Anyone drive away from a job and then worry about if you’ve forgot to tighten any nuts

[Rob Foster]

Yes, have that feeling most times about one thing or another, especially about did I turn the gas back on. Go through the sequence in your head and yes everything is always fine. It really screws things up when customers come and talk to you when your half way through doing something. Also left my mobile phone in an airing cupboard once after using the torch on it. Trouble was the number of the client was on it so couldn't phone them to ask them if it was there just had to go back to the property and see if my hunch was correct. Luckily they were still in so I was able to retrieve my phone after turning the van upside down looking for it.

Yup, done that too, left mobile on a roof in Chepstow whilst shoving a liner down, went back , scaffold gone....its still there !

 

[sammathias]

Meter test points always get tested with off once put back in. I stick to the routine so never worry. I do worry about flue gas caps tho but thankfully my analyser reminds me to put cap in when I turn it off.

 

[Best]

Meter test points always get tested with off once put back in. I stick to the routine so never worry. I do worry about flue gas caps tho but thankfully my analyser reminds me to put cap in when I turn it off.

Just a thought, but maybe flue test point caps should be spring loaded covers that just snap back closed when you pull the analyser probe out, so to be idiot proof.

 

[bacon_sandwich]

Yep, because i was that idiot. Found it on the following annual. It was the fresh air side, but nethertheless rather stupid of me. I too try and have a routine and never answer the phone during testing or any activity that has a sequence where i must leave it safe.
I normally leave tools and yes even testers onsite, not sure why, i guess its old age, they generally come back to me over time

 

[Ric2013]

How about the gland nut on that stiff stopcock? Did I tighten it back up? Not that it would make any difference either way, the amount of limescale that was in there...

 

[PETE 123]

I have a few tick boxes on my job sheets one which says test points ok ( which could be gas or boiler sample points) then i check them before i tick.

 

[Stigster]

Just me or anyone else drive away from a job and worry if you tightened all the nuts?

The first cylinder I did on my own as an apprentice, after doing my unvented course, late finish getting them up and running in one day, I literally didn't sleep that night. I even thought to myself "I don't know whether I can do this?" I phoned the customer first thing in the morning, sounding as confident as possible, "Just doing my routine thing and checking you have hot water this morning and everything is OK?"

"Lovely thanks, the shower is better than ever now, great job!" came the reply.

Phew!

Confidence builds, you stop worrying and then later down the line you get the "inevitable" leak and the confidence is destroyed for a while again.

 

[Rob Foster]

That's a really good idea, my oh is particularly impressed and is going to trial that next week when locking up at customers (she does dog walking &sitting).

I'm really bad for worrying about this sort of thing, its bad enough with water, guessing its going to be even worse when I start working with gas! Still think its better to be overly paranoid than not enough.

a water leak makes a worse mess than a gas leak ...sometimes.
Any decent tradesman or business man who never gets the 5 am's is either a liar or a conman . There will always be problems ...its how you deal with them that counts in my book Centralheatking

 

[Pickwickpick]

there will always be problems ...its how you deal with them that counts in my book Centralheatking

This is a very true.

 

[GeorgeP93]

All the time. Just gas safe registered but always get home and overthink what I’ve done! Always do a tightness test and then relight appliances just before I leave but still get home and stress.

Hopefully it gets better, any tips?

 

[Harvest Fields]

All the time. Just gas safe registered but always get home and overthink what I’ve done! Always do a tightness test and then relight appliances just before I leave but still get home and stress.

Hopefully it gets better, any tips?

Never doubt your own abilities.

 

[SimonG]

Nothing worries me as far as work goes.

More important things to concern the old grey cells.

After all works work.

 

[Dylandyl96]

All the time. Just gas safe registered but always get home and overthink what I’ve done! Always do a tightness test and then relight appliances just before I leave but still get home and stress.

Hopefully it gets better, any tips?

I am the same but getting better now gsr for a year, but still over test and worry

 

[KingDoey]

I never use compression on gas for that reason! Always solder you cant really go wrong then!

 

[ShaunCorbs]

I never use compression on gas for that reason! Always solder you cant really go wrong then!

So how do you connect to appliances as there’s compression fittings on them

 

[Dylandyl96]

So how do you connect to appliances as there’s compression fittings on them

I was going to ask the same thing

 

[Michael1960]

Just me or anyone else drive away from a job and worry if you tightened all the nuts?

Every job every day, im 58. Lost count of times ive gone back on pretence of leaving spanners behind. Never found a loose one yet mind, or a flue inspection cap.

 

[Michael1960]

All the time. Just gas safe registered but always get home and overthink what I’ve done! Always do a tightness test and then relight appliances just before I leave but still get home and stress.



Hopefully it gets better, any tips?

 

[Dylandyl96]

Every job every day, im 58. Lost count of times ive gone back on pretence of leaving spanners behind. Never found a loose one yet mind, or a flue inspection cap.

Like it good excuse to go back and check

 

[Michael1960]

Stella artois

 

[MARTIN LISTER]

Put the flue test plug in your pocket. If you forget to refit there is a reminder that you are bound to discover.

 

[Alan Rivis]

Just me or anyone else drive away from a job and worry if you tightened all the nuts?

Yep many times on occasions even gone back to double check

 

[billski]

I've filled the heating system up a few times and missed a radiator. When you open a bedroom door and see a jet of water spraying out of the bleed nipple! Quickly get the wet vac out and hope it's not leaked through the ceiling.
The worst one is when a customer wants to chat when I'm fixing or servicing a boiler. Then you go in to auto pilot, and even though you've tightened and checked everything you'll doubt your self when you drive off in the van. Best to ask the customer to let you get on and try not to look at your phone. That's when my mind wanders and I forget if I've tightened everything or not.

 

[KingDoey]

So how do you connect to appliances as there’s compression fittings on them

Obviously you cant avoid that.

I mean more like compression backplate fittings or where you see compression used on the pipework...

I should have said I always solder where possible

 

[Wirdy]

All the time, yes.
Tape test plugs to the front of the cover. Last job is normally to refit cover, so obvious if you've forgot to refit them. And never keep any spare plugs in with your analyser! You'll go crazy.

 

[Mikedownthedrain]

My father was a ground engineer in the RAF and 60-odd years ago I heard noises from my parents' room at 0530, earlier than his normal departure time of 0700. Being a teenager I turned over and went back to sleep.

Long, long afterwards my father told me he had dreamt of an aircraft crash. Running towards the vast pall of smoke and flame, all too common in those days, he met an airman running back shouting "Crossed controls, crossed controls!" He woke abruptly and remembered that one of his aircraft was due to return to service after major overhaul and had a terrible premonition.

He left for the airfield at once and found the elevator cables on that aircraft had been misassembled so the control worked in reverse order. The perpetrators had been two of his most reliable airmen. The mistake should have been discovered in pre-flight inspection, but sometimes it wasn't ...

My father never knew what inspired his dream; we put it down to some sixth sense. My moral is that if you're unsure about a job you have done, be it plumbing, gas, or aircraft control systems, go back and put your mind at rest.

 

[Dunlopplumbing]

When I was an apprentice, long before mobile phones existed, when even Corgi was voluntary, it was my responsibility to do the tightness testing. I got back to the office with my fitter only to be told by the boss, that the client had phoned the office, to say we had left something connected to the gas meter, oops. The boss glared at us, and his comment was "at least it proves you're bothering to test your work", and believe me, back then not everyone did. Ever since that day I have been paranoid about testing, so I check and re-check, and always have a last look around for tools.

 

[Rob Foster]

When I was an apprentice, long before mobile phones existed, when even Corgi was voluntary, it was my responsibility to do the tightness testing. I got back to the office with my fitter only to be told by the boss, that the client had phoned the office, to say we had left something connected to the gas meter, oops. The boss glared at us, and his comment was "at least it proves you're bothering to test your work", and believe me, back then not everyone did. Ever since that day I have been paranoid about testing, so I check and re-check, and always have a last look around for tools.

Correct attitude ...Gsr engineers are more responsible for the publics safety than the over paid GP docter who just shift the problems on to someone else but get £100,000
+ every year and a massive pension Rob Foster aka centralheatking

 

[Jim09876]

Hahaha, what about leaving a test nipple off then lighting fire while in conversation? Whoosh...customers like “is it supposed to do that”

 

[Stigster]

Nothing worries me as far as work goes.

More important things to concern the old grey cells.

After all works work.

As my old boss once told me when I was starting out "At the end of the day, they can't shoot you."

I like that one. Gas Engineers are in a bit more of a serious position but even then they still can't actually shoot you if you do something terrible.

 

[Harvest Fields]

As my old boss once told me when I was starting out "At the end of the day, they can't shoot you."

I like that one. Gas Engineers are in a bit more of a serious position but even then they still can't actually shoot you if you do something terrible.

Nope. But they can lock you away.

 

[Stigster]

Nope. But they can lock you away.

I fully appreciate that I really do. They still can't shoot you

 

[Rob876]

On one of my first plumbing jobs (fitting a kitchen mixer tap) I tightened up the tap connector to the copper pipe fitting and thought 'have I nipped that up enough?`and the customer phoned the next day describing a puddle on the floor, I returned immediately and nipped it up, moral of the story? Im a ****.

 

[Harvest Fields]

On one of my first plumbing jobs (fitting a kitchen mixer tap) I tightened up the tap connector to the copper pipe fitting and thought 'have I nipped that up enough?`and the customer phoned the next day describing a puddle on the floor, I returned immediately and nipped it up, moral of the story? Im a ****.

At least you admit it mate.

 

[JTplumbingservices]

I have mad OCD like this, when I’m home even if I know I haven’t turned a tap on or opened the fridge I have to go and check before I go out, then when I’m in the car I’ve seen myself going back to see if I’ve locked the door even though I know I have. So you can imagine how I am with fittings and stuff, always better to go back and check if your not 100% imo, it’s not worth a sleepless night then the longest drive to work ever the next morning