Baxi safety

Electrical safety for gas boilers

When installers do their training, of course they learn all about handling gas properly and safely. However, very few installers learn any more than basic electrics – just enough for them to be able to install a boiler. So, when it comes to servicing or repairing a boiler, there’s a general lack of awareness when it comes to electrical safety. Here, Damian Delaney, Technical Support Manager, Baxi Potterton Myson, advices installers on how best to ensure that boilers are safe to work on during maintenance visits.

In our experience, most installers

are not qualified electricians, and the few that are have not necessarily had training to understand the electrics of boilers. In addition, while there are industry-recommended tests, not all electrical tests are part of legislation but are rather seen as industry “best practice”. Combine that with the prohibitive cost of the complete range of electrical testing equipment, and the fact that even if they had the equipment installers would not necessarily know how to use it properly or what it’s telling them, and there’s a high potential for things to go wrong.

At Baxi we show installers how to use a range of electrical testing equipment when they attend our training courses, including non-contact voltage indicators; multimeters; earth loop impedance testers; voltage sticks; voltage indicators and proving units. However, most of the tests needed could be carried out with a multimeter, so it is crucial installers understand how to use one of these properly.

We have heard of installers on site discovering, after receiving an electric shock, that a poorly-installed boiler has left the pipework and boiler casing “live”. According to the Health and Safety Authority, there have been 40 deaths by electrocution in Ireland between 2001 and 2020, most of which were associated with work activities. At least one was caused by “plumbing in a kitchen”. Apart from fatalities, there are no details about how many “near misses” there have been.

One shock, however small, is too many so we make no apologies for preaching about electrical safety on our training courses. We show installers how to carry out the following tests: • Safe isolation – Before even touching the boiler, make sure the boiler case isn’t live by using a no-contact voltage indicator; • Earth loop impedance tester to check for adequate earth – Boilers in standard properties will pass if the reading is less than 1 Ohm impedance. Older properties with cruder systems have a bigger allowance; • Fundamental checks – Carry out basic electrical safety checks to make sure the boiler is earthed, has no short circuits, and has been wired up the right way around.

Section 6 – Gas and Electrical Considerations – of the Technical Guidance Document for Registered Gas Installers (http://www.rgii.ie/technicalinformation/technical-guidancedocument.7195.html) also provides detailed guidelines regarding electrics when working with gas appliances.

It probably takes longer to read about these tests than to carry them out, and it should become a habit for every installer to do them before they start work on a boiler. Find out more about our specialist courses at http:// trade.baxi.co.uk/trade-area/training/ training-courses.htm

Understanding how to carry out electrical tests can make fault-finding much easier, and give installers the chance to set themselves apart from their competitors. More importantly, it can save them from getting any nasty shocks – or worse!

See www.baxipottertonmyson.ie