Gas bubble tester

[milton]

At the last minute before my BSS examination, the examiner realised that I am a live-aboard, residential boater. "Is a bubble tester installed?" he asked,  "If not, I can't do the examination as I'm not Gas Safe certified."  Needless to say, I don't have a bubble tester, he couldn't do the examination and the chances of finding a Gas Safe registered BSS examiner in my area is very high on the 'no chance' scale.  Bottom line?  If I want to get my BSS test done, I need to find a Gas Safe installer to fit me a bubble tester.  Does anyone know of a Gas Safe registered installer in the Sheffield area?

 

 

[TheBiscuits]

https://www.gassaferegister.co.uk/find-an-engineer/find-by-location/?ep=1xPOGK1AdTeDy4hfLti5P4HPjEwgqJRLQZ14VrUh00cXR9F1rk1h%2bO1Ae7tWmS7KRqhnLBw8cu3IY%2fPra6rGPLk7J8Y%2b2qvwB18SdgyMh%2bA%3d

 

It's a long ugly link because it should list sheffield + LPG + Boats only

[LadyG]

Richard Fee

Swiftcraft Boats

Bradford

07850249449

Make sure all the gas jets work including the grill as he is thorough.

Will do gas work and is a BSC examiner.

 

Edited March 14, 2021 by LadyG

[PD1964]

5 hours ago, LadyG said:

Richard Fee

Swiftcraft Boats

Bradford

07850249449

Make sure all the gas jets work including the grill as he is thorough.

Will do gas work and is a BSC examiner.

 

Richard can/ might do it if he can combine work in the area, he’s gas qualified and a BSS inspector. Give him a ring as he is often in Sheffield at Johnathan Wilson’s doing their Gas Cert on new boats. 
  As I said he will be travelling and he often likes to combine a few jobs in the area if you know anyone else at Tinsley that is due a BSS maybe worth asking around.

Edited March 14, 2021 by PD1964

[Jen-in-Wellies]

14 hours ago, milton said:

At the last minute before my BSS examination, the examiner realised that I am a live-aboard, residential boater. "Is a bubble tester installed?" he asked,  "If not, I can't do the examination as I'm not Gas Safe certified."  Needless to say, I don't have a bubble tester, he couldn't do the examination and the chances of finding a Gas Safe registered BSS examiner in my area is very high on the 'no chance' scale.  Bottom line?  If I want to get my BSS test done, I need to find a Gas Safe installer to fit me a bubble tester.  Does anyone know of a Gas Safe registered installer in the Sheffield area?

 

 

Some former neighbours of yours got theirs installed by a Sheffield based gas fitter found through the Gas Safe Register search that @TheBiscuits links to. He worked for a larger company and it wasn't his usual sort of work, but he did have the appropriate LPG and boat qualifications on his ticket. Said it was nice change to work on a boat once in a while! This was around five years ago. I can't remember who it was and he may no longer be doing this. Not a lot of help I know!

Jen

[milton]

Thanks for the responses. 

[Ex Brummie]

Move out for a day whilst you have ?the test done

[PD1964]

Are Bubble testers mandatory for BSS? 
Or is this something new with Residential/livaboards? as I know livaboards that don’t have them and have a current BSS

[matty40s]

They are mandatory for liveaboards if the Boat Safety Examiner is not Gas Registered, as they arent supposed to do the manometer they have been using forn years.

[TheBiscuits]

11 minutes ago, PD1964 said:

Are Bubble testers mandatory for BSS? 
Or is this something new with Residential/livaboards? as I know livaboards that don’t have them and have a current BSS

 

Liveaboards are classed as dwellings for the GSIUR regulations, so only a BSS inspector who is Gas Safe certified for LPG on boats can perform a manometer test - one without the certification is not allowed to. 

 

If a bubble tester is fitted, any BSS inspector is allowed to do the gas test as they are not doing "work" on the gas system.

 

It may not make sense that a liveaboard is treated differently to a holiday boat that you can spend 6 months on, but that's not the BSS's fault in this case.

[PD1964]

1 minute ago, matty40s said:

They are mandatory for liveaboards if the Boat Safety Examiner is not Gas Registered, as they arent supposed to do the manometer they have been using forn years.

Ah, thanks and same to Biscuits, I’ve always used a gas safe and will only recommend them, so good to know?

[TheBiscuits]

2 minutes ago, PD1964 said:

Ah, thanks and same to Biscuits, I’ve always used a gas safe and will only recommend them, so good to know?

 

If you get your chap to fit a bubble tester, you can check your system any time you like - I do it when changing a bottle - and at retest time he can use it as well.

[blackrose]

It's not that difficult to fit a bubble tester yourself, although of course you're not supposed to if the boat is your primary residence. If it's not your primary residence you're free to bodge the gas or anything else you want to and put everyone's life at risk. I don't really see the difference.

 

However, isn't there some rule about a "competent person" being allowed to do the work, or an I thinking of something else?

[matty40s]

I fitted my own bubble tester, not in the gas locker(as it would have been difficult or impossible to fit where it could be checked) but in the front well deck. It was on the sidewall at the existing front bulkhead joint and then a locker fitted round it so any gas escaping exits through the scuppers.

 

The BSS examiner scratched his head, but admitted it was acceptable and he had passed similar before.