Do I have to use CORGI?

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emnick

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I tried a search but could not find any info so sorry if this has been done before. I have recently imported a yacht from Sweden, trouble is it is fitted with propane gas. I want to convert it back to butane (Calor / Camping). (1) Do I have to use a CORGI registered installer (2) Is it a matter of just buying a new (blue) regulator) (3) I like the 7KG cyls how do I buy if I cant give them one back.
Thanks for ANY help
 
I don't think you have to use a CORGI fitter for yachts, but how would your insurance react should there be a mishap in the future?

Why would you want to go to Butane? Propane is much better in a cold climate. The burners in your stove may, and I stress the may, not be suitable for butane.

I met a guy in Peterhead last year who had just bought a dutch yacht, with dutch gas cylinders, and of course could not have them filled or traded for calor gas here. Calor were going to charge him a small fortune for a new cylinder. I took him up to the local council recycling centre where we "traded" his dutch cylinders for a couple of battered old calor ones, which he then exchanged for full ones.

HTH
 
Officially you don't need to use a Corgi fitter. Anyway there are not many who can do marine installations. Fit a new butane regulator - you may have to fit different jets for the burners but check with the manufacturer.
Calor cylinders you have to 'buy' the first two but you can often get them at local council dumps or even your local auction place - often in the 'deadstock' section. Usually cheap as officially they can only sell the gas inside, not the cylinder but the gas is in the cylinder so............ you get a free cylinder!
For correct installation get a booklet from Calor Gas - tells you everything you need to know.
PS - Why not carry on using Propane? Much better in cold weather and more in the cylinder(from memory)
 
Have you experience of gas installation, know what you are doing and why you are doing it, and familiar with safety testing procedures.?

If you can put your hand on your heart and say "yes" then go ahead. You don't have to be Corgi registered to work on your own boat or employ a Corgi registered engineer. Common sense can take you a fair bit of the way..but not all the way I would suggest.

Even if you do your own work, it might be wise to get a Corgi engineer to look it over for a fee. They may or may not agree to do this as its his name on the block if it goes pear shaped, and last weeks Gas Installer Magazine ( Published by Corgi) was strongly suggesting we should NOT certificate work done by others, simply for reasons of potentially dropping ourelves in it at some future date.

Tim
 
Maybe I'm unlucky, but two different boat engineer firms have said they can no longer do gas, so passed the job on. I now have a boat full of stickers that I cant remove. Oh yes, and I had no leaks untill after the Corgy man left.
 
I had some gas pipes replaced by Sopromar Boatyard in Portugal. Insurance company were happy that I had a bill from the boatyard. Having watched the job, could easily have done it myself, but wouldnt have had the paperwork.
 
The only difference is the regulator which is attached to the gas pipe with a jubille clip or equivalent - otherwise everything else is the same - specced it for my boat as we are going abroad and needed propane. Any competent screwdriver wielder can do it. Unless that is you work for the HSE in which case you will need a risk assessment, full training, protective gear, supervisor, 3 forms of insurance, ISO certification etc etc.
 
I would keep it propane, just changed ours to propane, just the regulator needed changing but did get it checked by a gas engineer. I do believe some cookers need to be adjusted.
 
Also worth sticking with the bigger bottles providing you don't have to lug to far for a refill.
The difference between a 3.9kg refill and a 7kg refill is about £3
(This means of course that the gas in a 3.9kg refill can cost a max of £4 so why does it cost £14 for a refill. Calor rip off.)
 
...bloke jumps out of a plane and his parachute fails. As he plummets he sees another bloke coming up from the ground at similar speed. He calls out "oi mate..do you know anything about parachutes?"

"No mate," comes the reply..."and I don't know anything about gas ovens either!"
 
[ QUOTE ]
I don't think you have to use a CORGI fitter for yachts, but how would your insurance react should there be a mishap in the future?

[/ QUOTE ] My (non-boaty) experience with CORGI fitters suggests that you are far more likely to have an accident if you use one . . .

We had Calor central heating in a previous house. The system was installed by a CORGI fitter naturally, and a couple of years later we got another one in to service the system. He told us it had been dangerously installed and we were lucky to be alive. He disabled the system completely and left us with no heating.

It took weeks of heavy threats to get the original guy to come back and fix the mess he had made.

The next year we decided to put in a dual fuel cooker, and got the local CORGI guy (a different one again) to install it. Half an hour after he left I had to call them up to enquire as to whether it was normal to have a 2" jet of flame coming out of the pipe going into the back of the cooker. (Apparently it wasn't - a more senior fitter appeared pretty quickly).

Just because a guy has a piece of paper doesn't mean he knows what he is doing . . . gas fitting isn't rocket science, but too many tradesmen are either congenitally stupid or just don't give a [--word removed--].

A couple of years ago my father bought a new calor gas hob. The vendor wasn't keen to sell it until my father had told him who was going to install it. My Dad replied,

"I'm getting the same bloke who installed the last one to do it'

Problem solved /forums/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

So - do you want your boat to explode in an insured manner, or would you just prefer to make a decent job of it yourself and not have it explode at all?
 
Corgi registration usually refers to domestic installations and servicing. To be able to be registered requires a set of requirements to test against. To my knowledge and I would be grateful to know if there are others, the only ones for boats are set down in the Basic Safety Standards for inland waterways and which might not neccessarily be suitable for yachts which lean and bounce around more. If there are Corgi registered fitters for boats they must be few and far between.
 
a)_Propane is better fuel and caters better for low temps in winter.
b) Most appliances will tolerate change from Propane to Butane by only changing regulator ... (I've done this on boat and my Mobile Summer Home in UK ...)
c) CORGI fitters are varied in competence as judging by the mess I've had in house from one and a couple of others I've seen .. but of course you cannot tar all with same brush. CORGI fitter for boats have a special rating .. so not just any CORGI fitter is applicable. Second if boat is used in Estuary, Tidal and offshore waters - you are fully entitled to do the work yourself ... It is only Inland waterways that have the regulation.
d) Insurance Co. quotes are very often used in posts - but Ins. Co's only remark on it when a Surveyor highlights an installation or incorrrectly advises that CORGI fitter should overhaul / check the installation - the Ins. Co loves that ! There is not even any requirement for you to mention you have done work on the gas system to Ins. Co either !

Sensible, logical approach and care in work is all that's really needed ...
 
My (non-boaty) experience with CORGI fitters suggests that you are far more likely to have an accident if you use one . . .
.....................................................................................

Yep been my experience too and that was ashore with no bilges for leakage to collect in.

Seems it is impossible to get a Corgi engineer to do a service job correctly first time and leave a domestic boiler working better after they leave than it did before.

A friend recently had a new boiler fitted which failed immediately and the next fitter condemed the installation. A meeting was called at the premises to hammer out the inconsistencies within the gas company which was also attended by a makers rep and Corgi rep and the installation was deemed acceptable by all but one!!!!!!!!

The rules used to say competent engineer...is this why competent is removed and now says Corgi /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
Close to the same subject I went down to the boat yesterday and the gas wouldn't light all valves on but just spluttered and seem to blow itself out, I use camping gaz (butane). I had similiar problem a few years ago when the temp dropped to below freezing , but yesterday it was only about 10c . At what temp does butane start to be a problem or is it just my regulator playing up.
 
[ QUOTE ]
The difference between a 3.9kg refill and a 7kg refill is about £3 /quote] AND a 7 degree list to port!
I switch between butane (summer) and propane (winter) when it fires the Mr Buddy heater, replacing expensive cartridges. The cooker is happy with either, and swopping regulators is within my capabilities, just.
Safety-wise I rate replacing the hose every 5 years as important.
 
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