The kitchen fitters worked hard all day, but by the time they had packed up at the end of the working day, (5.00pm) the gas fitter had not arrived. He eventually turned up just before 5.45pm … and announced that it would only take him a couple of minutes to disconnect the gas hob! When I pointed out that it was the gas oven and NOT the hob that was being replaced, he looked a bit nonplussed.
It took him slightly longer than he had predicted to disconnect the gas supply to the oven rather than the hob … but by 6.10pm he had gone. I asked if everything was working, and he assured me that it was.
It wasn’t!
The hob wasn’t working properly (it would not light), and when I checked, it looked as if he had switched off the isolation valve to the hob and oven … but not turned it back on. As I could see no evidence that he had capped off the supply pipe from the valve to the oven, I did not touch the valve. I then went to have a shower … and discovered that the gas boiler wasn’t working!
At this point we telephoned the company who are revamping the kitchen and left a voicemail outlining the problem. Despite the fact it was 7.30pm, they got back to us within a matter of minutes, and they contacted the gas fitter to contact us as soon as possible to sort the out the situation.
A rather shamefaced fitter had to admit that in his haste to get the job done, he might have left the gas supply turned off … and gave me instructions over the phone on how to switch it back on and how to restart the boiler. I followed his instructions to the letter … and by 8.15pm we had a working hob and boiler!
We are hoping that the rest of the revamp goes without a hitch!
Oh dear that's not good, but fair play to the company that they got back to you and managed to get the problem sorted. Fingers crossed no more issues arise before everything's finished.
ReplyDeleteSteve J.,
DeleteThe company’s response was first-rate and very swift. Certainly better than many others I have dealt with recently, including my ISP, who kept sending me the same email message that didn’t make sense, and who didn’t answer my replies. In the end a phone call sorted out the problem … which was down to a glitch in their computer system!
All the best,
Bob
The sign of a good company is them fixing problems to your satisfaction.
ReplyDeleteDavid,
DeleteThe company’s response was exemplary … and better than I’ve come to expect.
All the best,
Bob
Friday the 13th....
ReplyDeleteGlad it turned out alright.
Mark Cordone,
DeleteLuckily my wife and I are not tridecaphobic!
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob,
ReplyDeleteGood that the Gas Fitter sorted out the problem over the phone for you. We had the gas put on to our property some years ago- though after one season we realized that even if you did not use the gas - we had to still pay 'Line Rental' which wasn't cheap...we soon had the gas disconnected and now rely on Reverse Cycle Air Conditioning for heating in Winter. I must admit I do like gas flame heating- though alas much to expensive. Hope your Kitchen turns out great. Regards. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
DeleteI am always wary about playing about with gas and electricity, and appreciated the advice I was given over the phone. In actual fact, solving the problem was quite quick and simple … but I didn’t know that at the time we discovered the problem.
We estimate that our gas boiler will reach the end of its life at about the time that their sale will be banned as part of the UK’s carbon reduction programme. I don’t know what we will replace it with … but your reverse cycle system sounds ideal.
The kitchen fitter has a bit more work to do before he is finished… and it appears that the gas fitter is going to have to come back as he didn’t move the gas pipe to the hob so that the new electric oven can be fitted.
All the best,
Bob
There are often these little glitches and oversights in renovations. Unfortunately since ours are almost always DIY, I only have myself to complain to. Luckily the Boss has grown accustomed and these days only rolls her eyes and shakes her head.
ReplyDeleteBTW, in the interest of trans-Atlantic communication, what is a gas Hob. I'm familiar with hob nailed boots and hobbits but thats it.
Ross Mac,
DeleteAny DIY that I do tends to be at the very simple end of the spectrum … and even then, it does not always go right!
A gas hob is the name given to the gas burners on the top of a cooker. They are also known as cooktops, and usually comprise four to six different-sized gas burners.
All the best,
Bob
Thanks, so essentially the gas equivalent to an electric burner on a stove? (a cooking stove) We have had propane kitchen stoves in the past and just called them burners. Nice to add something to the linguistic and cultural storehouse.
DeleteRoss Mac,
DeleteCorrect! In the UK we traditionally (from the Victorian period onwards) used gas for lighting and cooking. (We originally used coal gas that was manufactured in local gas works by heating coal. The gasless coal became coke, which could be burned in boilers, stoves, ranges etc. The gas was stored and pressurised using gasometers. It was eventually replaced by natural gas from the North Sea gas fields.)
Electricity became more popular when the big cities began slum clearance schemes in the 1930s and 1940s. When tower blocks were introduced in the 1960s, they were almost all electric … and after the Ronan Point disaster (when a gas appliance caused an explosion in a tower block that collapsed part of the block, killing quite a few people) this became the norm. As we move towards a carbon neutral environment, gas will eventually disappear from domestic use.
All the best,
Bob