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Mike’s good vibrations
What does a gas engineer with 30 years in the industry do next? Think about retiring? Or start again, to bring to market a simple idea that could save others from the stress and cost of having their van broken into. Registered Gas Engineer talks to Mike Horsfall about his stand against one of the scourges of the industry.
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After Mike Horsfall had fallen victim to repeated thefts of copper from the pipe carrier on his van, he decided to do something about it. “I recognised that the unalarmed pipe carrier drew the attention of thieves to my van, who grew in confidence knowing that it was unalarmed,” he says.
The thefts were costing Mike hundreds of pounds in lost copper. He realised that the problem with pipe carriers was that they couldn’t be alarmed in the same way that vans are. And that got him thinking. “If I could design an alarm system that prevented the thief from initiating contact with any part of my van, it would be an effective deterrent and move thieves along.”
He talked to other engineers around Leeds, where he lives, who had suffered the same thefts. “I found that vehicle security was expensive,” he says. “And what good is an alarm that activates after the door’s open? Van alarms don’t protect from the superficial damage that thieves can inflict, so people put additional locks on. And that’s what has spawned this scourge of door peeling: thieves can’t get in, so they just peel the door. That exacerbates the problem because the alarm doesn’t go off if the door’s not open.”
Two-and-a-half years of hard work followed, resulting in the creation of Van Guardian, an early warning alarm system. It activates when anyone touches the van in the zonal area that the device covers, sounding a 110dB alarm.
Motor tech
The technology behind it is a triaxl accelerometer, which comes from the motor industry and measures vibration in a wind tunnel. Mike combined this with a programmable microchip, which senses contact and then activates, and encased it in a waterproof housing. The alarm fixes firmly to the van with no need for drilling or wiring and provides protection, activated by remote control.
As a sole trader gas engineer, Mike didn’t have a background in engineering, manufacturing or electronics, and had to learn everything for himself, sourcing parts and finding a manufacturer to make the waterproof housing in which the alarm sits. “I had to test, adjust and test again.”
The bespoke housing is made of vacuum-formed plastic, manufactured by a family company in Crossgates, Leeds. “It had to withstand the rigours of all weather and being exposed on a van doing 70mph and then going in a jet wash,” he says.
Until now, Mike has been multi-tasking, bringing Van Guardian to the market alongside working as a gas engineer. “Last night I was up until 1am working on the design and parts of the website,” he told us. “And this morning I’ve been out and done gas servicing.”
He’s always looking at ways to improve and expand Van Guardian, and he’s now working on a tracking function. So it looks as though being a gas engineer will have to take a back seat.
“I’ve been self-employed for 30 years and I have a lot of clients that rely on my services, so it’s hard to say ‘no I can’t do it any more’. But Van Guardian requires my attention now and my focus is to try and continue to introduce it into local independent merchants.”
And Mike wants something to tangible to involve his two young sons, Frederick and Harry, who often spot vans sporting his invention when they’re out and about. “They say, look, there’s one of daddy’s alarms. That’s priceless.” n
www.vanguardian.co.uk
WIN
Win a Van Guardian dual alarm
We’ve teamed up with Van Guardian to offer three lucky readers the chance to win a Dual Alarm. To be in with the chance of winning, just head over to their website at www.Vanguardian.co.uk and follow the instructions you’ll find there. The competition closes on 30 April 2021. Usual Registered Gas Engineer competition rules, terms and conditions apply (see page 51).
Thegoodthebad+theugly
We want your pictures
Registered Gas Engineer wants to see your pictures – whether you’ve come across some horrors or instances of really good work. And there’s a prize for the best one: so go on, get writing and email your stories and pictures to editorial@registeredgasengineer.co.uk or via Twitter @RGEMag
The chimney to this boiler, fitted three years previously, had never been installed correctly because the hole was too high Richard Roberts made the installation safe.
A DIY plume kit had been made by Ryan Grosvenor’s customer using waste/ downpipe with a plastic covering (clearly showing heat damage). Ryan made safe and installed a new plume kit specific to the boiler manufacturer. The chimney terminal had been ‘modified’ using plumbing fittings to remove the products of combustion after the customer had some building alterations. Steve Poole made safe and the installation has been rectified.
This severely corroded gas supply to the gas fire was causing a smell of gas, says Ben Somerwill. Not only had the pipework not been adequately protected using the correct material, but the fire surround had been stuck to the wall using expanding foam. Ben made safe.
Paul Farr was asked about the reason for a roaring noise from the boiler. He soon found out why.
This month’s winner
Leigh Brown found a meter installation where someone had encased part of the meter in concrete screed. The meter has been refitted.
Nathaniel Smith attended a breakdown, where a second-hand boiler had been installed by a ‘friend’. Nathaniel identified seven water leaks, an incorrect chimney, and incorrectly installed condensate pipe termination. When he carried out a tightness test, he got a straight drop-out on his U-gauge.
Chris Jones stumbled across (or over) a boiler chimney pushed through an old balanced-flue chimney terminal. The chimney had been installed too close to the pavement, with no guard. Someone had cut through a whole section of the joist to accommodate a vertical chimney rather than routing around it, not to mention the minimum distance required from combustible material and adequate support to the chimney.
Adam Tamea
made safe.
We may share some of your pictures on social media, so remember to include your contact details so we can tag you (or let us know if you’d rather we didn’t).
Thegoodthebad+theugly
Rob from CombiCare found this old balanced-flue boiler terminal with an invading tomato plant. It’s anyone’s guess how some of those beauties will be harvested. The vegetation was cut away and a flue guard has been installed. Tony Thomas got a shock when he saw that the electrical supply to the boiler had been cable-tied to the gas supply. The electrical supply has now been re-routed.
Holy bat breakdown! Adam Tamea found why his customer’s boiler wasn’t working: a bat had travelled along the chimney to the fan compartment. The obstruction was removed.
Gregory Smith’s customer had no hot water (unsurprisingly) – Gregory made safe.
There’s a prize for the best photos sent in (in our opinion). Please remember to take pictures at high resolution and email them to Photo prize Win
editorial@registeredgasengineer.co.uk
This month, Anton is giving away its APM 155 2bar differential pressure meter, complete with tilt boot, and magnet and hook, worth more than £238.
The APM 155 can save logs and print test results to an infrared printer with your company name and number, or wireless transfer to Anton’s free Sprint Mobile app (iOS or Android) to create professional PDF customer reports.
It’s suitable for medium-pressure testing and strength testing up to 2bar (2000mbar), and has high-pressure spigot connections for tube size 6mm OD/4mm ID.
Using the APM 155, you can test, log and share data, as well as carrying out gas rating and creating and PDF reports, when used in conjunction with Sprint Mobile app. This month’s winner is Leigh Brown from Mickleover, Derby. Congratulations!
