Gas Safe Register - They just recommended I search Check a Trade instead to find a gas engineer..

[Martin_J]

I have used a “so called” gas safety engineer from that register. The bloke who turned up might have been a gas engineer but had never been anywhere near a boat in his life. Came up with advice that we all know about anyway, nothing marine specific or useful, took my money issued a certificate not worth the paper it’s printed on “job done” as far as the insurance company is concerned. I searched for two years to find him, marina’s clubs and all the normal routes were explored, there just are not enough competent small boat gas safety engineers around.

I wonder if that engineer didn't have "Pipework Boats LPG (CORE)" against their name then.

That's the search that finds nothing and locks the web browsers up.

 

[Bilgediver]

I have used a “so called” gas safety engineer from that register. The bloke who turned up might have been a gas engineer but had never been anywhere near a boat in his life. Came up with advice that we all know about anyway, nothing marine specific or useful, took my money issued a certificate not worth the paper it’s printed on “job done” as far as the insurance company is concerned. I searched for two years to find him, marina’s clubs and all the normal routes were explored, there just are not enough competent small boat gas safety engineers around.

This is happening all over the country as not enough gas engineers are obtaining the three certificates necessary for work on marine LPG installations, possibly due to the cost. I wonder what the insurers would say if there was an incident following an inspection by a non marine person when that is all who is available. I suspect that in Scotland you can count the number of fully certificated marine gas engineers on one hand.

The place to look is on the Facebook narrowboat groups as they need these inspections for their Safety Certificates.

 

[Martin_J]

Thanks but I don't see the Facebook narrowboat groups as being the official place on which to search...

Are we expected to report back to insurers saying we 'found a gas person on a Facebook group' or by talking to a chap in the marina bar...

 

[Martin_J]

A miracle... The person from Gas Safe Register who emailed me in May to say the question had been passed on to IT just called back.

Seems like the IT systems were updated at the end of last year and maybe the search hasn't worked since then.

A search function has now been provided to their service desk staff who should be able to run a manual search if you telephone them.

No ETA for when their fix might be rolled out to the website but at least I got a callback and was given a list of engineers and companies nearest my postcode... and some surprising local companies do advertise Pipework Boats LPG (core) as within their remit.

 

[LittleSister]

Ah. so at last some seeming progress.

Good luck with taking it forward. Let us know how you get on.

 

[Sandy]

@Martin_J you don't say where you are based but I can put you in touch with a guy based in Saltash, Cornwall.

 

[CapPugwash]

I would be very nervous about letting a non-marine gas engineer on my boat. Houses aren’t wet and salty and do not move around much.

 

[R.Ems]

To do your own gas on a boat you don't need a certificate for inland waterways, to do someone else's you do. Unless you are running some sort of commercial business from the boat, then the work has to be signed off by a certified gas tech for LPG.
Since I worked at Bacton gas works for a while on 1000psi gas systems, I'm quite happy doing my own gas work at 45psi . But if your not confident in your abilities I wouldn't recommend it.

That is fantasy.
Unless the boat will be coded, or an insurance company demands a spurious 'safety certificate', nothing is needed. To do any gas work, on any yacht, inland or seagoing, whether paid or not, the work does not have to be 'signed off' by anybody. What bureaucratic body could possibly enforce such 'signing off'?

 

[R.Ems]

I would be very nervous about letting a non-marine gas engineer on my boat. Houses aren’t wet and salty and do not move around much.

I would be even more nervous about allowing a 'marine gas engineer' on my yacht, because in the context of private cruising yachts, no such qualification exists.

 

[CapPugwash]

I would be even more nervous about allowing a 'marine gas engineer' on my yacht, because in the context of private cruising yachts, no such qualification exists.

Absolutely, the guy that did mine is a sailor himself and well known in the area.