called to repair it, not refit it as well. and looking at that no one would go near it as the fittings that are out of sight are no doubt also dangerous so they would be forced to condemn during the visit. They will also be thinking of facts like disturbing what's already screaming bodge job, then you lose gas supply to the house as they have to shut off the mains, this involves calling out the gas company for an emergency repair, etc.

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Originally Posted by GoNz0

It isn't that, they are being called to repair it, not refit it as well. and looking at that no one would go near it as the fittings that are out of sight are no doubt also dangerous so they would be forced to condemn during the visit. They will also be thinking of facts like disturbing what's already screaming bodge job, then you lose gas supply to the house as they have to shut off the mains, this involves calling out the gas company for an emergency repair, etc.

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Id pay them to refit it though? What if I bought a brand new one. They and others would still refuse to fit the new one and take out the old one?

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Originally Posted by j.o.s.h.1408

Id pay them to refit it though? What if I bought a brand new one. They and others would still refuse to fit the new one and take out the old one?

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I think you should just try and contact some other companies and find out mate. There will be someone out there who will do the job, its just a case of finding them and finding out how much it will cost.