Warning- gas leak developed on new B&Q hob 1 hour after fitting

[Mike Jackson]

Just got back from a call out to a leaking hob that I finished fitting at 4 this afternoon. Fitted using the supplied fitting tested it up and all was fine. Had a call back to it at 5. Owner had lit the hob and it had gone with a bang. Told him to turn off the gas and went back round to it. Put a tightness test on and there was now a big drop. Checked under the hob and the connecting nut was only finger tight. Took it apart and the rubber washer, which was supplied, had deformed and gone up inside the pipe. I remade the connection using a fibre gas washer and it's all fine again. it wouldn't have been so bad if it had happened straight away but to do it after I had left is very dodgy.

I shall be complaining to B&Q and reporting it to gas safe on Monday.

the hob is a Cata GH60SS gas hob.

 

[Billy Bob Bob]

thanks for posting that up mike,sounds like a very poor design

 

[Roger Welton]

Thanks for the heads up.

 

[tamz]

I always bin the rubber washers as i don't trust them.

 

[Barry98]

Sure the custard not been messing mike ?

 

[Mike Jackson]

No not the sort to mess and the connection was behind the built in oven.

 

[Mike Jackson]

I always bin the rubber washers as i don't trust them.

I will from now on. I'll have to get some more fibre gas washers in.

 

[heliotrope]

I would think a RIDDOR report rather than Gassafe, cant see them being interested.

 

[migoplumber]

deffo a riddor

 

[tamz]

I will from now on. I'll have to get some more fibre gas washers in.

It is the flat face to face thing that makes it worse. There is no rim to hold the rubber washer from binding and twisting inside the fitting/pipe and we are supposed to believe the manu's test and certify this stuff. I just would never trust them for gas as i've seen (as you now have too) what can happen with them.

A year or 2 ago the gas networks had to have a recall of their meter washers after they swapped their supplier to a different manu who produced a harder more plasticy washer (for much cheapness no doubt). It was found that these washers relaxed after tightening and they were being called out to leaks within days of their meters being fitted.
This trade is no different to anything else. Everything is about the money.

A riddor won't do nothing but i suppose if enough people did they might follow it up.

 

[lame plumber]

surely a riddor will just cause you grief after all you installed it!

 

[tamz]

Riddor the manu.
Not that it would do any good unless they start getting multiple reports.
If anyone ever bothered to look into it they will blame the fitter as they have tested it to *** quality stds in a lab.
Better just to use your "engineering judgement" and a huge distrust of the quality of most things supplied these days.

 

[Mike Jackson]

Makes you wonder when you get called to problems with gas leaks and you sit there cursing the previous guy how often it's been down to dodgy materials. I certainly experienced quite a few leaks on gas meters when I turned up and did my initial tightness test and I knew nothing about the dodgy washers until I read through all The TBs when I registered in my own right. For all I know I could have been leaving leaks on meters that I didn't know about.

 

[R1CKY]

Definitely RIDDOR it, even if they don't do anything about it, it could save one of us from prosecution should we have an escape on one!