Bubble tester?

catlotion

catlotion

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We have just had our gas system re-commissioned and the gas fitter removed the Alde bubble tester we had fitted. His 'reasoning' was that they are pointless and only designed to meet the needs of the paranoid and that the company who provided it are just salesmen...

I thought the accepted wisdom was that these were good practice to fit...? Or am I one of the paranoid?!

I won't be tinkering with the installation as it's all signed off now, but just interested as he made me feel a bit daft.
 
I installed one a few years back.. It's still there mounted on the back wall of the gas locker and gives perfect (no power needed) indication as to whether there are any leaks at all between the gas locker and the appliance. I try it out most weeks anyway and usually each time I've switched on the gas.

I would install one again if I moved to another boat - unless there are any good reasons not to.

It does work because I demonstrated its use one day to someone who was passing by.. Yikes.. lots of bubbles...

Then I remembered the toast was toasting in the grill :)

Half a minute later the smoke alarm would have alerted me to that fact anyway!
 
A fellow club member and forumite fitted one to his boat and it showed bubbles as soon as he opened the valve on the bottle. Further investigation showed that the copper pipe buried in a tunnel along the side of the hull had a hole which had been sealed with tape and was now leaking. This was the original pipe fitted by the builder and was impossible to inspect without dismantling the system. Eeek!
 
catlotion said:
We have just had our gas system re-commissioned and the gas fitter removed the Alde bubble tester we had fitted. His 'reasoning' was that they are pointless and only designed to meet the needs of the paranoid and that the company who provided it are just salesmen...

I thought the accepted wisdom was that these were good practice to fit...? Or am I one of the paranoid?!

I won't be tinkering with the installation as it's all signed off now, but just interested as he made me feel a bit daft.
Click to expand...

The BSS consider a bubble tester to be "highly recommended"

I would be very annoyed if a gas fitter removed one without my agreement or a sound technical reason.
 
For not a lot of money they provide proof of the integrity of the system, your installer is talking cobblers.

Mine found a tiny leak after I'd fitted a new flexible tube to the gimballed cooker which occurred 6 weeks after installation.
 
VicS said:
The BSS consider a bubble tester to be "highly recommended"

I would be very annoyed if a gas fitter removed one without my agreement or a sound technical reason.
Click to expand...

How dare you criticise a qualified and professional person!

It's like saying that you should not trust a surveyor who says your boat may not be sound in 200 years.

But yes, I'd be furious if kit removed if not asked even if told useless yet no harm.
 
+1 I fitted one 2 years ago. Seemed like a no brainer - they work, they're pretty foolproof, they're (relatively) cheap, they provide an instant check for downstream leaks and it escapes me why on earth someone would remove one already fitted.

VicS said:
The BSS consider a bubble tester to be "highly recommended"

I would be very annoyed if a gas fitter removed one without my agreement or a sound technical reason.
Click to expand...
 
Has he left the 'removed' bubble tester with you? You own it. I would insist on its return immediately - regardless of whether I intended to replace it or not (which incidentally I would!)
 
In what way are they pointless? Did you ask him to explain? The fully qualified gas fitter who refitted my system recommended them, as does the BSS. Is there a difference of professional opinion here?
 
And to qualify that. I have one and use it every day. We livaboard so never turn off the gas except to change the cylinder. But I check the bubble detector every morning. Used to have a gas detector but it was next to useless with false alarms and sensor failures. Could be said what happens if we get a leak overnight. Balance of risk, I'll live with that
 
Dipper said:
A fellow club member and forumite fitted one to his boat and it showed bubbles as soon as he opened the valve on the bottle. Further investigation showed that the copper pipe buried in a tunnel along the side of the hull had a hole which had been sealed with tape and was now leaking. This was the original pipe fitted by the builder and was impossible to inspect without dismantling the system. Eeek!
Click to expand...

That would be me then.

To the original poster, is he a young upstart, or on old fool.
Plumbers use a water gauge to test for leaks, this is something similar I believe, that is hard wired into the system.
I had a small leak that was getting worse so I installed one. After changing lots of taps and valves it still showed a leak, so I decided to look into it deeper.
This is what I found.

View attachment 43260View attachment 43261View attachment 43261
 
Hadenough said:
We livaboard so never turn off the gas except to change the cylinder.
Click to expand...

My last boat had solid copper pipe from the gas locker to an isolating valve next to the cooker. I religiously only opened the isolating valve when using the cooker, and closed it immediately after. I never turned the gas off at the cylinder.
 
Seems to me that the "fitter" may not be complying with "Gas Safe" advice. Suggest contacting the Certificate issuer and checking also seek info from Calor Gas or Council of Gas Detection and Environmental Monitoring (www cogdem.org.uk.) BSS distinctly sates that the following must be fitted. (a) A readily accessible PROPRIETARY test point on the appliance or (b)PROPRIETARY test point in the pipework or (c)a Bubble Tester (Highly recommended)
 
KREW2 said:
That would be me then.

To the original poster, is he a young upstart, or on old fool.
Plumbers use a water gauge to test for leaks, this is something similar I believe, that is hard wired into the system.
I had a small leak that was getting worse so I installed one. After changing lots of taps and valves it still showed a leak, so I decided to look into it deeper.
This is what I found.

Re-read my post.
Just to clarify The comment highlighted was referring to the gas fitter not the OP.
Click to expand...
 
Catlotion,
There seems to be universal condemnation of your gas fitter. Perhaps you should call him back and insist that he refits your ( or a replacement) bubble tester. Failure to comply with such a reasonable demand should result in a report to his trade association together with a complaint to Trading Standards.
 
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