How to avoid a plumbing disaster

Claudy man Tom Stevenson claims there are many people masquerading as plumbers and heating engineers doing jobs they are not qualified for.

Mr Stevenson said: "There has been so much work over the last couple of weeks that men are coming out to do jobs they haven't got the qualifications to do. Much like any other industry, when you have a glut of work you soon attract the cowboys."

He said many are working on boilers and oil tanks who shouldn't be.

"It is fraud, it's cheating the customer. If you are not qualified you shouldn't be doing it."

He says that the problems associated with so-called 'cowboys' are extremely bad at the present time.

"It is as bad as I have seen it in the last ten years. The economic environment, the weather are all definite factors."

Mr Stevenson is one of a limited number of plumbers fully certified by OFTEC. Much like CORGI for gas, they are oil safety watchdogs in Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Their registered heating engineers are trained to Government and British standards. Tom Stevenson believes they should be the only people to carry out work on boilers or oil appliances.

AFTEC

"It is a bit like driving. You shouldn't be driving if you haven't got the license. Well, you shouldn't be near an oil tank or boiler if you haven't got the certificate from OFTEC."

Another bone of contention for Tom Stevenson is the amount some plumbers are charging.

"There should be a maximum and a minimum call out fee. A basic call out fee should be should be about 30 and that should cover your first hour's labour as well.

"I heard of one man charging 50 for ten minutes work, he poured warm water over an oil pipe that was clogged. This is getting the whole industry a bad name. As if plumbers haven't got a bad enough name already."

He said that such actions were affecting consumer confidence.

"I have spent 1,000 to get myself certified with OFTEC. I have went to that bother to make sure that I am covered in case anything was to happen. Then you have these men coming out without the certificates or insurance and they are charging too much.

"It affects the way people see plumbers. I have worked away for sixteen or seventeen years and spent that money to make sure everything is above board insurance-wise. We shouldn't have to put up with it."

He says the 'cowboys' themselves should be worrying: "For instance, if you had a fire in your boiler the insurance company would ask who the last person to work with it was. Who last serviced it? If they are not with OFTEC there would be problems. Probably for them, not for the home-owner," he said.

Tom Stevenson also says that even Building Control aren't up to speed with the OFTEC regulations.

"They are passing houses they shouldn't have been. Oil tanks aren't properly situated or controlled to OFTEC regs. You have fuel and ignition side by side. It is a disaster waiting to happen."

Robert White from Derry City Council Building Control told the Sentinel: "The only thing we control is the position of the oil tank itself in relation to site boundaries and the boiler in connection to the flue pipe. Also the heated controls such as thermostats and stopclocks. We have no real controls over the design. But, we would certainly encourage people to employ OFTEC certified engineers.

"We might be looking at working more closely with OFTEC in the future. Efficient central heating would probably play a part in reducing energy demands and we commend OFTEC on their work in this regard. However, here at Derry City Council we do not set the regulations, we enforce them. The regulations are set centrally by the UK government."

Tom Stevenson has advice for people confused about who they should employ in their homes: "Anything to do with the water or frozen pipes, a plumber is what you need. Anything to do with gas needs to go through CORGI. Anything to do with oil should be OFTEC."

"To get an OFTEC registered worker ask your local plumber for an OFTEC card or log on to the OFTEC website and search your area for registered engineers."