An investigation carried out by consumer group, Which? has found that only two out of ten gas engineers from a different firms, which included five big name companies and five independent heating engineers chosen at random, performed the right checks on gas boilers. Based on the results of the study, the UK consumer group concluded that people’s lives were being put at risk unnecessarily.
Disturbing Findings
British Gas and Corgi engineers were the only two companies whose engineers carried out the minimum legal checks required when attending a call-out. However, none of the engineers actually tested the boilers according the manufacturer’s service instructions. The consumer group also discovered that extreme high pressure within the boilers was only corrected by six of the gas engineers. There were many other defects that were not dealt with, including potential boiler leaks from the boiler’s casing and unburned gas leaks, plus two of the engineers lied about safety checks made.
“The results are shocking, with most engineers we put to the test failing to do what is legally required,” said Richard Lloyd, Executive director from Which?
“Faulty boilers could have serious or even fatal consequences for consumers so more must be done to check up on and crack down on incompetent engineers.”
Gas Safety Register
Which? has now shared its findings with the Gas Safety Register, the official gas registration body for the UK, Isle of Man and Guernsey. All gas heating engineers must be listed on the Gas Safety Register, so it is important to check an engineers credentials before you book him or her to service any gas appliances in your rental properties.
