Changing a Gas Cooker

AmDaMan

AmDaMan

AmDaMan

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Joined
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Wellington, NZ
Ok, the flame on out gas cooker doesn't seem to be getting any bigger in the oven so we're going to replace it but I've got a quick question..

On the back of the cooker it looks like the gas pipe is screwed in, does the removal of this require a corgi approved fitter to change the cooker, or if we order a cooker from somewhere like Argos (it's not fitted) will one of their people do it?

Cheers.
 
It should be connected to the wall by a quick release bayonet connection. You do not need certification to connect/disconnect this nor do you need any special tools :) Just push up and twist a bit and it will spring out. Dont even need to turn off the gas.
 
Incorrect - you have to had a Corgi gas fitter fit the cooker!

This was information from the estate agent I work for.
 
Ah it seems for new devices that you are correct, you do not need certification for disconnection and then reconnection of the old unit for moving it for cleaning etc. That said its a 5min job and gas is very low pressure and not dangerous, ive done it in my houses myself and all has been well.
 
Yeah your soooo right gas is not that dangerous and with such low pressure its not gonna leak much if either a fitting or appliance isnt sound......Now let me go find my books and lookup the flash point of NG....Cos I'm sure its not even that flammable...ya know a bit like diesel..Its a proper ba**ard to ignite!

Mick
 
AmDaMan said:
On the back of the cooker it looks like the gas pipe is screwed in, does the removal of this require a corgi approved fitter to change the cooker, or if we order a cooker from somewhere like Argos (it's not fitted) will one of their people do it?
Click to expand...

Yes, if you order from most suppliers you can get fitting. It's not usually free though.
 
OK, helpful bit ;)

Unless you have a really old gas cooker (freestanding) then it will be fitted with a bayonet type connector. These come in a few different sizes. The hose and the bayonet have to match.

A bayonet fitting is not a permanent method of isolating the gas supply, it is there for short term removal of the appliance for cleaning and servicing. If you permanently remove the appliance (move house) then the bayonet needs to be removed from the wall and capped.

An existing cooker can be removed and refitted by only using the bayonet by the householder. To fit a new cooker you have to be gas registered. Chap will check for soundness, pressure and safe operation of the cooker..This is important as most cookers do not have safety devices on the hob burners. You dont want the flame going out when your boiler fires up!

The fsd on the oven/grill should be checked for correct operation and also the bypass of the thermostat...Along with making sure the location and ventilation requirements are met too.

All standard stuff for someone who is gas registered and gas the cookers qualification on thier card.

Mick
 
I cut straight through a gas pipe once with one of those circular pipe cutters. Whoops.

You have to be Corgi registered to be paid to work on mains gas (ie in a professional capacity) but I've never been able to find anything that says it is illegal to work on it in a DIY sense. This crops up all the time on forums like DIYnot and Screwfix and never seems to get resolved either way!

That said, I would rather pay a gas man to do it, it only cost £60 or so to do mine and that was to supply a new flexi pipe and build an extension for the seperate hob.
 
I think you can do what you want under your own roof as long as your not endangering others. If something does go wrong then you would be up **** creek with no paddle or boat.

Mick
 
Lopéz said:
but I've never been able to find anything that says it is illegal to work on it in a DIY sense. This crops up all the time on forums like DIYnot and Screwfix and never seems to get resolved either way!
Click to expand...


Its not illegal, but you do have to be competant at doing whatever it is you are doing...but no one will tell you what competant actually means, there is no strict definition, if it all goes pear shaped, it'd be up to you to convince the fellow in the horsehair wig that you were 'competant'

To steal a definition that crops up in another field (but is just a suggestion, its not a legal definition), competant means having sufficent knowledge, training or experience to enable you to recognise the risks that the task might involve and avoid them
 
AmDaMan said:
Ok, the flame on out gas cooker doesn't seem to be getting any bigger in the oven so we're going to replace it but I've got a quick question..

On the back of the cooker it looks like the gas pipe is screwed in, does the removal of this require a corgi approved fitter to change the cooker, or if we order a cooker from somewhere like Argos (it's not fitted) will one of their people do it?

Cheers.
Click to expand...

Why replace the cooker, just get it fixed.
By the symptoms, "the flame on out gas cooker doesn't seem to be getting any bigger in the oven", it sounds like the FFD (flame failure device) has failed.

Just get it checked out, and any parts replaced.
 
Just to be awkward - CORGI are no longer the registered body, all qualified gas fitters should now be "GAS SAFE" - essentially same thing as CORGI just different company and different logo as CORGI lost the tender for regulating the gas industry
 
do this at your own risk,

i had a new cooker, got the guy out to supply and fit the 'baynet' connector, and check all was well, cost me £80 +vat including part.

cooker faild three years later (oven) and bought a new one, took the tube and baynet conector off, by unloosening the jubilee clip, and stuck it on the new cooker,

plugged it in, and then covered the jubilee clip end in fairy liquid to see if any bubbles appeared, none did, so no leak.

been running fine for two years now, and saved me £80, but of course this is a small amount to save against a life, your decision.

if your competant enough you will be fine
 
Ok, the flame on out gas cooker doesn't seem to be getting any bigger in the oven so we're going to replace it but I've got a quick question..
Click to expand...

Not sure what you mean by this. Is the flame not thermostatically controlled. On the gas ovens that I have seen, the flame does not just get bigger and smaller as you turn the temperature setting.
If you are just turning the dial, expecting the flame to rise and fall as you turn it, I would not be sure that there was anything wrong.
 
howsertrading said:
Not sure what you mean by this. Is the flame not thermostatically controlled. On the gas ovens that I have seen, the flame does not just get bigger and smaller as you turn the temperature setting.
If you are just turning the dial, expecting the flame to rise and fall as you turn it, I would not be sure that there was anything wrong.
Click to expand...

It'll be a vapour pressure FSD and mechanical liquid expansion thermostat, I'd wager. Turn the dial on the thermostat.. full gas goes to the FSD. It lights initially on a small flame because the gas can only go through a small hole (low rate drilling). This small flame heats a phial filled with ether, which expands as it vaporises and opens up the gas to allow a full flame along the burner. Similar concept to a pilot light/thermocouple combination, but there is a longer delay while the phial heats up. Once the full flame is going, another phial at the top of the oven, this time filled with mercury, is slowly being heated. As the mercury expands it pushes on a fulcrum and gradually closes the gas off. Likewise.. if it gets colder then it opens the gas supply to the FSD back up. If the thermostat gets hot enough, the only gas getting through will be a very small hole, the by-pass (which can get blocked sometimes) which will provide just enough gas to keep the phial of the FSD heated enough.
 
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