Gas bottle hoses & regulators

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jukim
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Gas bottle hoses & regulators

Postby jukim » Fri Apr 24, 2015 11:20 am

I'm sure someone's asked this already regarding gas bottles but I can't find it. We have just one gas heater and one cooker with bottle and would like to get the hoses and regulators checked but don't know who can do it. Any advice please?

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costakid
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Re: Gas bottle hoses & regulators

Postby costakid » Fri Apr 24, 2015 11:36 am

I think it is as cheap to just replace them as call an engineer out. There as cheap as chips

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Re: Gas bottle hoses & regulators

Postby jukim » Fri Apr 24, 2015 11:39 am

So it's okay to fit them yourself then?

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gerryh
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Re: Gas bottle hoses & regulators

Postby gerryh » Fri Apr 24, 2015 11:49 am

Yes no problem about fitting them yourself.
Just make sure the new hoses have a date a few years from now. Don't buy hoses that are near or past their date. The date is printed on them.
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Re: Gas bottle hoses & regulators

Postby jukim » Fri Apr 24, 2015 11:52 am

Thanks guys. Someone has just told me you need a certificate every 5 years for gas installations. We only have one bottle with the cooker and one with the heater (which hardly ever makes an appearance). Is that true and if so how do you go about getting it?

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gerryh
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Re: Gas bottle hoses & regulators

Postby gerryh » Fri Apr 24, 2015 12:05 pm

Yes it is true.
You need to contact your gas supplier, Repsol or Cepsa.
You can book an time and date for the inspector to call.
If someone turns up at your door , without a prior appointment, tell them to go away or you will call the police.
There are rip off people who will give you a certificate at grossly inflated costs.
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Re: Gas bottle hoses & regulators

Postby jukim » Fri Apr 24, 2015 12:09 pm

Thanks Gerry, any idea of cost?

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gerryh
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Re: Gas bottle hoses & regulators

Postby gerryh » Fri Apr 24, 2015 12:43 pm

Probably around the 40-50€.
I haven't had an inspection for over 9 years :oops: so prices might have changed.
It's on my to do list.
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anyroads
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Re: Gas bottle hoses & regulators

Postby anyroads » Fri Apr 24, 2015 4:26 pm

I had an inspection about a year and a half ago and hopefully they replaced what needed replacing.

Just back from a visit and notice the flame went out a few times. I was putting it down to having the back door open and it being quite breezy. However, I do not recall it happening in the past ( happened this time even with a new gas bottle in place ).

I am not too familiar with the mechanics, is there a "wick" which needs replacing time to time ?

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gerryh
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Re: Gas bottle hoses & regulators

Postby gerryh » Fri Apr 24, 2015 5:10 pm

The flame on what kept going out?
Gas fire, cooker, water heater or what?
Inspections do not cover whether or not appliances are working correctly.
They only check, or should check, the regulator, pipe and cut off tap.
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Re: Gas bottle hoses & regulators

Postby anyroads » Fri Apr 24, 2015 6:53 pm

Sorry...

Water heater. That is the only thing I have gas for.

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olive
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Re: Gas bottle hoses & regulators

Postby olive » Fri Apr 24, 2015 8:19 pm

Our five year inspection is now overdue.

A few months back I had a letter from Repsol HQ in Madrid. Has the property got gas? yes /no. Your inspection is due. Do you want us to do it or someone else.? I responded yes and yes. Not heard anything despite filling in contact details.

Here is a thing. In this modern age can't someone make rubber tube that lasts longer than a miserable five years? Pathetic. :eh:

Anyway I emailed them to ask how much to expect for the inspection of ... and said how many boilers, cookers, portable gas rings and fires I had. Their answer? It depends, who are you?. I gave up. I should have learnt not to even bother asking. If they haven't been in the next twelve months I will replace all of the rubber tubes myself.

Oh and the last inspection carried out by a youth and an older man from Repsol was a joke. Picture this. Appliance on and he tested for leaks with a lit fag lighter. All the discarded orange pipe was just that- where it dropped out of their hands. I gathered it up and put it on the bonnet of their van. They had the last laugh though as they lobbed it onto our land as they left. :shifty: :twisted:

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Re: Gas bottle hoses & regulators

Postby infoseeker » Sat Apr 25, 2015 2:52 pm

That's how they do the check out here- coild be tragic
Our last 5 year check was 60 euros
Even if you change your own regulators and tubing, you still need to get the 5 year certificate, as your insurance company will ask for it should there be damage due to gas

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Re: Gas bottle hoses & regulators

Postby olive » Tue Apr 28, 2015 12:11 pm

An update and some thoughts.

Today the Repsol man turned up without an appointment but with a printed scedule with my details and the other customers to visit. No appointment made. Clear pricing schedule . It is a flat fee of 65 euros regardless of the number of appliances. For that he spent 45 minutes in total(5 appliances) and changed the orange tubes and "tested" the regulators by waving a naked flame about. He condemned one of our gas water boilers as not safe for use. It was installed and commissioned by our local heating engineer in the bathroom in a cupboard with chimney and floor vent. So it either needs moving outside or replacing by an electric boiler. Helpfully he changed the tubing on it to help if we moved it outside.

So he left us a folder with a certificate and various documentation.

Now some thoughts. The reason that not many people have these inspections is that they are not on Repsols radar. In February we received a letter from Repsol asking if we were the owners, did we have any gas appliances and crucially did we want Repsol or someone else to do the mandatory five year inspection of gas appliances.

So how many expats have:
A contract for one or more gas bottles?
Have been contacted by Repsol?
Have had a previous inspection by an authorised(fag lighter waver) inspector?

I suspect that the answer is not many.

Just an aside. What a fabulous job he has. Forty years he has been working from the Loja office and knows everyone in the area. That is all he does - testing and issuing certificates.

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Re: Gas bottle hoses & regulators

Postby infoseeker » Tue Apr 28, 2015 12:24 pm

Repsol is supposed to contact you, or you can contact them for a service.
They never come unannounced.
Inspectors purporting to be from Repsol have often turned up with appropriate paperwork,with business heading, and they have turned out to be not from that company, often charging extortionate amounts, for very little work.
You knew that your inspector was genuine, so that was ok, but they should have notified you first.
If they find something not right, eg boiler not safe, or work has to be carried out eg, more ventilation required, they will not normally give you the certificate until it has been completed,
In the case of something not being safe, you will not be allowed to use the appliance.
A time limit in which to do the work is given, and it has to be done by Repsol, or an approved Repsol worker.

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Re: Gas bottle hoses & regulators

Postby infoseeker » Tue Apr 28, 2015 12:37 pm

PS anyone who wants a gas water heater or to cook by gas, has by law to have a contract with Repsol or another reputable company.
It's not meant to be a DIY job by the owner, or a friend, even though the person was a qualified gas fitter in the UK
Whichever company you are with, they supply your gas bottles.
Although you are not supposed to buy bottles from the man up the road or from adds in the press, many do.
If you carry gas bottles in your car, you are supposed to carry a hazard warning in the window, something some expats do, but apparently no Spaniards do- they laugh at us for doing so!


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